(Hi! I have posted more than one chapter per day, but the visualization graph indicates that some people are directly accessing the last chapter posted and missing the previous ones. So if you are one of the people who have come this far please check that you have not missed anything and know that in the next few days I will also be publishing at least three chapters. Thank you very much for your attention!)
Wakanda definitively was the best country Lin has ever been. It's not she hasn't had pleasant visits to many places, but this one, particularly, surprised and enchanted her more than she expected. Stark, Pepper, Morgan and Peter were gently invited to spend some weeks in the T-Challa's kingdom and, although she had denied at first, humans proved to be extremely insistent creatures and convinced the trickster god's bride to come with them. Obviously, it was part of the plan that she eventually would go to Wakanda and would get the people's trust, but the woman didn't have to give the impression she was so interested to be in the foreign country.
When Loki disappeared leaving no clue about where he was going to, everyone waited his return patiently for some days, however, the prince didn't come back, so they judged this to be the perfect opportunity to pull Iron Girl apart from him and finally test her clearly.
Shuri was radiant with the Tony's daughter presence, it was extremely pleasant to have around a friend who understood her when she got thrilled about some matter related to technology and science, but mainly who had the ability and the disposition to collaborate with the most complex projects, just as to allow her to assist on her own ideas and inventions. The human considered to kidnap her and keep her in Wakanda forever, she could bet no one would care a lot. By the way, Parker's presence also made her happy, it was great to have someone who would let her create many and many improvements for his development in the battlefield, someone who got thrilled with her and who didn't reprehend her as his brother used to do. Not to mention, of course, to be a pleasant company to walk on the ceiling and no one else was interested on doing the same.
Moreover, everybody tried their best to distract Lin so that she didn't reach crisis or think too much of her partner absence, which caused her more irritation than relaxation, after all, they wouldn't leave her alone even for one second and she was about to punch the next person who opened her bedroom's door willing to be a company to her.
It wasn't hard to convince everybody that she needed to be treated as any other when in fact the king entered the bedroom and got hit in the stomach by a full-furious, green-eyed Stark. She even got the authorization to use her own AI in the room they offered her! If she only knew she just had to hit T'Challa to make them understand what she really needed, she would have done this before.
However, she hadn't abandoned the conviviality with people. She spent more time with the princess in her lab than alone in fact in her own bedroom. The older had loved her idea of curing the cancer; in the country, the disease was curable a long time ago, but the way how the Iron Girl suggested them to do it opened a door for other diseases to be eradicated. The solution came up after the visit they made to Mena Ngai and to the "trains" that conveyed the metal to the surface. Vibranium absorbs all the vibratory energy and, knowing that, it came to the younger's genius mind that maybe this ability could also be applied to human cells, making the harmful molecules stop vibrating and consequently end up deactivated while someone used the device she intended to create.
They both spent a great part of their day developing the idea and creating means to make it possible to execute it. With or without second thoughts about that, it was a hypothesis that, if successful, would completely revolutionize the medicine we know.
Bruce, when informed about what both intended to do, immediately volunteered to travel to the country and help them. With a device like this, he could help his students to control the interior Hulk even at moments he lost the lead over his actions. He was so excited and happy that sometimes would hinder them more than helping. The scientist had already accepted the green monster as a part of him, he didn't hate it anymore and it could be said that they were even friends, cooperating with one another whenever the situation required it. The biggreen was, however, such inconvenient sometimes, as when he needed to be way more delicate with certain objects. Banner blushed every time he remembered the disasters that had already happened on the years he saw Hulk as a disease and full-fumbled himself, so much that he fired a disintegrating missile on the Stark's projects once and she stabbed him for that, but then everyone got happy to notice that the prototype he used prevented an immediate regeneration indicating that they were following the right way. The celebration made them to forget the man wasn't healing and kept on the ground bleeding, but he made de device out of his body in time and the gamma radiation did its part, impeding him bleeding to death.
Lin got even happier with the presence of the other monster, after all, she was still getting used to live together with humans, but could relax and feel less terrible when Bruce was around.
(…)
The sunset in Wakanda was simply beautiful, a view that for sure the little monster would never forget and that she would enjoy while she could; therefore, every evening she would walk alone to the Mena Ngai mount and sit near to the big sculpture of the panther to appreciate the view. They were respecting her space to the point of not asking anymore when she decided to disappear a little.
She moved her fingers restlessly – the unique sign that she wasn't in fact calm –, her eyes wouldn't deviate from the sun and her mind worked with infinite solutions to the lack of news about her partner. Lin could feel he was fine, but sometimes received some signs of wounds, but nothing grave. She had no idea of where he was and didn't understand exactly why she was being left aside. She hasn't done anything wrong yet by the way, and hasn't harmed him at no point, she was even creating things that would help them…
She felt the look of someone on her back, observing her by far.
Her frown puckered and her body tensed, shrinking a bit. Soon after, some lone tears ran down through her face and then her hand closed in frustration, punching the ground strongly. Stark saw the land crack more than it should for her small impulsiveness, but didn't worry much after noticing that nothing would collapse. She laughed seeming desperate, Loki shouldn't have left her behind alive, now she didn't doubt that he was also lying when promised to destroy her before ruling her out.
She let that anyone who was watching saw agony, pain and angry coming out of her, flooded her thoughts with so many negative things that provoked a "nearly-crisis". Night fell without her notice and the woman started to realize how hard it was to keep breathing, she was indeed getting in a state of panic. But then Lin noticed that the one following her went away, probably to get some help. Finally.
Stark sat once again, inhaling air more strongly to command her body to stop and to come back to its normal. She cleansed her eyes and sharpened her senses once again to be sure that now she was really alone. No one around. She needed to be fast. What she was planning had big chances of not working, but she needed to try. She closed her eyes with all the tranquility she had and blocked the Original completely just as Loki indirectly taught her to do. She needed to keep a so big concentration that this time she was really forgetting to breath and when she opened up her eyes again, realized that she was at the same place yet, sighed slightly frustrated and decided to try again, hearing a known voice to laugh in her mind paying attention to her. Repeating all the process this second time, when she opened her eyes, realized she wasn't in Wakanda anymore, but in a big plain, flooded with a shallow water up to where she could see.
She was willing to dance for her victory, but that would be way too ridiculous, so she just started walking while shouting in her thoughts about how fucking awesome she was. Lin expected the Other to breath for her while she was there, it wouldn't be pleasant to come back and see that she was dead for holding her breath. She didn't know where she actually was, but had a so familiar sensation at that place that just kept walking hoping to find anything.
- I feel flattered to receive a visit, child. – spoke a melodious voice, too close to her ear.
The human almost fell behind frightened to see the being that was with her at that moment. She hadn't realized the presence of that until the point it decided to weigh in. By her side was a humanoid figure very alike to her, but red-haired, orange-eyed, and with a skin way more tanned. Also, the creature didn't have any scars, but white traces along its body, which reminded drawings. It was simply gorgeous.
- Utrimque. – Lin ascertained after recognizing it. She had never actually seen it, but used to live together with its voice long enough not to know who it was. Now, in front of her, stood the perfect personification of the soul stone's conscience.
- I can't imagine the reasons that took you here by free will. – it smiled at her, gentile and comprehensive, there was a long time Utrimque treated her practically as an equal, there were no doubts: it brought her to there, it wasn't a Stark's achievement, the being wanted her to reach it. – Might I suppose you were trying to get to one of my siblings?
Both started to calmly walk again, Lin was now better visualizing the environment around her, there were the souls imprisoned in the stone along the millennials, keeping a respectful and significant distance. They seemed to have found their peace.
- I could never lie to you anyway. – the corner of the human's lips curved into a little smile. – I want to talk to Subtilier, it's about something too much precious to let certain people to use.
The being made a comprehensive expression, the person in question had no access to the worlds of its fellows, in part because it was causing such a displeasure to the stones and in part because it never tried to get closer to them. The best place to do something it can't see is the house that each stone created to itself and the only creature that may hide some grand thing from it is the mind stone. Utrimque was one of the stones that, in its own way, loved when something went out of Original's control, always collaborated with Stark, so that she could keep her conscience when he tried to take the control, what frustrated a lot what should be its superior; and beyond all, it loved to watch by far the moves the mortal made on their power little games. It was a terrible sadistic carrying a gentile smile.
- So, if anyone ask me, you came here hoping to see your paternal figure and I'm not the one to blame for accidentally leaving an interstice opened that takes anyone passing through it to my sibling.
Surprising even herself, Lin raised her hand, thanking, not in the way earthlings did to greet, but in her most intimate way to show affection. The being slightly wide opened his eyes, it knew the girl, it knew what that meant and it definitely didn't expect that someday she would show it something like that. It also raised its hand in retribution, its long fingers touched hers, and they stared each other calmly. It was completely visible the gratitude in the eyes of the mortal. Utrimque was the first to step back and, constrained, opened the passageway, as it had suggested it would, keeping its back so that the human didn't see its face.
Ironically smiling, Lin walked to the gap between the worlds, she had just made an infinity stone ashamed, and she didn't even know it was possible. Definitively more creatures should recognize the stones as conscious and living beings. They're starting to need friends.
- I should alert you, even if you can notice it without my help. – The sudden speak made the human stop centimeters far from vanishing from there. – The one the avengers used to call "Crazy Titan" isn't here anymore. – Lin looked it over her shoulders, noticing that the being was almost dissolving its physical form again.
- I will remember that. – her answer came in a well-nigh whisper.
- If our dear friend allows. – Utrimque spoke sarcastically and its body vanished. Stark lost no more time and departed to the next world.
(…)
Loki was tempted to convince Stephen to give him back his powers as protector of the reality, it's not that the wizard knew he didn't have these abilities anymore, but it was really annoying to pretend he was still capable of doing such things when the other somehow tested him. Alanes had sealed him before he abandoned Midgard many years ago when he no longer followed her, she said something like "If you want them back, you just ask. You know I won't deny you something you will use for the good". She was only following her own rules and forbidding who quitted the place to use the magic she had taught. The prince, as a fool, never asked these gifts back to her while she was still alive and now used her illusions to make the current supreme wizard to believe himself. Even with the mystic artifacts Doctor Strange so reluctantly lent him, no remnant of the spells was produced by the adopted Asgardian.
At least, Loki could have fun with Stephen's face every time that the cloak of levitation left him to attach to his shoulders, he didn't even like the attention of the object, but seeing the so boastful man not saying anything and leaving grumbling around while following his path was indeed comic.
According to the information he's got, everything was going as planned, Infinity Watch is instable, the stones are consuming and driving their current protector crazy, the Gardener, one of the great elders of the universe, has fell for his sweet talk as he should have and now is positioning against Adam Warlock's little group. It isn't hard to instigate the chaos when you've been practicing this for ages. The lies and the rumors he planted also showed results, each more his adversaries stood against the allies they had. It wouldn't be hard to show up and claim the stones for himself, after all, if he took too long to do this, they would end up killing themselves anyway.
He wouldn't mind at all how Strange sulked him when he did the things in his way. It was funny to see the so-honored protector of the reality playing dirty, even this meaning fighting against the group he himself helped to stablish when Adam Warlock almost went crazy with the power of the stones. Stephen was surprisingly cooperating a lot, they weren't that different after all, they were capable of doing anything to achieve their objectives. The wizard uses his influence and knowledge along the cosmos to make the stories and whispers of the god of the lie easier to believe, besides using those creatures that already know him to make them even less suspects, thanks to him, they would probably steal the most powerful stones of the universe without any distrust towards them.
The first target chosen was the mind stone, which was in possession of Heather Douglas, the Moondragon. If used correctly, this stone can influence directly the other protectors, besides controlling completely its adversary in the case of he or she be hard to convince to hand over the stone. The problem in question was the warrior they chose to defend it, probably the hardest person to be corrupted and an opponent who could rival against the trickster god in relation with her powers of the mind, after all, she, of course, already had the stone.
It wouldn't be that smart to let her to see him, she would invade his mind immediately and look for his intentions, eliminating him soon after. He wouldn't literally die, but she didn't have to know that.
It was with this point that the strategy came up. Doctor Strange would never be allied to someone like Loki in the whole universe's view and the god was already known by its greed for power. It would be no novelty if they found him trying to steal something like an infinity stone and how convenient it would be to have a Midgard hero standing there exactly when he was close enough to get what he desired so much. When Heather looked in his mind, she would see the desire for the treasure and the frustration to be caught, because that was what she needed to see, his mental shields would protect everything else and the stone would also do its part by knowing it would be reunited with its fellow, if it went with the pair. Moondragon is way too arrogant and boastful to thank, so her way to say thank you will be not scrutinizing the memories of the man who had just captured the thief.
At this moment, Loki was already infiltered among the few people who have access to the place in which she keeps the stone and who have the guardian's confidence. He used the image of a mere servant and so scavenged the hall looking for signs or any other thing that slightly reminded the presence of the stone or of the cane in which it used to be kept. Seeing the real servant's memories proved to be useless, everyone who attended that place had as strong mental shields as the god's itself for they have used the power of the stone to expand their capacities, that's why the female now lay fainted and imprisoned in a distant planet and he had no idea of where to look for his prize there.
The prince had time to analyze the suspect runes all around the place hoping to find a secret passage or something. He was alone at that place since he got there and started to think they were handing the stone on a plate, after all, there were not even one guard where he passed through. Was he indeed in the right place?
Pretending to clean the floor, as it was expected for his figure, Loki had the opportunity to verify many suspect points of that building, but nothing took him further than a weird button that opened a passage for a hidden emergency toilet. He was starting to lose his temper and moreover was wasting all the opportunities he had while the guardian wasn't there. Always having the chance of not being successful in his search for the stone, though, since it could be with Moondragon.
Suddenly, while simply walking, not anymore looking for passages and decided to adopt some new way of search, the frost giant noticed the thin heels in his heel caving in slightly in a little detail of the complex painting that covered a whole wall and a piece of the ground. He had already scavenged the art before and hadn't noticed anything, willing to stab himself now for that. He stooped discreetly and pressed the only and small scale that moved, so absolute silence took over all the enclosure until the illustration in front of him started to move as if it were alive. The door formerly small and blurred in the image, got slowly closer and through it, what should be just another detail on the wall became a true passage, freeing his way to explore whatever secrets there were under the main floor.
- It seems I found something. – He sent telepathically to Doctor Strange a sign that the other should keep his attention to anything indicating he should show up there and save the day.
There was a very steep stair making it even harder to whoever tried to go down, Loki didn't waste time trying not to fall on the weird, old and deformed steps, he took a bird shape and flew to the end of that long, way too long, path. Still at the start he could see the door closing behind him, but didn't worry about that, in the worst case, he would ask to his so unexpected ally for help and would come up with any excuse for not having used the abilities of a protector of the reality.
It was very dark down there, but it was not a problem, after all, he had become a little creature that reminded an owl before and had the same ability of night vision. There were treasures and wealth everywhere, preciosities from many dimensions and systems, all at the disposal of whoever entered there. It seemed to be too easy, he didn't dare to touch anything. He didn't need any improper attention to himself.
The room with the riches was longer and more confusing than it looked at first, a really well done illusionism trick, in the wizard's opinion. At one place only around there, behind the enchanted walls that led the thief to some random corner of the big hall, not noticing he had gotten to one of its extremities, there was a real mirror, one that could be broken and that would take whoever found him to the most valuable item among all those. Loki knew that for he had already been stuck in a similar safe, he had already surpassed that level of challenge a long time ago.
He just convened hundreds of copies of himself and dropped them through the floor full of relics. They could pass through objects thus he wouldn't have any problems concerning traps. Overflying the place taking care for not touching anything, the "owl" patiently waited for some minutes in which the copies of his Asgardian ran all around there, being teleported in the hall at the moments they reached some invisible wall, until that eventually one of them bumped into a solid fail and passed through it. Dispensing the other illusions, the prince flew until he had success and, transforming back, stabbed strongly the mirror he was looking for, as soon as it broke, he passed through it too and got to the real treasure hall.
In the center of a room free of any other item despite the one kept, it was the cane that served as a contention for the mind stone in the absence of the gauntlet like the one Thanos had. Walking calmly and with his typical arrogant smile on his face, Loki went there so that he could finally take what he came for. However, getting close enough, he noticed the absence of the powerful stone; it really was, then, with Moondragon. Well, it made no difference. He held the cane firmly just to hear the click of something opening.
It was a great time to run, the plan was going very right. From inside another hidden passage it came up another considerably big watchman like the one who kept the treasures of Odin, it was a great moment to thank the father of all to have allowed him to build that thing.
Knowing already the fails of his creation, the prince had no difficulty to deviate from his attacks, despite the fact this one was a little faster and apparently stronger than the one he knew. He had no intentions to fight, so he simply transformed again into a flying animal and, keeping several movements with no sequence for not to be struck, he went back to the entrance made by the mirror, to leave harmless. The watchman kept close, following him constantly and shooting his energy toward the invader trying foolishly to destroy him.
However, the biggest problem of all was when the robotic threat got to the false treasure room. It was as solid as the metal that it was made of could be, with few movements trying to catch him, it was clumsy enough to step into a trap, maybe the worst among all of them. The snap was heard and Loki had time only to embrace the cane with his wings before a nuclear level explosion to strike everything inside there.
(…)
- As I said before, Strange, I have everything under control. If there's any creature trying to possess the cane, it's certainly already destroyed now. It's an item with a great magic power even alone, I have already taken, indeed, measures that will not allow anyone who tries to get it to come back alive. – Moondragon said, showing disregard.
Stephen saw her to get closer to the place where the other wizard looked for what both intended to steal, so, as he had just received the message from the adopted Asgardian, promptly tried to delay her. Loki was right, it wasn't hard for him not to conquer her suspicion and aggressiveness, it even seemed that the woman liked his person after he said he was interested in entering definitively to the infinity watch and looked for her because undoubtedly, she was the most intelligent and worthy among the other members.
However, the delay of his partner in showing up to be captured started to cause a kind of strangeness to the wizard, even more after the weird trembling under where they were. He already knew that his research somehow had been in vain since the mind stone was blatantly visible on Heather Douglas' front. They would probably have to fight to get what they wanted and now, able to assess her closely, it didn't seem to be exactly a problem.
Trying to gain some more time just to be sure his partner was still alive or not, the wizard started a conversation about mystic artifacts that seemed to interest her and soon caught the telepath complete attention. Both sipped something that looked like a tea and that according her was a typical drink from the region while they talked. The fact of having already tasted the same liquid before while got information, helped the protector of the reality to believe he wasn't being poisoned. After minutes and possibly hours, Stephen knew a little bit more about the past of the woman by his side. She surprisingly was also an earthling, born in Los Angeles, but Thanos ended up killing all his family while she was very young for they had witnessed the presence of the invader in Midgard. After that, the father of the crazy titan took her to his planet to be raised by Shao-Lom monks, for he had found her alive among the chaos his own son caused. Moondragon developed with the monks all her physical potential, becoming formidable in martial arts. They taught her sciences as chemistry and genetic engineering, but most importantly, they helped her to access her latent telepathic powers and in time her mental abilities became more powerful than that of her teachers. It was the conflict with the Moon Dragon she crowed about the most, Doctor Strange suspected that it was exactly at this occasion she turned to be so arrogant and cocky.
They were on the way to get deeper into the past of the wizard himself when one of the beings who accompanied the woman when they had the opportunity entered the warming room in which they were, he gasped and seemed to have a big difficulty to come back breathing. Heather raised one of her eyebrows as if questioning the daring of the one interrupting a conversation she judged so interesting.
- M-m-Ms! – He bowed in a weird reverence and stood on his own knees trying desperately to breathe again. Impatient, she spared the man the effort and entered his mind to see what was going on.
Stephen saw the mind stone's guardian getting up slowly with the frown puckered of angry. She walked without saying a word towards the exit of the place where currently lived and he followed her calmly, not letting his expression demonstrate he knew what it was about. Arriving outside, they saw overflying very far away what seemed to be a dragon cub carrying with it the cane that should be well protected underground the building. Heather made an expression of profound hatred and raised her hand to pull the inconvenient thief with her power, but in anticipation, Doctor Strange opened a portal in front of that he knew to be Loki and another a little over where they were, the dragon that fled as fast as it could, wasn't able to stop in time after noticing the change of what was in front of him and crashed into the sand ground very hard.
Strange's lips trembled with his kind of failed attempt to choke back a laugh. The prince newly transformed back with the impact looked at them with a child-who-is-nabbed-doing-something-wrong face, as if he was the most innocent being in the world and as if he didn't understand why he was there completely dirty of sand.
- Heather, darling! It's been a while we met the last time. He commented with a smile that looked like way enticing and sarcastic. He kept the cane very firm in his hand and didn't give a clue, but the wizard knew he was making it implied he was looking for the first opportunity to flee with his prize or even with something else. – what about you, wizard apprentice, what brings you to this magnificent and inhospitable unsupportable desert?
- Loki Laufeyson. – Moondragon said as if she appreciated each word. – I suppose you are very far from home.
- - Maybe I should update you, Asgard was destroyed and Jotunheim hates me, so I don't have exactly a home.
Stephen had the impression to hear two snakes talking, both ready to pounce.
(…)
- What you're asking me is something very ingenious, girl. – Subtiliter, the mind stone's conscience said after hearing carefully what Lin Stark wanted it to do. – But what surprises me indeed is that you are asking me. You are not very coherent with the living beings, child, usually whoever can get to me do whatever he or she wants and never asks.
- You're on my mind for too long for me to treat you just as an object. – she shouldered as if it was something natural to treat it as a living creature and not as an invaluable source of power.
- Weird girl. – it said as if she was one of the most questionable things it has ever seen in its long existence. But he smiled proudly. Subtiliter since always stood for her in the challenges concerning her intelligence. For all the stones, it was adorable to live together with a form of life who saw them as an equal, however they had tormented her for a long time, the fault for having hurt the human was definitively his, at no moment they tried to truly hurt her, it was Original who distorted their lines, imitated their voices and underestimated and intimidated her. When she tried to do something different, for example, she had the support, it was him who made the voices to put her off, the same way he made the opposite when everyone doubted of the capability of the little genius. – Alright, it won't be something hard to do, at least not for me. I will need you to contain our dear Ego while I stay in your body and create. It seems interesting to me the idea to have a physical form in your world.
- But it obviously will have a price – observed the Midgardian with a corner smile.
- You're starting to know me better. – The silver teeth of the creature appeared when it opened a big smile of contentment and its eyes closed for an instant. – I like you a bit, girl, that's why I won't require something big: I want you to build the android your people called The Vision once.
- I'm starting to think you clung to him, powerful being who torments me every day. – there was a subtle demonstration of surprise on her face.
- I gave him life. It was, maybe, the most significant thing I have done during all my millennials. – Subtiliter looked like a father speaking.
- As far as I know, you gave Ultron life too. – Lin commented with an eyebrow arched and an ironic smile.
- Yes! Magnificent, isn't it? – it had its moments of crazy genius sometimes. – Despite it has been a little more disappointing and has lost myself for the Avengers. You humans, worse still, attributed the credits of my creation to Anthony Stark, no… Ultron was a disaster although it was a joy for me.
Subitiliter was a very solitary being, it didn't have the company of the souls, couldn't bask in seeing all the versions of past and future, couldn't change the reality inside its world or travel with its conscience to anywhere in the universe he desired to spy. Most of the time, it instigated its bearers to create and observed the life behind the eyes of whom carried it. It was a big surprise to be able to interact with Stark, the only one that could hear it besides its siblings. Since then, it spent most of the time with her, telling about what it knew, teaching her things from being able to read in all the languages it knew to developing correctly the super soldier serum and the experiment with gamma rays. It materialized itself as a slender, short-platinum-haired being, with big yellow eyes, always curious, carefully conceived shapes and writings, also yellow, covered all its body just as its sibling Utrimque, and its wears minimized into one item: a very colorful tunic that hooded most part of its extremely white skin.
A slight shock of both and an almost unnoticeable shake in his world indicated that its current guardian was using it, almost immediately, a slaughtered aspect took over the being's face. It was a terrible sensation all the time, the stone could give him or her willingly an extraordinary level of power, but when the bearer simply took its power as everyone has done until now, the amount reduced and the creature inside felt each fragment of its own energy leaving it. It was the closest thing they felt to pain. This time, however, the stone, verifying what was exactly happening, giggled.
- Girl, your friend Loki has already reached me. – it pasted its hand over her front, so that she could also see.
- How surprised would he be if you interfered? – she left the suggestion implicit, whetting the other's will.
- It is so convenient she has put me on the head, isn't it?
The stone giggled again before making a move.
(…)
Everything was a mess in that desert. Part of the building that sheltered Moondragon disappeared, some tornadoes came up and the guardian now was in clear advantage. Doctor Strange who still fought by her side "unintentionally" ended up saving the prince from stronger hits sometimes and more and more caused suspicion and strangeness to the woman. Loki and he kept in mind that the mystic sealing to use, but everything depended on the position they were, on the right movements and on Heather not destroying their minds before they finished it.
At that moment, it was the Asgardian who was facing her hand-to-hand. He was obviously stronger because of his race, but she could increase the impact of her hits with the stone and her own telekinetic powers. If she weren't facing a god, her adversary would have serious problems, but Loki also could increase his strength fast using his spells. Both wanted to immobilize her, while the prince tried to do it, the wizard made some more of the sequences needed for the sealing.
But then she did what they were afraid of, appealed for the mind stone before the fight took longer and she ended up hurting her own pride. Maybe this has been her mistake, no one understood what happened, but at one moment, the god prepared himself to have his mind destroyed and at the other Moondragon fell unconscious. Loki and Stephen were staring each other silently, as if asking themselves which of the both had done that, when the guardian opened her eyes again, this time they were in a rare and beautiful yellow.
- You took too long to come get me. – Another voice spoke from the body of the woman, a so old and powerful one that caused shivers that will never be admitted by both the wizards.
- Subitiliter? – Jotun took a chance, he had already heard the voices of some of the stones, it wouldn't be a surprise if it were the mind stone.
- Hello, Loki. – A calm smile was showed in Heather's face – And Doctor Strange. – She analyzed them curiously – I must alert you that you might not have this ease with my siblings, but as I didn't want to wait anymore… - the body took the hand to its own front and from there took out the stone, giving it to Stephen. When he touched it, there were no remnant of self-destruction since this wasn't the stone's intention at that moment. – I'm relying myself on you, wizard, it is better for you to make good use of my gifts. – It got back its attention to the one who once was its bearer. – If you use me like you did before, I'll make it clear that I'll take your protected one's body and destroy you.
Just like someone who says a good morning, the manifestation of the stone's conscience vanished and Heather fell once again passed away. If they were friends, the wizards would have celebrated somehow at that moment, but they weren't, so Strange just put the stone again in the cane and opened a portal that would take them to their next destination, Gamora.
Two infinity stones were with them, five left.