Disclaimer: I have no creative rights over the characters and places you can identify in this story and have no way profited from this work.
12/09/2021
Thanks everyone for being patient and your messages of support. Unfortunately, the repairs to my property are still taking place. This means I haven't had time to see Shang-Chi yet. However, my brief thoughts on other recent releases:
Loki: "OK, what?"
Black Widow: "I've done the whole mind control thing."
What If: "He lives!"
Tempest86: Thanks for the compliment. I suspect my late mother would've agreed with you about Boromir and Sif.
Guest: To be honest, I never really thought about that. The TVA would probably use the Silmarils like a set of lightbulbs.
CLBONE13: I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Chapter 18 – In the Shadow of Titans
Galadriel's telepathic message had been nothing short of miracle to Wanda. The Lady of Light had provided both comfort and counsel. She described the power growing inside Wanda as 'chaos'. The Scarlet Witch would like to have learnt more. Unfortunately, Galadriel was forced to cut their conversation short.
Morgoth teleported from the gas giant straight back to his throne room. He appeared directly facing Wanda. Galadriel assured he would not learn of their conversation. Wanda nonetheless held her breath as the Dark Lord peered into her mind. She started growing anxious as the seconds dragged by. An ominous silence filled the room before the Dark Lord finally spoke.
"You still cling to the hope of being rescued," he mocked Wanda. "Do you think I'm unaware your friends will soon be here? I promise you'll never see any of them again."
Morgoth promptly conducted a customary inspection of her chain. Inwardly, Wanda was unsure if he knew about Galadriel. His mockery could be interpreted either way. Assuming Morgoth remained ignorant, it was best diverting his attention elsewhere. Wanda used his last sentence to segue the conversation.
"What're you going to do with me?" she stroked his ego by sounding afraid.
"Consider this a final inspection, my girdle," Morgoth advised his was a brief visit. "Next time you see me I shall be wearing the Infinity Gauntlet."
"I suppose you're going to kill me last?" Wanda assumed.
Morgoth's eyes blazed with anger. He had always planned to destroy the Scarlet Witch along with the rest of the universe. The momentary pain from her chaos magic had changed all that.
"Watching Vision die was but a glimpse of your doom!" Morgoth vindictively proclaimed. "I shall cast you into a pocket universe. There you shall re-live your every painful thought and memory for all eternity!" He concluded by paraphrasing Wanda's earlier insult. "Is that fate trite enough for you?"
Wanda gasped. Hubris saw Morgoth assume it was from how she would be eternally punished. That same hubris was also the cause of his prisoner's reaction. Mixing Wanda's energies with the Ultimate Negator's now allowed her to sense its workings. Part of her felt those workings proved Morgoth had gone insane. But the wrong words might tip him off those workings were no longer a secret.
"Maybe that will be my fate," Wanda's response was firm but dignified. "But despite all you've done to me, I still believe my friends and I will stop you."
The Dark Lord leaned closer, their faces drawing near. Wanda did not flinch as his eyes burned into hers. But his next words left her reeling.
"Your friends are going to help me obtain the Gauntlet," Morgoth forecast before teleporting away.
Anticipation was building at the New Avengers Facility. Captain America had finalised team rosters for the impending Allied missions. The respective teams for Wanda's rescue and neutralising the Black Tree were relatively straightforward to organise. The Masters of the Mystic Arts would be aiding the latter mission, though Rogers left them off the roster given they were still a silent partner.
Muspelheim
* Carol, Galadriel, Bilbo, Gandalf, Radagast
Black Tree
* Nat, Okoye, Arwen, Clint, Faramir
* Dora Milaje
The team chosen for Middle-earth would divide into small groups to rally as many of the Free Peoples as possible. Rogers further had to balance security needs against the importance of maintaining a low profile. It could not be ruled out their enemies had agents on the ground (Lotho Sackville-Baggins being a pertinent lesson). A human in the Shire, for example, would certainly attract attention.
Middle-earth
* New Avengers Facility: Shuri (Mission control)
* Minas Tirith: Aragorn, Cap
* Edoras: Eomer, Rhodey
* Bree / Rivendell: Thor
* Shire: Sam, Pippin
* Treegarth: Bruce / Hulk, Rocket, Groot
* Greenwood: Legolas, Scott
* Erebor / Dale: Thorin, Gimli
* Near Harad: Tony
The three hobbits on the list were sitting together on a bench outside the hangar. When he was not tending the white tree, Sam had been cultivating another plant species in Wakanda. His crop had provided a small but important taste of home for many Middle-earth exiles.
"I really can't get enough of this pipe-weed of yours, Sam," Pippin remarked after blowing an appreciative smoke ring.
"Well, Miss Shuri helped a lot," Sam was characteristically humble. "She said vibranium can improve the flavour of just about anything." He then asked the older hobbit, "Are you sure you don't want some, Mister Bilbo?"
"I'll stick with Gandalf's Old Toby thanks, my lad." Bilbo declined before wryly adding, "I don't want to hurt his feelings by trying something else."
The trio chuckled at the wizard's expense.
"Speaking of Wakanda," Bilbo continued. "Do either of you know why the elves headed off there in the dead of night?"
The Silvan garrison at the facility had moved out under cover of darkness through the Rotunda of Gateways. The only elves left in New York were Galadriel and Legolas.
"It's about summoning our forces on Earth to the staging area," Pippin had been told by the latter. "Apparently, Thor uses less energy if they're all in one spot."
"I guess old Gandalf's worried about him falling asleep again," Bilbo correctly inferred it was about the Odinforce.
It led to the Allies' morale officer having a rare moment of sombre reflection.
"I can't stop worrying about the Shire," Pippin confessed. "Part of me is afraid to find out who in my family survived." There was a quiet sniffle. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sam!" Pippin had forgotten others had left family behind.
The gardener wiped away a tear. He had an earlier reminder about family from an unexpected source.
"It's alright, Pippin," Sam assured he was not offended. "You just reminded me. Did you see that footage Mister Stark took aboard that ship? You know, of the Lady Reaper?"
"What about it, Sam?" Bilbo could not see its connection with the Post-Snap Shire.
"She's how I half-imagined my Elanor would look all grown up," Sam replied.
Stark's encounter with the said individual had complicated his success. The Allies had secretly wrested control of the Q-Ship. However, Ela's presence was an unforeseen and unwelcome complication. Her fury at the Chitauri officer suggested Morgoth's forces were active in Middle-earth also. Banner and Shuri were presently working in the hangar trying to learn more. Unfortunately, the Allied hacking algorithm had hit its first hurdle.
"What about now?" Banner adjusted the algorithm again.
Readings from the Q-Ship indicated another failure. The data package that Ela had ordered the crew to analyse had proven stubbornly difficult to hack.
"Still nothing," Shuri sighed in frustration. "Her data uses a completely different form of encryption." She considered a different approach. "Maybe there's a backdoor we can access."
"Smart girl will find it," Hulk tried pepping her up.
The Wakandan smiled. Hulk did not just have the vocabulary of a toddler. Like any toddler, his words were never patronising.
"Thank you, Hulk," Shuri accepted the compliment. "But I'd still feel a lot better if the Reaper wasn't there."
"We all would," Banner agreed about the mission to Middle-earth. "But we've got one thing going for us – Thanos doesn't think we're a threat. The Reaper won't be expecting us."
"She just has to bump into one of us by accident," Shuri said Ela would promptly tell Thanos.
Banner had feared Stark would suffer brain damage from the Q-Ship's electrical systems. Upon reflection, the former realised it had something in common with both destroying the One Ring and creating Vision.
"You can't always calculate if things are going to work out," Banner spoke the commonality. "Sometimes, you've just got to trust they will."
It was then they were joined by Gimli and a VIP. One of the researchers had not seen the VIP in years.
"Thorin!" Hulk happily exclaimed.
"It's good to see both of you again as well," Thorin had been told about their union.
Gandalf had discreetly teleported the Dwarf King from Nidavellir earlier that morning. While happy to see Thorin and Banner get reacquainted, Gimli had also brought the former to make introductions.
"My liege," Gimli began. "Can I please introduce Crown Princess Shuri of Wakanda." He paused before adding, "And like yourself, she's not one for airs and graces."
"Then we'll get along just fine, Shuri," Thorin told her as they shook hands.
Shuri had learned more than a bit about dwarven culture thanks to Gimli and the Avengers.
"Just don't expect me to take part in a drinking game," she wryly replied.
The remark received knowing chuckles.
"Fair enough," Thorin remarked before segueing. "Look, Eitri still wants to thank you personally for his hands. But he asked me to give you this for the time being."
He gave Shuri a small, uru-wrought object. Eitri's gift resembled a wafer biscuit dotted by tiny holes along both sides. It was a rare occasion when the Head of the Wakandan Design Group could not guess a device's likely purpose.
"Um…what is it?" Shuri asked for help.
"I told him about your gauntlets," Gimli had mentioned her pair of sonic ones. "I know you can blast stuff with them. But that modulator can turn sound waves into solid shapes."
"Blades, shields and the like," Thorin further explained. "All to help you fight hand-to hand."
"Like I always say," Shuri was keen to upgrade her gauntlets. "Just because something works, doesn't mean it can't be improved."
Rogers had earlier asked Lang to join him offsite. Wong was currently escorting the latter through the New York Sanctum. The sorcerer had not spoken a word to his guest since greeting him at the Rotunda. Walking down a corridor, Lang wondered if he had earlier caused offence.
"Look, um, sorry about the card trick gag," Lang apologised for his initial introduction.
"It's alright," Wong accepted it with equanimity. "Frankly, I miss Stephen's bon mots."
Lang could empathise. Luis's storytelling could test anyone's patience. His closest friend now treated it like a cherished memory.
"Do you have enough Pym Particles?" Lang changed topics.
"Yes," Wong replied. "I'll begin searching for the Black Tree's headquarters after leaving you with the others."
"Others?" Lang thought he was only meeting Rogers.
Wong opened a door to his left and ushered Lang inside a large room. Rogers was waiting there along with seven others – Gandalf, Galadriel, Thor, Romanoff, Aragorn, Stark and Legolas.
"Thank you, Wong," Gandalf said.
Wong took his leave with a nod and closed the door after him. All eyes fell on Lang.
"What's this?" he felt slightly uncomfortable with the attention.
Lang was not the only one who had summoned out of the blue.
"I've been waiting on you to find out," Stark revealed he was another
The meeting's lone telepath discerned its purpose much earlier.
"All of us are now part of a closed circle," Galadriel called the 'ring' she had previously mentioned to Gandalf. "No-one outside this room must learn of it."
Romanoff noted none of those present currently reported to anyone outside the room. Shuri and Okoye, for example, answered to Ramonda who in turn reported as regent to Wakanda's Tribal Council. Had Galadriel detected something that Allied counterintelligence had missed?
"You sense there's leak?" Romanoff feared someone had been compromised.
"There are no spies among us, Natasha," Galadriel assured her. "Thanos was nonetheless waiting for you at Novi Grad. We cannot afford to underestimate his and Morgoth's intuition – especially about the Infinity Stones."
"This gathering is about Felix," Legolas realised.
Thanos had easily stole the HYDRA agent from the Allies' grasp. It was a salutary reminder that war was often a brutal calculus. That included if an individual's life was worth more than the information that could be extracted from them.
"All our friends are valiant," Thor hated the trade-off even if it was necessary. "But few of them could withstand being tortured for long." He recalled the pain from the Power Stone being pressed against his skull. "Trust me, Thanos has very powerful methods of persuasion."
"I take they're worse than truth serum?" Lang assumed deadpan.
Captain America ignored this, knowing gallows humour was the by-product of a desperate situation. The impending battle on Muspelheim would decide the owner of the Infinity Stones. Gandalf once described the strategy of destroying the One Ring as a fool's hope. Rogers believed the Allies' best chance of saving the universe was even more so.
"You're right, Legolas," Rogers answered before wargaming the battle. "Even with reinforcements, we'll be vastly outnumbered on Muspelheim. It means concentrating against one enemy at a time." He paused before arguing who they should target first. "We all know how powerful Thanos is. But we've got to secure the other stones before Morgoth does."
"And rightly so," Legolas considered it axiomatic. "Otherwise, he'll will destroy everything."
Ant-Man would be the first to admit he was not an expert on battlefield tactics. He nonetheless felt the Allies were trying to do things the hard way.
"Why don't we kill Morgoth first?" Lang expressed his confusion. "He's only got the Mind Stone."
He learnt 'only' was a relative term.
"The Dark Lord is already too powerful for us, Scott," Galadriel endorsed Rogers's approach. "We need the other five stones to obtain the one in his possession."
"We just have to take out another near-invincible enemy first," Romanoff dryly lamented the lack of clear alternatives.
"You should've called it 'Perseus," Stark mused about Felix.
The pop culture reference was lost on most of the room.
"If Steve's right we'll have to use the Gauntlet during the battle," Aragorn was one of them. "All of us know how dangerous it is."
"Gandalf's got something that could help," Rogers revealed the main purpose of the meeting.
The Jar of Chronos appeared in Gandalf's hand with a twist of his fingers. Swearing Thor to secrecy was due to one of the wizard's fears about the final battle. Morgoth would fight using the Mind Stone and mortal minds were much more vulnerable to being scanned.
"This jar contains an enchanted liquid," Gandalf chose his words carefully. "Once applied, the Gauntlet will adjust in size to the hand of the wearer. They'll also have some protection from the strain of using it. Still, only the strongest among us should attempt to wield the Gauntlet's power."
There was an unexpected problem. Gandalf had been working alongside Black Widow for more than a year. It allowed her to gain a sense of when he was withholding information.
"There's something you're not telling us," Romanoff said about the enchantment.
"You're right, Natasha," Gandalf admitted. "Let's just say it involves a special ingredient, a precaution should the battle go ill."
"What do you mean?" Romanoff was concerned he meant defeat.
"You run our intelligence operations," Gandalf argued in terms a spy could relate to. "Wisdom dictates keeping some aspects secret from the rest us. The same applies to some of my magic. In this case, you simply have to trust me."
Romanoff found it hard to push back least she be accused of hypocrisy. Some Allied intelligence sources provided information at great personal risk. As their handler, Black Widow had to do everything possible to keep them safe. Maintaining trust required keeping their identity to herself. And like the rest of Allied command, Gandalf had never requested she disclose them.
"How do we apply the enchantment, Mithrandir?" Legolas progressed the topic.
"The last thing Stephen told me was to target the Soul Stone," Gandalf advised. "I've no doubt he was referring to the enchantment."
"We could miniaturize the jar and attach it to a warhead," Stark suggested a delivery system.
"I'm afraid the enchantment has to be applied by hand, Tony," Gandalf ruled it out. "From one soul to another so to speak. Someone who knows how to be inconspicuous."
Everyone followed his gaze to the individual he had in mind. Ant-Man now realised why he had been invited to the meeting. The meeting's convenor would not agree to anything without getting his opinion first.
"What do you think, Scott?" Rogers would not order him to do the impossible.
"Yeah," Lang drawled, unsure if he was the person for the job. "I take Thanos will be wearing it at the time?"
None condemned him for his hesitancy.
"We would draw his attention away from you," Thor quickly assured.
"Applying the liquid takes only a few seconds, Scott," Gandalf added.
"Um, doesn't he control time?" Lang awkwardly pointed out.
"Strange travelled through it to see this war's every possible outcome," Galadriel had already contemplated the risk of temporal manipulation. "He would not have told us to enchant the Soul Stone only for Thanos to undo it."
Lang had come to trust her judgement thanks to their earlier mission. Though like everyone, he quickly learned there was a vast gap between trusting the Elf-queen and understanding her.
"So…that means I pull it off?" Lang inferred from what she said about Strange.
Galadriel gave him an enigmatic smile. "Like I once told a dear friend, even the smallest person can change the course of the future. You're our best hope."
Hope. It reminded Lang of what he most wanted. He wanted to bring back Hope more than anything. But anyone who came within reach of the Mad Titan strongly risked being killed. The war had presented Ant-Man with his greatest test. Was he willing to undo the Snap even if never saw Hope and Cassie again?
"You'll have to show me how to use it," Lang agreed, gesturing at the jar.
"First ask if lets you bend the laws of physics," Stark 'suggested'.
This annoyed the God of Thunder. Galadriel had just convinced Lang to help carry out their plan. The billionaire had better not be trying to undermine her efforts.
"What do you mean, Stark?" Thor wearily demanded.
"The Gauntlet," Stark clarified his concern despite not curbing his flippancy. "Unless we can convince Thanos to play 'Freeze', Scott here has to land on a moving target."
"Tony's right," Aragorn agreed with the thrust of his argument. "Thanos is quicker than any of us." He looked at Lang. "I have faith in you, Scott. But you won't be able to reach the Soul Stone by yourself."
"Can you just teleport me to it?" Lang asked Gandalf.
"I could, Scott," the wizard prefaced why he couldn't. "Unfortunately for us, my plan in Wakanda almost killed Thanos. He'll be monitoring my every move on Muspelheim."
"Luckily we've got an alternative," Rogers was set on a different tactic.
"Which is?" Stark asked for details.
Captain America's eyes twinkled. "Something you're probably not going to like…"
Black Widow had not finished with magical matters for the day. After the meeting in the New York Sanctum adjourned, she joined Wong by the Eye of Agamotto. A planned search had taken longer to prepare than expected.
"Gandalf told you about the relics?" Wong checked.
"He said there were problems with the Pym Particles," Romanoff had been kept updated. "You needed more vials than first expected?"
"Indeed," Wong confirmed as he led her to a nearby table. "We had to immerse the relics in the solution. The necessary incantations took days to work."
An earthenware vessel stood on the table. Wong removed the lid like a waiter serving a meal. Romanoff quietly gasped at what she saw. Inside the vessel were three flat, oval-shaped relics. Each relic was about the size of her hand. But she was most taken by the exotic-looking substance they were comprised of, resembling a mix of glass and nacre. Yet not one of them had the tinniest stain of Pym Particles.
"What are they?" Romanoff enquired.
"The Scales of Julunggul," Wong spoke their name reverently. "They're among our most ancient relics. We use them to find hidden concentrations of magic."
"Sounds like a probe," Romanoff remarked.
"More like tracing a call," Wong informed her. "I showed you all the sorcerous energy being stirred by the Black Tree," he said before sharing his order's current theory. "We believe the energy's being channelled through a large runestone."
"It'll be where they're headquartered," Romanoff had no doubt the two were connected.
"Unfortunately, tracing magic in the Quantum Realm is much harder than in our dimension," Wong cautioned.
"Why's that?"
"Time dilation," Wong reminded her. "A few seconds in the Quantum Realm is the equivalent of days here. We mightn't find the Black Tree before the battle on Muspelheim starts."
"Then we'd better get started," Romanoff authorised him to commence searching.
Wong thrust out his hand and summoned a geometric glyph. The Scales softly illuminated, releasing a kaleidoscope of colours. Romanoff allowed herself a few seconds to enjoy the magical rainbow on display.
"How will you know when you've found the runestone?" she then asked Wong.
Wong gestured at the Eye of Agamotto behind them. The search for the Black Tree's headquarters was like watching a trio of blue, red and green shooting stars criss-crossing the globe.
"When they find where the magic's flowing, the Scales will triangulate the location," Wong described how it would be displayed on the Eye.
Finding the Black Tree's headquarters was just the first step though. A successful Allied assault was contingent on knowing its layout.
"We mightn't have time to study their defences." Romanoff thought aloud before asking Wong, "How much intel can the Scales provide?"
"None," Wong answered flatly. "They detect magic not personnel, weapons."
"I hate going in blind," Romanoff began planning the assault. "Still, someone might help us get the drop on them."
"I assume you mean the Wakandans?" Wong inferred given their cloaking technology.
"We'll need their help alright." Romanoff replied before slyly adding, "But that's not who I was referring to."
Thanos was studying the Q-Ship's data package in his laboratory when he was unexpectedly interrupted. Standing orders generally kept friendly interruptions to a bare minimum. Servants risked immediate execution if they disturbed him about trivial matters. Ela was granted much greater latitude as his sole heir. Unlike the late Black Order, she would never interrupt him for the purposes of currying favour. Her latest report from Middle-earth was no exception.
Ela was transmitting a life-size hologram of herself to the Sanctuary II. Standing alongside Thanos in his laboratory, she played her armour's footage of the Lothlorien ambush. The Mad Titan silently watched the battle unfold. He could not identify the creatures that attacked Ela. Their savagery and destructiveness certainly impressed the weapons designer in him. Thanos would have loved to use the Infinity Gauntlet to create his own horde. But he needed the Mind Stone to give them consciousness.
"I don't understand how they escaped our sensors, father," Ela confessed what most troubled her.
Thanos's perfect weapon lacked a genius-level intellect. It had an unexpected upside for her creator. There was much about the universe that Ela still did not understand. Thanos was privately surprised by how much he had come to enjoy teaching her about it.
"They're like a singularity, daughter," he observed from the footage. "Any radar or sensor waves would be absorbed by them."
Thanos had brought Ela up to speed on recent developments outside of Arda. The Mad Titan also shared what his instincts were telling him about the Ultimate Negator – a massive and bloody battle would be needed to claim the Mind Stone.
"They could inflict heavy losses when we invade Muspelheim," Ela linked it to her attackers.
"Morgoth likes hiding his elite forces until the last possible moment," Thanos referred to the original Ancalagon. "If these creatures were on Muspelheim, he would not reveal them to us now." He thought it was opportune to have a pop quiz. "We haven't seen them on any other world. What does finding them in Middle-earth tell you?"
While an expert tactician and spy, Ela still needed to work at being a strategist.
"They're a native species," she answered correctly. "Morgoth must've enslaved them with the Mind Stone."
"And why would he do that?" Thanos proceeded to the follow-up question. "He could destroy the whole continent by himself."
"It could provoke the Valar to intervene," Ela had a stab.
The Mad Titan had told her many half-truths. One involved an encounter on Titan more than a year ago.
"Lady Nienna said they're not allowed to interfere," Thanos had never mentioned why she had sought him out in the first place. "We were the only ones to intervene when Morgoth attacked Minas Tirith."
It took Ela a few moments to realise the hint.
"They're a diversion!" she compared the nameless with the orcs. "Meant to draw our attention away from why Morgoth was really there."
Thanos released a pleased smile. "Hurry and find the truth, little one," he urged her. "We can't attack Muspelheim without knowing all he has planned."
Ela gave him a deferential bow before signing off. Thanos's remaining servant in the laboratory had continued analysing the data package while the pair had been talking.
"There's traces of psychic energy across Muspelheim, sire," ISSAC reported.
"Show me," Thanos activated a fresh hologram.
The rendered image was a crimson-coloured energy resembling a mist. Thanos immediately identified it.
"I know that energy," he had detailed files about each of the Avengers. "It's the same used by the Maximoff girl."
"The Allies have been searching for her, sire," ISAAC agreed with his inference.
"She must be on Muspelheim," Thanos continued thinking aloud. "Morgoth must be using her somehow."
"Any who step foot on the surface will experience a severe psychic attack," ISAAC described how her power was being used.
"How bad?"
"You and Lady Reaper would withstand it," ISAAC had already run the numbers. "I estimate 92.6 per cent of your remaining forces would be mentally paralysed." He then gave the good news. "But I can design an inhibitor to mitigate its effects."
The Mad Titan had one important advantage over Iron Man when it came to telepathic inhibitors.
"It won't take me long make as many as we need," Thanos referred to the Infinity Gauntlet before returning to his main concern. "What about the Ultimate Negator?"
ISAAC had analysed countless forms of energies for his master. The sorcery fuelling the Ultimate Negator was proving among the most complex that ISAAC had ever examined. Preliminary findings were more conjecture than solid facts.
"Function still unknown," ISAAC still could not ascertain the Ultimate Negator's effects. "But the Negator is increasing in strength by the hour. The flow of energy from Earth appears to be entering Muspelheim via a wormhole."
"Meaning it's being channelled through another dimension," Thanos concluded before extrapolating a working model. "There has to be a runestone at each end controlling the process."
"Eliminating either of the runestones would disrupt the flow," ISAAC concurred.
There was no doubting which would be the easiest to eliminate. Thanos's intelligence network had been monitoring Earth throughout the war. Morgoth's sorcery on the planet was much harder to detect compared to Allied activities though.
"Are we any closer to finding where the energy's being collected on Earth?" Thanos queried.
"Negative, sire," ISAAC answered. "But you could simply cut off the flow by destroying the planet."
The Mad Titan could see the trap even if his servants did not.
"The Negator draws energy from human sacrifice," he knew about the Black Tree's massacres. "Killing billions at once could give it an exponential boost."
"You can control the ebb and flow of time," ISAAC suggested using the Time Stone instead. "Pause the war while we search for the runestone."
All writings about the Time Stone advised using it only on a local scale. Large scale manipulations risked all sorts of temporal dangers. That risk had never been higher thanks to the Dark Lord.
"Not while Morgoth's clouding perceptions," Thanos had not forgotten his own experience. "I could be tricked into warping the fabric of spacetime." He then had a wily thought. "What do the Allies know about the Negator?"
"Less than we do," ISAAC accessed various intelligence files. "Their knowledge appears limited to the Black Tree's activities."
The Mad Titan knew search-and-destroy missions could prove costly. He wanted to preserve his army for the invasion of Muspelheim. Fortunately for him, he was also a master of fighting by proxy – willing proxies or not.
"I can get them to find and destroy the runestone for me," Thanos judged Allied capabilities. "They just need the right incentive."
"How do you wish to contact them, sire?" ISAAC was programmed to carry out his master's will without question.
"Leave that to me," Thanos replied before teleporting away.
It was late afternoon when Iron Man landed in front of his house. He wanted to spend the night with his family before the Allies moved out the following morning. Stark retracted his armour before entering. Pepper was seated on the couch with their daughter on her lap. Morgan was absently chewing a teething toy.
"Who said you could start playtime without me?" Stark pretended to be affronted.
"FRIDAY did when she called and said you'd be late," Pepper similarly retorted.
"Is everyone in this house ganging up on me?"
"Gerald's undecided."
The pair chuckled before sharing a kiss. Stark kissed Morgan on the top of her head before walking to the kitchen. He started washing his hands given he had promised to make dinner. Pepper had been at the facility when Stark travelled to and from the Quantum Realm. The Allies knew she could be trusted with other details about the planned offensive.
"Did you sort out those inhibitors?" Pepper enquired about the mission to Muspelheim.
"Yeah, I managed to integrate them with the suit's GPS device," Stark replied before turning off the tap. He looked out the kitchen window and was immediately baffled by what he saw. "Um, back to an earlier topic. Have you been training Gerald to shake hands?"
The alpaca was standing on the front yard with one foot raised off the ground. Stark then noticed things had gotten very quiet. He could not even hear the family's grandfather clock ticking in the background. Nor had his wife answered his question about Gerald.
"Pepper?" Stark turned around and faced her.
Pepper and Morgan were in a state of suspended animation. Stark immediately rushed over to them. Pepper did not blink the slightest when he waved his hand in front of her. Gripped by shock, it took Stark a few seconds to remember he had a virtual assistant.
"What the hell's going on, Friday?!" he gasped in alarm.
"I don't know, boss!" Friday was just as confused as he was. "All sensors and communications are being jammed!"
The silence was momentarily broken by a gentle creak. Initially startled, Stark looked in the noise's direction. The back door had been open as if someone was inviting him outside. Stark activated his armour before walking to the doorway. Looking outside, the whole vicinity appeared to be frozen in time. The cause of the stasis and jamming was sitting on a rock just yards away.
Thanos watched as Stark cautiously approach him. He had used the Soul Stone to locate the Avenger and the Time Stone to grab his attention. It all was because he had chosen Iron Man as his means of contacting the Allies. The Mad Titan took control of the situation without even having to throw a punch.
"Hello, Stark," Thanos greeted him.
The billionaire immediately halted in his tracks.
"You know me?" Stark was stunned to learn.
"I do. You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."
"My only curse is you."
Stark's bravado was a product of deduction. Thanos had vowed to destroy Earth should the Allies interfere with his plans. It was also a sound assumption that threat would be quickly carried out. On that basis, Stark doubted the Mad Titan knew about Felix or the impending offensive.
"I doubt you consider Morgoth to be a blessing," Thanos intimated the reason behind his visit.
"I know some people like playing hard to get," Stark replied about a possible alliance. "But there's no version of this where Cap's signing on with you."
"He's an idealist," Thanos damned Rogers with faint praise. "You and I are pragmatists." He then warned Stark to hear him out. "And just like me, there's nothing you wouldn't do for your daughter."
Except toss her off a cliff, Stark silently retorted before retracting his helmet. "Can we just skip to the part about why you're really here?"
"Morgoth draws energy from human infighting," Thanos obliged him. "There has to be a runestone somewhere on this planet collecting it all."
"Yeah, we've already guessed that."
"What you don't know is that it's all part of a weapon he calls the 'Ultimate Negator'. I'd like the Allies to find and destroy the runestone for me."
Among the Allies, Stark was the second person after Wanda to learn the name of Morgoth's trump card. He mentally filed the discovery for now.
"I take you're not used to saying 'please'?" Stark responded to the request.
Thanos was bemused by his opponent's sarcasm. Most enemies made defiant declarations which he found tedious at best. He wondered whether Stark would lie if cornered.
"I understand you're looking for Wanda Maximoff," Thanos tested him.
Stark drew on all his experience as a high-roller and put on his best poker face.
"You know where she is?" he had no doubt Thanos did.
Thanos was pleased not to be disappointed. Stark's question was as good as admitting the Allies were searching for Wanda. Not that the Mad Titan intended to answer it.
"Destroy the runestone before I kill Morgoth and I shall return her to you safe and unharmed," Thanos made his pitch instead.
"When's the big day?" Stark tried pinning down a deadline.
"I'd advise you hurry."
"Because you'll kill Wanda if we don't?"
"I'll amplify her darkest impulses with the Mind Stone before setting her loose on this world," Thanos warned he would punish the Allies as a whole.
"You saying you'll start World War Wanda?" Stark inferred.
"So, you do understand," Thanos was glad he did not have explain himself.
Glibness aside, Stark was genuinely disturbed by the prospect. Partly because he had been a victim of Wanda's mind games. But more because of her dark side – a deep well of fear, rage and ruthlessness. The Scarlet Witch might now be powerful enough to mentally enslave millions or turn them insane. Not even the Allies' most powerful heroes might be capable of resisting her. If any did, the only way to stop Wanda would be the equivalent of a mercy killing. The worst part for Stark was that he was in no position to reject Thanos's offer. Apart from Pepper and Morgan's safety, saying "no" might spur the Mad Titan to visit the New Avengers Facility to find out the reason why.
"Look, why are you telling me all this?" Stark indirectly vented about being his messenger. "You could've sent transmission like last time."
Thanos stood up as he made to take his leave. "Because you have my respect, Stark," he told Iron Man the last thing he wanted to hear. "You know the best possible future requires the hardest choices. After Morgoth's defeated, you can lead humanity into a golden era. I hope they listen to you more than my people listened to me."
He returned to the Sanctuary II with a clench of the Gauntlet. A gentle breeze touched Stark's face, indicating the stasis had been lifted. Thanos's unwelcome visit had left him reeling. It even caused Stark to forget what was most important to him.
"There you are!" Pepper called out from the doorway. "We were wondering where you went."
She walked down to Stark with Morgan in her arms. Pepper was about to ask why he was wearing his armour. That was when she noticed his pale and shaken expression.
"Tony, what's wrong?" Pepper was immediately worried.
Stark took a nervous gulp before replying, "Playtime's over."
Cap & Red Skull conversed in Chapter 7. It would have been a glaring omission on my part not to have Stark and Thanos talk as well. Largely because I believe they were the two characters which the MCU Infinity Saga revolved around. Nor is it likely to be their only chat in this crossover.
AoTR had 3 Avengers and RoTA had 7 Avengers. One of my long-term reviewers, DanSolo0119 once asked me if the numbers were intended to reflect the Rings of Power. It was certainly a pattern I missed. The Allied 'ring of secrecy' having 9 members was (partly) my way of continuing the pattern.
The planned Middle-earth assignments might raise a few eyebrows. At the risk of sounding completely manipulative, there's still a few social experiments I'd like to run.
The Gauntlet changing size to fit the wearer's hand certainly has parallels with the One Ring. But readers are correct to assume that there will be no Nano Gauntlet in this crossover.
Yes, "World War Wanda" was an obvious nod to a famous Earth-616 storyline. And Thor's persuasion quote can be interpreted as a wink to another role of Sir Ian McKellen's.
This chapter's title should provide something of a clue to the "Perseus" reference i.e. killing one monster to slay another.
The Scales of Julunggul is another McGuffin of mine. Julunggul being the Rainbow Serpent. As an Australian, I felt a nod to the Earth-616 Dreamtime pantheon was long overdue.