Chapter 18

"Immortality, huh?" Alex said, a perplexed frown on his face. Suigetsu was grinning across from him. "It's great man. Imagine all the trouble I can get myself into with the time on my hands." "All you think about is fighting." Sasuke deadpanned. Naruto shifted a lollipop to the other side of his mouth. "So what the hell does all this mean?" "Our lives are tied to Harry's, so I guess we work for him for all eternity." Samuel said. Liam shuddered. "That's an awfully long time." "Yeah, I was hoping to retire at some point." Alfred agreed. Alex kicked back. "I want to die at some point." A few heads turned in his direction so he shrugged. "Immortality isn't all that it's made out to be. Death is the gift of life." Sasuke played with a lock of hair while staring at his superior from the corner of his eye. "You and I are not compatible, I think." "I don't fancy you either." The amused comment made Sasuke glare with a slight blush.

"In the end it doesn't really matter. We can go whenever we want to." Samuel informed. "That's suicide." Liam pointed out. Naruto shook his head. "Technically if we give up on immortality and die of old age it isn't suicide." "You intentionally set yourself up to die." "And yet you didn't kill yourself." Sasuke cut into the brewing argument. "It doesn't matter. We're immortal, we'll deal." "I'll outlive my girlfriend." Heads snapped to Zack who sat at the back with his phone in hand. No one had even noticed him there. "What a formidable skill." Liam muttered.

On the other side of the building Imperium had just ended an intergalactic call. "Master, Loki has settled well." Harry hummed distractedly, looking into his car's hood. Her eyebrow twitched. "Thor is traveling the cosmos for greater battles." "Good for him." She pouted. "Master, are you paying attention?" he peaked over at the projection. She was wearing a formal night gown in navy blue and her long hair done up in a loose bun to bring out her currently gold eyes. He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you look so good?" She smirked in satisfaction. "You think I'm beautiful?" "I think you're gorgeous." A pleased blush crept up her face. She cleared her throat. "Well at least one of us is. Anyway master, I was meeting the new king of Asgard. It wouldn't do for me to present myself as a peasant." "You just like showing off." Harry stated going back into his tinkering. She gave a secretive smile. "I'm made in your image, master." Harry clicked his tongue. "What is SHIELD up to?"

Imperium made herself comfortable on the bench situated by the wall. She couldn't exactly sit but the illusion of it amused her. "Their usual meddling, my lord. Although there may be something of interest to you." "Go on." "They're building a super weapon of some sort. They took care to hide the information thoroughly but I got through." She crossed her legs, exposing a pale thigh. Oh how she loved her appearance. Harry saw this and rolled his eyes. She continued. "Remember the body Ultron prepared for himself? Well, they are up grating it for use against threats like Loki, Thor and you." Harry paused for a moment. "What do you think about it?" She waved a hand negligently. "It's good for humans, but no match for you." "I'm human too." Imperium sneered at the very thought. "You're the master of death." She said as if it explained everything. Maybe to her it did.

"Keep an eye on them. I don't want any more trouble." Harry instructed. She turned a bored eye to him. "Oh?" "Taking care of Thanos is a drag on its own; I don't want more earthling problems in the mix." "You do know they'll get involved." "Naturally." He agreed. "However, I prefer them to be under my control before then." She scoffed. "They'll fight you all the way on that." "I think I can be subtle." His voice was thick with amusement. She laughed. "To me you're an open book." "Of course, you're part of me." She smiled fondly. "Oh before I somehow forget, I managed to track Gomora." He stopped what he was doing to fully face her. "She's around twenty light years from here with a band of hooligans who call themselves the Guardians of the Galaxies. The exact coordinates are available for your viewing pleasure."

The raven wiped his hands on a cloth. "Brilliant. Who's a good girl." He praised coming closer to pet her head. His hand made contact with her soft locks of hair. She purred in satisfaction. "Me of course. I was made to please you my lord." "Perfect. Call Itachi and Alfred up to my office." "Yes, master." She flickered out of existence. Harry was left to walk up to his office. He brought out a tablet to check his memo. The week wasn't all that packed but he did have to visit his lab tomorrow. Bruce had been doing a good job as his scientist. He was satisfied with the work and had made good friends, though Tinker was probably giving him a hard time

~Scene Change~

Bruce sneezed suddenly, accidentally knocking the alloy he was studying to the floor. "Hey, watch it. That costs more than your life." His superior admonished. He tensed at her voice so close. Had she been spying on him again. He turned to see her walking in his direction from the upper level where she had been looking down at his workstation. She was a tall elf-like woman, curvy with an impressive bust. Her golden hair spilled over her white lab coat in gentle curls. Aquamarine eyes stared down at him and he gulped. She leaned over to pick up the sample for him. Placing it back on the desk she folded her arms and pushed her bust up further. "These don't grow on trees you know." She said. He apologized. "I'm sorry, it was a mistake." "Hmpf." She huffed. "The men in the back are taking forever to process the new experimental engine oil so I'll amuse myself with you."

"Tinker…" he started in an effort to nix that idea. She came around to hug him from behind, her warmth sending goose bumps down his back and arms. To think, this woman was an ugly house elf in disguise. In fact, eighty percent of the staff here were house elves. "I know you want it Bruce." She whispered. He pried her arms from around his neck so she slumped over his shoulders. "No, I don't." "That hurt my feelings, Bruce." She complained not moving an inch. Bruce gave up and instead attempted to continue his work. This particular alloy had an interesting reaction to different light wavelengths. The shorter the wavelength the stronger it was. He had no idea where the metal came from. He was just told to ask no questions so he didn't.

Tinker got off Bruce and took the empty chair next to him. "You're no fun." "No offense, but you're irritating." For a moment he thought the woman would punish him for his insolence but she ignored the jab. "Your colleagues will be going out for drinks later. You're going with them." "No thank you." He shot down. She eyed him seriously. "You can't refuse this one champ. You've been working non-stop ever since you came here. It's not healthy."

He turned to face her. By now it was second nature to ignore the thighs exposed by the ridiculously short skirt. "I can't expose myself to the stimuli." "Bruce." She started. "Master Hadrian instructed me to take care of you. That also includes your health. You need to interact with people in a casual setting, even if it's just us." Bruce made to protest but she raised a hand to stall his words. "We've all heard your whining about your angry side. We know and are well equipped to handle it. If you lose it in public I can just use house elf magic to transport you to a safe place in the blink of an eye, where you can't hurt yourself and others. Trust me."

Bruce sighed through his nose. Tinker was an obnoxious, short-tempered, meddling thing with no sense for personal space but she was reliable. She did take care of his needs and made sure he worked out his ever present rage at least once a fortnight. He was happy here, with people who cared about him Bruce not the hulk or the scientist. "Okay. Just don't arrive naked." She laughed infectiously. "Atta boy! Dobby'll be ecstatic!" An image of an excitable short man with silver hair, unfocused teal eyes, who always wore socks that didn't match and punished himself with bodily harm for each infraction. He shuddered. Anyone but Dobby. The elf would drive him crazy if he didn't accidentally kill him first with his clumsy accidents. It perplexed Bruce how the elf could be efficient in the lab and when serving as his helper but managed to totally botch things up in a casual setting.

Tinker pat him on the back, ignoring his despondent visage. "Now then, don't forget to leave your report on my desk by Friday." Bruce turned disbelieving eyes on her. "That should take weeks to complete." "And yet you'll be done with it in two. Great work, Brucey." She walked away. "That's abuse!" he shouted after her. She only laughed. He turned back to his desk with an exasperated smile. "That elf." He mumbled. A plate of biscuits and tea appeared on his table. He happily bit into the pastry, laced faintly with a calming drought or so he was told. The tea even more so. It made some tension leave his body. He loves this place.

About an hour later Bruce was disturbed again by the appearance of Tinker. She had a displeased frown on her face. "I think we'd have to cancel our plans Brucey." He raised his head only to see that Tinker wasn't alone. Just behind her was his boss' boss, Hadrian Potter, who looked like he was just coming from a morning jog with those clothes. He stood hastily. "Uh, Mr. Potter. Why...why are you here?" Tinker gave him an 'Are you stupid?' look and he felt like punching himself. Hadrian didn't seem to care. "Follow me." He ordered and turned for his office. Bruce shared a look with Tinker, she just followed Hadrian. The scientist followed after Tinker, not knowing what to expect.

Once in the extensive office Bruce was instructed to seat, while Hadrian sat behind his desk and Tinker stood next to him with arms folded. Bruce jumped when the door opened behind him. Coming in was Dobby with tea and biscuits. He placed the treats on the desk and proceeded to serve both he and Hadrian. Once done Dobby went to Hadrian's other side. Bruce was confused now. "I hope you're well." Hadrian started. Bruce nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Is there a reason I'm here?" "Yes, I have an offer for you." "An offer?" This didn't sound promising. Hadrian nodded. "I will allow you to go back with the Avengers, if you wish." Bruce's eyes brightened. Despite the superb reception here he still missed his…friends? Companions? Brothers in arms? Whatever they were he missed them.

"What's the catch?" "You catch on quickly." Hadrian praised. "I want you to bring the Avenger back together." "Why?" "Certain powerful beings in the universe are on the move. When this threat makes it to Earth the Avengers should be ready. I also want you to report everything you can about them." Bruce took a sip of tea and he felt some of his anxiousness bleed away. 'Cheat.' "I can't spy on them. It'll be like betraying them." "Oh, you don't have to keep that I sent you a secret." Bruce was taken aback by that. "It'll be better for them to know something's up, that there's a threat coming. As long as you continue to report." "I'm not sure I can unite them. Those people have never really been a solid team; they just work together when they have to." Hadrian seemed troubled by this. "I will help any way I can, but I think they'll be more receptive to you being the one to ask them." Bruce pondered this. "They'll keep me under tabs. I may get them together but I can't report much if anything."

Hadrian leaned forward. "Don't worry. I'll be in your head." Bruce jerked back. "What?" "I'll insert a bit of my magic into your brain, like an undetectable microchip. I'll be able to access all the memories I need with it." Bruce took a moment to compose himself. "Ignoring whether I want you mind raping me, they wouldn't let me stay in that case." "Then don't tell them I'm listening in. You can share anything else, like your work here and what you've discovered. As long as you can do as I asked. It's for everyone's good." Bruce stroked his fingers around the cup, confliction in his eyes. "You're using me." "Only if you wish to be used." Hadrian assured.

Bruce looked up. "Why would I want that?" "Much is at stake, Bruce." Hadrian brought up a hologram of a large purple humanoid creature with a brutish face garbed in battle armor and a self-assured smirk on his lips. "This is the Titan Thanos. For a long time he has been courting Death across the universe, killing off half the population of every planet he came across. He does this to impress Death and gain its affection."

The hologram changed to show six precious stones. The stones glowed in turn as Hadrian introduced them. "The Power Stone. It increased the strength and durability of the wielder along with his/her own abilities. The Space Stone allows one to travel through space. The Mind Stone give its wielder psychic powers that rival any other. With the Soul Stone one can control a soul or spirit. The Reality Stone alters all reality. And finally, the Time Stone. It can stop, slow down and speed up the flow of time of anything." Hadrian shifted his eyes from the projection and to Bruce once more. "The stones were scattered across the universe a long time ago, Thanos is looking for them. Only two are on Earth, and I have them, the rest are fair game."

After having a moment to think Hadrian continued "If the infinity stones come together, if Thanos possesses all of them he could take all the lives he wants with a snap of his fingers." He snapped his own digits to emphasize. "Why don't you just destroy them?" Bruce asked. Hadrian shook his head. "The stones have existed way before the universe did, they keep the world in order. Should one of them be lost the universe would be out of balance and one way or another chaos would tear it apart. It's the reason an infinity gem can only be destroyed by another's essence." "Then hide it somewhere no one else can find them." "Bruce." Hadrian's icy tone made him stop talking. "The stones are not the point of this conversation." "Right. What happens after?"

"You wait. I'll be doing what I can on my side." "Why don't you get them to help?" Bruce asked. "They might cause trouble. This is a delicate situation, I won't have them bumbling around and panicking. Just do as I say, it's for the best. Do you understand?" Bruce nodded. "Can I tell them I'll be a walking spy tech?" "No, that would defeat the purpose of you being there. Just tell them you'll be relaying some info to me." "Then they'll keep me locked with them." "Exactly. I'm sure you can convince them not to keep you in a cell."

Bruce expelled an unsure breath. "Is this the only way?" "No, but this is the most efficient." He nodded, taking another sip of tea. Hadrian peered at him imploringly. "Bruce, I won't make you do this if you don't want to. As I said, there are other ways." Bruce seemed to steel himself. "I'll do it." "Good. You'll be leaving in two days. Come up with whatever excuse you want, I'll leave the smaller details to you. You can take Tinker with you." Tinker stiffened. "I'm the head of the research department, Master." Tinker said in such a way as not to imply her boss was stupid. Hadrian stood up. "I can find you a replacement. I want you to keep Bruce safe." Tinker only pursed her lips but Bruce stood as well. "She has no fighting experience." "She's a house elf." Hadrian said as if that explained everything. "Now, the heroes are facing a little problem with the world's governments." "I heard about that. The Sokovia Accords?" "The Avengers have mostly separated, but with this news hopefully they would have the incentive to come back together."

~Scene Change~

Loki was the only person alive in the room along with a couple of guards. They were surrounded by utter chaos, bodies strewn everywhere either killed by the invaders or falling rubble. They had come in droves from nowhere, almost like that time his army invaded Earth. He never thought HE would come here so soon. He had barely begun his term as king and already he had let his people down. To face such a formidable foe with no outside help…things happened so quickly. His soldiers had fought valiantly, but they just weren't strong enough. He wasn't strong enough. His magic was nearly depleted, he had saved as many as he could. They went into hiding along with Heimdall to protect them.

"Where is the Space Gem?" Thanos asked. Loki took a step back, signaling the soldiers to stay down. He raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "You don't have to do this." He was cut off when the Titan's blade rested on his throat. He could smell the blood coating it, the blood of his people. The people he was sworn to protect, the people he didn't have to protect. He swallowed convulsively. "I don't know where it is, but I'll help you find it." Thanos gave him a contemplative look. "I sought your service at first because you were driven, and a good liar. But you can't fool me." The blade was turned so that he could see his reflection on the bloodless patches. "Direct me to the Space Gem."

Loki knew he couldn't fool him. He pushed the weapon away with two fingers so he could breathe easier. "Will you leave without harming anyone else once you have the stone?" He looked into Thanos' eyes and saw amusement. "I give you my word."

~Scene Change~

Alfred ran a hand over his lips in consternation at the series of Asgardian runes on the wall. Alex was with him trying to decipher the coded message. "Who sent this again?" Alex paused to think about it. "I don't know, someone on Asgard. I reckon it's Loki." Alex frowned. "Something must have happened." He threw a spell at the message on the hologram, twisting his wand with muttered words. The spell fizzled out. "And this thing is locked tight, so we can't find out what's wrong." Alfred brushed his hair aside to look at Alex. "Maybe you should calm down. There are some runes you can't force." "I'm a runes expert. I swear anything Asgard has touched I can't decipher." Alex complained.

Alfred took out his wand. He tapped it on his temple for a few moments as he studied the symbols again. He tilted his head to the side, remembering his studies on Asgardian languages. He cast a couple of spells. Alex just let him be. 'That's not right. Those are medical diagnosis spells." Yet, before his eyes the code started to unravel into a form he could understand. Alfred lowered his wand. "Why did you stop? You're not done." Alex half shouted, excitement written on his face. Alfred only smiled. "This is where my part ends, my friend. The rest is your expertise." Alex quirked an eyebrow, turning back to the symbols. He studied the half-deciphered message then put his skills to work. Within ten minutes the code unraveled before his eyes and they could finally read it fully. It was not good. "Imperium, get Harry down here ASAP." "Yes, master Alfred.

Within the hour Harry was looking at the message with them. He braced himself on the desk, thinking on what to do next. 'Asgard has been attacked by the Titan. He has the Space Stone and the Power Stone. Be ready.' The runes read. "What happened to Loki?" he wondered. His companions didn't have an answer. He turned to walk out of the room. "Assemble everyone in the meeting room." "Sir, Sasuke, Itachi and Liam are on a mission." Alex informed. "We'll start without them."

Phoenix came together in the conference room. They were all informed of the message. "It's not even an SOS." Samuel commented. "Is Loki fine?" Alex stippled his fingers. "We don't know yet." Naruto had a concerned frown on his face. "I don't think…" "This is not the time for what ifs. We have to confirm that the Space Stone is truly gone." Samuel said, inciting a round of bickering. Harry let them argue among themselves for a few minutes before he stopped it. "I will go to Asgard, the rest of you have other tasks." He started. "Naruto, Suigetsu, Alex, go find Gomora the daughter of Thanos. I want you to bring her to me; I want to know everything she knows about Thanos. Samuel and Alfred, bring me Wanda Maximoff." "We don't kill them?" Samuel asked. Harry responded "No, They might be of use."

A/N: Happy New Year bi...fuc...I mean y'all peeps! We're getting close to the end. Good riddance when that happens. I got some other three or so stories in the works and I want to make them epic, so work here is slow. Sorry.

R&R please