After some deep thinking and debating with himself, Loki knows that it is time to tell Darcy the truth and he doesn't even know if it is a good idea to do so. It's better for him to go and then later they will be able to just move past it and she would be better prepared for whatever might be up ahead. He doesn't know if it is a good idea or if he even should, but she is going to find out the truth eventually, it might be best if it came from him rather than from the Chitauri and that alone is better than letting her find out the hard way in case the Chitauri captures Darcy and they start torturing her for information. Besides she is going to keep bothering him with all of the questions in the long run, he might as well just get it over with and hopes that this will be the end of all of it. He turns to look at Darcy and gives a sigh as he knows that this is the best moment to tell her everything and with the hopes that he can get this over with.
"If I tell you, then can you promise not to tell anyone?" said Loki. "It's better for only as little as a few people to know what's going on? He's a dangerous threat and one that you are fortunate to have never met and would ever want to meet."
"Wait, who's he? Who are we talking about?" said Darcy. "Loki, whatever is going on, you can tell me and I don't know if I will be able to find anyone that might believe me to be honest."
"What are you possibly-" starts Loki.
"Come on Loki, you can tell me and I don't know if I can promise yet that I won't tell anyone." said Darcy. "But I do know that I want to help and want to hear the whole story and ready to help in anyway I can. Only if you let me, just give me a chance and we can fix this together."
"I honestly doubt that it would help matters." said Loki.
"But it might help talking about it, plus I want to get my questions answered and I don't want to be left hanging." said Darcy. "Besides you can trust me with this, it's not like anyone would believe me if I tell them that the Chitauri are back and that there is a chance of another alien invasion and this time their leader is coming with them. The only ones who saw them was us and if I go up to them blabbing about this, then they might think I'm crazy and the only proof I have is you and there is no way I am going to expose you to the world."
"Wait, you are not planning to tell anyone that I am here on this planet?" asked Loki surprised.
"No, I don't think that I will, you don't seem to be doing anything or planning to do something." said Darcy. "I think it's safe to say that it would be cool if you stay and besides I think we would find ourselves in trouble if I did tell and I believe in second chances. You can trust me, just give me a chance alright?"
Loki starts to think about what Darcy just said and he has to admit that she has made valid points, but it is too soon to tell and he doesn't even know if he can trust Darcy and yet at the same time, he feels like he can after what they just been through. Though his main concern right now is whether or not his presence will remain a secret and if he can remain free. Part of him knows that if Thanos is finally coming after him then there will not a place he will hide that will guarantee that Thanos would never find him, then it will be known that he is alive. But then again, Thor must have already told everyone that they no longer have to worry about him anymore or at least on this planet. There is also the fact that he already told Odin of his demise and if Odin already believes that, then Asgard must already known by now and he wouldn't be surprised if they see him as a monster.
But still he doesn't see any harm in telling Darcy and it would at least might help him clear his head as he reflects on everything that has happened. He has time to tell her before he has to leave and plus it wouldn't cause him any sort of problems in the future. Even if Darcy tries to tell anyone, it not like anyone would believe her or they will at least ask for proof and Darcy can't prove anything without exposing him, at least he can take the chance and just leave before she can even have a chance to say anything. At least she would have all of the answers to anyone's questions if Thanos dares try to do anything. Loki gives a sigh as he knows that he is going to have to start telling the truth and then that will be the end of it.
"Fine, I will tell you everything I know about Thanos." said Loki.
"Wait, who to the what now?" said Darcy really confused.
"Thanos, the mad titan and a conqueror of many planets with the intention to destroy." said Loki. "He leads the Chitauri or rather orders the leader of the Chitauri to make sure that they follow his every command."
"In other words, he's their boss and wouldn't that make him that anyway?" said Darcy. "I mean the Chitauri's boss follows this Thanos guy's orders, wouldn't it make Thanos their boss?"
"Uh... You made a valid point that I can't argue against." said Loki. "But still, you honestly couldn't have believed that I found a random group of creatures to lead into an invasion that is extremely incompetent? Thanos lent me his army and no matter the amount of magic or the power of the scepter would change the outcome."
"Ok, Thanos let you borrow his army and you are not a big fan of them, I guess that throws out everyone's theories of you brainwashing a group of aliens to do your bidding." said Darcy. "So, exactly how did you guys meet? I'm guessing that he wasn't in Asgard for a friedly visit or something?"
"I didn't meet them on Asgard, it happened during my exile after I fell in the void. I ended up in a strange place after I fell, a realm unknown to most beings and I was the one the most unfortunate to discover it." said Loki.
"Ooh, you landed in an unknown world, now that's so cool and-" starts Darcy before earning a glare from Loki and stopping right in her tracks.
"It was anything but wonderful, after I fell from the Bifrost, I was on my own and when I landed there..." said Loki. "It wasn't a present experience, he offered me a proposition, an offer that guaranteed that I would be king and gain all of the power that this entire universe can ever offer me. That I would finally gain and complete my glorious purpose, but I have to keep my end of the agreement if I wanted to make sure that he would his."
"Ok, talk about a rotten deal, you try to lead an alien invasion and failed miserably and then this guy sends his army after you." interrupted Darcy earning an annoyed look from Loki. "Come on, this guy is ready to kill you for things not working out and made taking over a planet sound like the best thing that anyone can do. Practically encouraging you to ruin your life even further and all of that stuff."
"Are you going to keep interrupting me or can I finish telling you the story?" asked Loki exasperatedly. "I can't do so if you are going to keep doing it."
"What? I am just trying to get a clear picture on the entire thing." said Darcy. "Plus someone has to point out the most obvious things and say them out loud."
"How is that any relevant or offer any assistance for-" starts Loki who is not even bothering to hide his frustration.
"Sorry I was just curious, carry on." said Darcy with extreme excitement.
"Thanos promised that if I fail then he would hunt me down and torture me." said Loki. "He would kill me the first opportunity he has if he sees me again, Thanos never had the opportunity because I was taken back to Asgard and was held in the dungeons. Now that I am free once more, he must be ready to track me down and finish what he has started."
"So, what's Thanos big plan?" said Darcy. "I'm safely guessing that he didn't just send you to rule over here, is it one of the big three?"
"The big what?" asked Loki completely confused by what that meant.
"The big three, you know the most common motivations for villains." said Darcy. "It's always power, money and revenge, what is Thanos's driving force? Does his plan-"
"Anilalation, Thanos wants to destroy everything in this entire universe and he won't stop at nothing until he ends everything." said Loki. "He is looking for a power, one that is more dangerous than anyone can ever imagine."
"Well that's a new one, so he wants to kill everyone in the universe, why would anyone want to do that?" said Darcy. "So what is this power that he is looking for? Is he really going to go down on every planet to succeed in doing it?"
"Not exactly, he wants to do it only because he wants to impress someone or rather win the heart of someone who values death above all else." said Loki. "He calls her his Mistress Death and Thanos believes that the only way to win her heart is by anilating all of the realms with everyone in it."
"Wait, so Thanos wants to make the universe self destruct in order to impress some girl that he has a crush on?" said Darcy in disbelief. "This is unbelievable, an evil alien wants to make the whole universe explode to get a girl to like him. I can already see the headlines if someone ever finds out what's going on and they are definitely not looking at all pretty."
"To be fair, the entire motivation that is driving Thanos is plain absurd, especially knowing the fact that she doesn't return the feelings that Thanos is giving her." said Loki. "So not only the quest is futile, but it will ultimately lead to the destruction of everything."
"You still haven't explained how he is going to blow up the universe or what he did do that convinced you that it was a good idea to help him?" said Darcy. "What does he possibly want that would give him that power?"
"He is after the Infinity Stones." said Loki.
"The what?" said Darcy in an instant.
"The Infinity stones, six stones that existed since the beginning of time with unlimited cosmic power and extremely dangerous if united and in the wrong hands." said Loki. "I am safely assuming that Midgard doesn't exactly have any knowledge of the Infinity Stones."
"I didn't know they were a thing until you mentioned and just explained what they are." said Darcy. "I don't think anyone on Earth knows that much about the cosmos except the solar system."
"Pathetic, your realm needs to gain more knowledge of the worlds beyond your 'solar system.'" said Loki rolling his eyes. "Not only it would be imperative for the people of this planet to know about something as simple as the planets beyond this galaxy. But it would be important for everyone to know that there are dangerous threats and the history of the universe, so that way they can better prepare for any threats that might come their way."
"Wow, I didn't know that you care." said Darcy who can't help but smile at Loki's statement.
"I have no care for this planet or whether it gets destroyed or not." said Loki crossing his arms. "I am simply pointing out the facts and in all honesty I wouldn't be surprise if one day, this planet get attacked and can't win a battle just because of their ignorance and someone takes over someday."
"Now this is bad! Where are the Stones? How is he planning to destroy the universe? How many of these stones does he have now? Does he have to wave his hand around with these rocks or-" starts Darcy.
"Can you calm down for a moment and stop with the interruptions?" said Loki exasperated. "At the rate we are going, it is going to take centuries for us to get through this conversation, let alone take me longer to explain everything."
"Sorry! I can't help it, what you are saying is getting more and more intense by the minute." said Darcy. "We're talking someone that wants to make the universe explode and is not going to leave us alone until he gets what he wants. You can't blame me for asking questions, just keep going already, I want to know everything and all the details."
"I would have told you if you haven't kept making interruptions." said Loki as he rolls his eyes.
"Aside from all of that, so if Thanos gets these six stones then he would have the power to do all of that?" said Darcy.
"Well not exactly, he would also need the Infinity Guantlet in order to use the stones." said Loki. "We don't have to worry about him obtaining it, the Guantlet is safe in Odin's vault and Fath- Odin keeps it under tight security and there is no way he will able to get in there without a fight. But that won't change that Thanos will do everything to get the stones and he will do whatever it takes, that is why he sent me to this planet, to grab a hold of the Tesseract and in the end it resulted in loosing not one but two of the Stones. He is going to make an attack on Earth someday, to not only get the stones but to finish me."
"Oh snap." said Darcy in shock. "So, you're saying that Thanos is going to come back and make another invasion against Earth?"
"Not just that, he is going to do more than simply try to take over a planet." said Loki. "He is going to destroy it, Thanos is going to hunt down the stones and apparently now me, once he finds out that not only I am now on Earth but there is two Infinity Stones on this planet. He will do everything to make sure that he gets every single one of the stones and the gauntlet, to gain a power that many fear and one that many try to keep the stones apart in order to protect them from anyone that may try to use their powers and it later lead to disaster."
"Now this is bad, beyond bad." said Darcy as she reflects what she just heard and turns to face Loki. "So how do we stop him?"
That very question catches Loki by surprise and he doesn't even know what to make of it, seeing Darcy right there and still believing that foolish wish. Trying to make him a hero and thinking that it would be a make a difference. That it would somehow change everything or they would stand a chance against Thanos and put a stop to the Titan's plans, that thought within itself is unrealistic and he knows that there is no hope. Especially if Thanos is going to go after the Infinity Stones and later him, there is no escape from Thanos and the best he can do is leave before the problem gets worse and to try to live out the rest of his life hiding. Away from all of this and if he's lucky then maybe the Avengers will deal with Thanos and he can just simply leave without ever worrying about Thanos ever again...
"I'm sorry, I believe that I did not hear you properly." said Loki. "Did you just ask how are we planning to stop him and referred to the question as 'we?'"
"Well yeah, since this is a major threat to the entire universe and one that is going to practically lead to the end of the world, someone has to do something to stop it." said Darcy. "Since we are the only ones that know about this, then we should try to stop him and if we don't then who will?"
"Maybe, I don't know... My brother, his friends, someone from Asgard or anyone that we don't even know that might be willing to do something as foolish as that." said Loki. "Look I have already done far than my fair share in the foolish venture of being a hero, it is against my nature to do something like that and I don't go around saving people, let alone try to stop anyone who may dare threaten the universe."
"Come on Loki, you managed to save a lot of people in the last two days. From that robbery to the fire, you managed to save a ton of lives and gave everyone a second chance." said Darcy. "Plus you also saved Thor and Jane back in the Dark World, I mean after all of that, you're already a hero. You would be so awesome as a full fledge superhero."
"I am going to go around and make this into a habit." said Loki. "Besides what you are asking me to do and want me to be, it's extremely dangerous."
"How can it be dangerous?" said Darcy. "Sure we are going to be facing an alien warmonger who happens to be after you, but if we can make this work. Just think about it, we will be using the element of surprise to our own advantage, no one would ever expect to see you of all people or rather Asgardian to go out there and save the day and-"
"That is exactly my point, there is no possible way I can do this without jeopardizing my own safety." said Loki. "I can't continue going out there without the risk of me getting exposed to the public."
"Ok, I can't argue with that one..." said Darcy agreeing for a moment before her face quickly lights up. "Wait, I have an idea, but first do Asgardians read comic books?"
Before Loki can even have a chance to answer that question, Darcy quickly head towards her room to quickly grab a comic book and tries to find a good one that would not only let Loki see her point of view but to also give him a chance to see comic books in all their glory. She quickly searches through her pile, hoping that this will be the trick, if she wasn't trying to convince Loki the great benefits of being a superhero, she would definitely read her books all over again and relive the excitement of the stories they hold. But she might just reread later, since right now she just found the perfect page to show Loki, she grabs a hold of the book and quickly head back to the living room. She finds Loki sitting on the couch, completely annoyed at the entirety of the situation. She just lets herself fall on the couch, to much of Loki's annoyance and once he sees that she is holding a comic book, he simply roles his eyes as she opens the book and shows him the page of a guy in a suit on one half and him in a jumpsuit with a giant S and a cape in the other.
"Don't you see? It's a normal guy who seems normal and they have a normal life and all that stuff, but the thing is he's not..." said Darcy rather excitedly pointing at the page and then the next. "When trouble calls, then he takes off the suit, puts on a cape and then he's a superhero. You want to know what the best part? No one even knows that he's a superhero!"
"Midgardians fall for that?" asked Loki in disbelief, as he questions the logic of this idea.
"Yeah they do." said Darcy rather confidently.
"That has to be the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard in my life." said Loki. "It may be ideal for your stories, but in the real world it would never work. Anyone would be able to see and recognize me in an instant, the only way around it is an illusion."
"That or we use a mask and a costume to hide your identity." said Darcy rather excitedly.
"I am not going to go out to help people whenever they find themselves in danger and even if I did then I wouldn't want to be dressed as a clown doing so." said Loki. "Besides I don't know if it hasn't slip your mind, but you are suggesting that we go and fight against Thanos. A being that would crush you with a simple grip ad he would never regret it or even think about it again. We don't stand a chance as is and there is no way I would ever agree to do this, I have dealt with Thanos before and the last thing anyone would want is to cross him."
"Well maybe if we go around this in a sneaky way then maybe it will buy us more time or at least it might make him leave us alone for a bit." said Darcy.
"How do you propose we do that?" said Loki. "Go around and gather the Infinity Stones before he has the opportunity?"
"That's not a bad idea actually." said Darcy.
"What? No, I was simply making a rhetorical question." said Loki. "I didn't mean a word of it or was even considering-"
"Why not? Thanos doesn't have any of the Stones or the Guantlet, he's in the same starting point as we are." said Darcy. "With your powers and brains and my superhero knowledge, we might stand a chance and we can pull this off. By saving the universe then not only you'd be the awesomest superhero in history, but you would-"
"Darcy, can we please stop talking this nonsense?" said Loki no longer wanting to hear any more of it. "I am not agreeing to pursue a path that would lead to nothing but consequences and bigger problems that we might not even be as lucky to get ourselves out of."
"I know that it might seem silly, the idea that you are going to save people and the world in a costume, but I know you can do it, that you can be more than this." said Darcy. "I know you can be a hero and you would make an awesome one. We can start small, you can save a few people, stop some crime and we can mostly focus on getting the stones before he gets them and then-"
"Darcy, can you just forget about this mad idea and move past this?" said Loki exasperatedly before giving a sigh with a calmer tone. "We need to face the facts, I am not a hero or will ever be one. What you are asking me to do and want me to be, that is impossible, Thanos is not going to simply just give up on his quest if we gather the stones, he will only target us and he will do unspeakable things. We would be only doing him a favor and destruction follows wherever I go anyway, it would be better if we just let it go past us."
"I don't think that you bring in disaster wherever you go, from what I have seen of you in the past two days." said Darcy. "Loki, you can be so much more and you will never know if you don't try. Plus if Thanos get these Stones then would we all be screwed? Wouldn't there be no hope left if no one knows about Thanos and no one does anything to try to stop him?"
"Darcy, what you want is nothing more but a fantasy and Thanos is more powerful than anyone can imagine, it's against my nature to do anything, it's too sentimental." said Loki. "Besides even if I tried, there wouldn't be much that I can do and he always finds a way to be on top, it would be a war that I don't know if I want to take part of. It would be better if you just wake up and accept that there is no hope for Thanos being defeated or for me..."
With that, Loki simply heads to get ready for bed and just heads into the bathroom and locks the door right behind him. No one needs to be a deep thinker to know that Loki wants to be left alone. Darcy wonders how is she ever going to convince her roommate that he should do this and if there is anything that would convince him out of his stubbornness? The whole universe depends on it and she has to figure out how to convince Loki that he needs to do it somehow, as much as she wants to do it and would be happy to go out to save the world. She knows that there is no way that she would be able to do it on her own because of the fact that she doesn't have super powers and she doesn't even know where the Infinity Stones are and she doesn't even want to know what a fight between her and Thanos would go. As much as Darcy doesn't want to admit it and really wishes that she has powers.
But Darcy is determined to try and will do everything to make sure that she gets Loki to agree to become a hero or at least try to save the world before Thanos does anything. She wonders if Thor ever have these problems or have any tricks on how she can perform to get him to agree, Darcy just wishes that there is a way she can ask him for tips. There is no way that she would be able to pull it off without accidentally blurting it out or saying something that might eventually reveal that Loki's on Earth and alive. Though she knows one thing, that Thor or no Thor, she is not going to give up that easily and she will think of a plan on how to do it. Somehow...
Here it is, the fourteenth chapter of Redemption is finally here. Sorry that it took so long, I have a lot of things going on after an awesome vacation and getting settle into my job and I am still working out the details, but I am going to try to get the next six rewrites out as soon as I can and will be trying to get them updated as soon as I can, but it might take a while. But I am going to try to get them out before Augest or at least half of them.
I was hoping with this rewrite it will allow us to go into more detail of the conversation between Loki and Darcy, to give it some more breathing room. It had to be either an expansion or maybe a flashback. But I can't do a flashback without spoiling the other chapters, so I thought that it might be best to allow the conversation to become more genuine and allow us to see more of the character reaction, learn more the Thanos problem they will face than it was initially revealed and yet allow us to see more of Loki's thoughts and chapter 15 will be more of an expansion and we'll see more of Loki's thoughts as we see the next phase of his character arc.
For any old time readers, I hope that you guys are more than excited for the final chapters of Redemption and as for the fifty third chapter, I am hard at work on it and making sure that it is the best it can be. As I am writing the next chapter and plan out the final chapter and let's just say that we are in the finale, the fifty third chapter is the next part of the beginning of the end and the start of the pathway to the finale. The next chapters before the finale will be the set up before we reach it, I hope that it will live up to your expectations and the ending will be the best and an ending that will be satisfying and yet leave some small loose ends that I could pick up if a sequel is ever made.
As for the next rewrite, I think it might come out two to three weeks earliest, since the next chapter will have much more than the original did and I want it to be a powerful moment before we reach to the rest of the story and that within itself is going to need time and I want to make sure that it is reaching the goals that I am setting for myself because it's a big turning point.
As for chapter 53, I don't know when will this chapter come out because I am still hard at work and it's going to be really packed to say the least. Plus I want to make it worth the wait, since it's the last chapter before we reach the finale and I want to make sure that it lives up to all of our expectations. I think I am aiming it for an August release date, the earliest, but the good news is that it's all planned and I am currently writing it. Depending how soon I get it done, I will upload it as soon as I can, but all of the rewrites will come out before the finale for sure. :)
But just because the main story is ending, it doesn't mean that this will be the end of Redemption. I'm also thinking of possibly doing one-shot chapters for Redemption that takes place during the time skip and it can be anything like slice of life fics, Loki teaming up with the Avengers or just Thor and Loki as Mysto of course. teaming up (it can be a midquel story with multiple chapters), maybe even a Loki and Hiemdel team up or maybe even Loki and Darcy's adventures of searching for the Infinity Stones. But it has to take place during the time skip and not be something that would add more to the main story that it would be necessary to read them. They are mostly would be stand alone stories that still in the Redemption canon and yet still be part of the story (think of it like a spin of series of a movie that the story takes place between the previous movie and the sequel like How to Train your Dragon (the first and second) or Tangled (for the movie and Ever After short) for example.) I'm open to any idea that you guys might have, just put a review or pm me with your ideas and I'll be happy to use your ideas to write them into one shots. (Maybe even a Guardians of the Galaxy prequel/midquel before Gamora got caught by Thanos or even one before she even met Loki or went through the events of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie?)
Though I would be mostly doing Loki ones but I am open to the idea, but I was also thinking of having them to be more interconenctive than one may think, that it would be telling an overall story which would serve as a prequel, but at the same time they would be stand alone stories and within them, they will have a story arc that will lead into the rest of Redemption after the Age of Ultron arc. But the Gamora one is definitely going to be a prequel and I think I would probably at least have that one up, so that way we will see the start of her journey before meeting Loki and how she started her journey. (It's the only thing I can promise that will come soon whether it's before or straight after the story is done.) Other than that I am open to doing more Redemption, but before I make any decisions I want to finish this story first before I get started on one shots or any sequels. Especially since the next two chapters and the rewrites are my top priority at the moment. :)
If you guys want to share a favorite moment or have any questions, you guys are so welcome to leave a review or pm me. I'd be happy to answer any questions and be happy to hear from you when it comes to anything you all may have to say. :)
Lastly, I want to say is that I am dedicating the Redemption fanfic to a good friend that has been there for me for the last couple of years. One that I will always appreciate that our friendship happend for the rest of my life. I am dedicating this story to Brigitta Pekelharing, a friend that helped me out of the darkness that I often take for granted. But I want to thank her for everything and helping me during the darkest time of my life, her friendship has made me grow into a better person and writer. I am always going to be grateful for the friendship that we shared and the impact that it made on me. In a way if it weren't for our friendship then there might not even be a Redemption because she got me into Marvel movies and helped me at the beginning of writting the fanfic. Thanks Brigitta for everything :)
So how is Darcy planning to convince Loki to take the leap of fate and become a hero? Will she even do so? What is going to happen if she fails? When Thanos gets a hold of all of the Infinity Stones then what will happen? Will he go through with his evil scheme? (Ok that question is rhethorical.) Will he get all of the infinity Stones, the Guantlet and Loki before anyone can do anything? What would be the ever lasting consequences if Loki doesn't step up and let everything happen? What will Loki do next? Will he step up and try to stop Thanos or will he just not even bother and just let Thanos do whatever he wants, even if it means that Loki would be on the run and then later everything will end up destroyed? What will his choice be?
Find out in the next chapter of Redemption, whether it's the original chapter or the upcoming rewrite. See ya in the next update. :)