Chapter 14: Loki
Loki turned away from the Bridge as his brother and Captain America resumed their fight with the Chitauri and vanished the Casket. He entered the Observatory.
A massive figure stepped out of the spaceship to meet him, clad in golden armor. Loki had known Thanos was coming to the battle, but he wasn't exactly pleased about it. It meant it was time for him to give up the Stones he had. Thanos' messenger to Jotunheim had been clear on that point last night.
Thanos spoke as he approached. "You've done well. The Avengers are weaker than before – not as much as I would like, but it's a start. And you seem to have found an army of your own."
Loki stayed silent as he circled the central dais of the Observatory towards the Titan. They stopped near the center of the room.
"You're stronger than ever," Thanos continued. Then, fast as a snake, he drew a blade and stabbed it into Loki's stomach.
Loki gasped at the burning pain. Faintly, he heard Thor's cry of horror from the Bridge. He still cares, he thought vaguely.
Thanos pulled Loki closer, speaking calmly, as if he hadn't just spelled the end for the other man. "And yet you cannot fool me," he finished quietly. "I can sense the Stones' absence. Where are they?"
Loki took two shaky breaths and raised his head to meet Thanos' furious gaze. Despite the pain, he smiled. "Fooled you."
Then he let the illusions drop.
There was a flash of green light behind Thanos and three Jotuns appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. They leapt forward, Sigyn in the lead, and attacked Thanos. The Titan released Loki as he turned to defend himself.
Loki crumpled to the floor with a groan. Idiot. He should have anticipated Thanos' attack, but he hadn't expected the Titan to deliver a death blow before he knew where Loki had hidden the Stones. He hadn't known Thanos could sense their locations, and that fact could well be his undoing.
He pressed a hand to his wound and gritted his teeth as he watched the fight. Goodness knew he couldn't do any more right now.
Thanos blocked Sigyn's first blow with his weapon and her ice blade shattered. She grabbed Thanos' wrist and his skin immediately started to turn black, destroyed by the necrotizing touch. He threw her aside as one of the male Frost Giants stabbed his blade into Thanos' side.
Thanos howled in pain and anger. He snatched the blade out of the Jotun's hand and killed him with it. He spun and took out the second male Frost Giant the same way, but by that time Sigyn was on her feet again.
Loki watched as she wrapped one arm around Thanos' neck from behind and pressed her other hand to the Titan's face. Thanos roared in agony. He tried to throw Sigyn off, but she refused to let go this time.
Then Thanos reached back and grabbed Sigyn by the head, slamming her into the wall of the Observatory. She crumpled to the floor and lay still.
Thanos straightened up, breathing hard. His face and arms were a mess of blackened skin. He moved painfully over to where Loki half-sat against the foot of the dais. "You'd have to do better than that to kill me," the Titan said. "But you won't get the chance."
Loki reached out for his magic, but he was too weak to summon a spell, and that thought left him feeling more angry than anything as Thanos picked up his blade and raised it over him.
"NO!"
Thor's shout was followed by the metallic hum of Mjolnir speeding through the air. The hammer crashed into Thanos, slamming him against the far wall of the Observatory. Loki watched as his brother summoned Mjolnir back and charged through the Chitauri force towards the Titan.
Thanos looked between Thor and Loki as he pulled himself to his feet, eyes burning with anger. Then he stepped back into his spaceship and closed the door. The ship rose away from Asgard as Thor ran into the Observatory.