Chapter 4: The Garden
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction that uses characters, themes, and universe that belong to Marvel Studios, the writers/directors of the MCU, and the brilliant mind of Stan Lee. I do not own nor claim any of the characters as my own creation, other than the original character R'dawē. *This chapter contains dialogue from the film "Avengers: Endgame." Credit for those lines belongs to the writers/directors/actors of the film.* Thank you for your attention and enjoy!
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"Okay, who here hasn't been to space?" Rocket asked patronizingly. Circe raised her hand, shifting in her seat as she saw Agent Romanoff, Captain Rogers, and Colonel Rhodes lift theirs haltingly. She shouldn't feel excited right now, given the circumstances. But going to space was something that she had always dreamed about! It still seemed surreal that they had allowed her to accompany them on such a crucial mission. Her, an untrained, UN staffer, skilled in the theoretical application of international relations to outer space, but completely useless in a fight. She wasn't the pragmatic choice, but she was capable of following orders and, at the very least, was an asset to the decimated team. So, here she was, sitting among the Avengers, about to leave the Earth's atmosphere, and equipped with repulsor beam gloves made by Tony Stark himself, no less!
"Approaching jump in 3…2…1" Nebula counted down before the spaceship accelerated, throwing its passengers firmly into their seats. Circe was speechless. Around her were stars, galaxies, worlds she had never even known about, flying past her at what felt like lightspeed! In front of her, she could see Agent Romanoff's hand gripping the armrest tightly. Even Captain Rogers seemed uneasy, eyes wide as the expanse of space passed before them. For Circe, though, it was beautiful, familiar, comforting in a way she didn't completely understand.
All too soon, the ship shuttered out of hyper-speed. They had arrived. Captain Danvers unbuckled her seatbelts and moved towards the back to the ship towards the airlock. Before them was a planet, resplendent with greenery. In the darkness of space, it seemed to Circe that this was a beacon of light, of energy, of a flourishing, unspoiled nature. Yet she knew in her heart that despite its serene appearance, the planet was hiding a menace like none other.
"I'll head down for recon," Captain Danvers announced from outside of the ship before zooming away towards the planet. Circe took a deep breath to steady herself, feeling equal parts entranced and intimidated by the superpowered newcomer. She was certainly glad to have her on their side.
"Are you nervous?" Thor's voice rumbled softly beside her. He had been nearly silent since Circe arrived at the compound, but his morose presence had been felt by everyone. From her previous, albeit limited, experience around the naturally jovial god of thunder, she knew that something was wrong. He was hurting.
Circe turned to face him, startled by the sudden intrusion into her thoughts, "Not really. Though if I'm being honest, I probably should be."
She didn't feel worried at all. A peculiar sense of calm had settled over her during the journey and though she knew that this was a monumental moment, perhaps even one that decided the fate of the universe, her mind was focused. Life and death, including her own, hung in the balance. Yet the only thing that seemed to matter was recovering the stones.
Thor nodded slowly, "We'll get him this time." His tone was definitive, leaving no doubt in Circe's mind that there was no room for error this round. Although she had not been involved in the first battle against Thanos, she still felt a sense of failure for not having been able to prevent it, even though that was an unreasonable expectation.
Captain Danvers reappeared, hovering in front of the ship's viewport, "No satellites, no ships, no armies, no ground defenses of any kind," she reported stoically. "It's just him."
"And that's enough." Nebula's answer sent chills racing along Circe's skin. There wasn't another moment to waste. If there was even the slightest chance at fixing things, they had to try.
All seemed silent as they approached the hut. They had a plan. Captain Danvers would go in first to disarm the Titan. Dr. Banner would follow to ensure the gauntlet couldn't be activated and then Colonel Rhodes would enter to finish restraining him. The odds weren't good. Circe knew that. They were about to confront the creature that had wiped out half of all life in the universe. He had used the stones again to some unknown purpose only two days prior. It wasn't likely that he would be keen to negotiate. And they were on his turf.
Captain Rogers had been systematic in his instructions, despite the fact that they had no idea what they were walking into. Circe was to stay at Rocket's side and enter only after Thanos had been sufficiently intercepted. As the teams peeled off, each in the direction from which they would begin the ambush, Circe noticed the massive glinting armor displayed in the meadow in front of the hut. It looked like some kind of monstrous medieval scarecrow. It's harrowing appearance created no small amount of cognitive dissonance when compared to its surroundings: the lush grasses, towering waterfalls, and soft breeze. In the silence of their slow advance, birdsong could be heard in the distance. It was like nothing Circe had ever heard before; a cadence so heartbreakingly pretty and so reminiscent of the birds she heard every day growing up on a rural farm. Nostalgia had no place here, though. Shaking her head, she followed the foul-mouthed raccoon cautiously, bending low to stay out of sight as they traversed the genocidal alien's space-yard. There was nothing familiar about this.
Rocket motioned for Circe to come closer to where he stood, just alongside the entrance to the hut, though out of view from its occupant. She could hear what seemed to be dishware colliding and the shuffling steps of someone large. He was in there. Thanos. The larger-than-life entity who had stolen away her parents and created pandemonium on her world. And it sounded like he was just… cooking.
Circe knelt, poised for action, waiting for the signal to be given. Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff were positioned just beyond, in a dip in the field, in case Thanos tried to flee. Beside her, Rocket shifted impatiently, his hand twitching as it unholstered a weapon. "What's taking so long?" he mumbled, baring his teeth.
Circe shook her head, not daring to speak. Suddenly, there was an eruption of noise: the photon blasts from Captain Danvers. Adrenaline coursed through her; any minute now, Circe would come face to face with the scourge that had haunted the Avengers for years.
"That's it, I'm going in, cover me!" Rocket shouted over the noise, looking back over his shoulder at Circe.
"Rocket, no! We have to wait for…"
"That bastard dusted Groot! He took MY FAMILY!" Rocket shouted over his shoulder, with a savage hatred lighting his eyes.
No, she thought, it was too soon! As Rocket charged in, Circe leaned around the doorframe and saw Captain Danvers wrap her arms around the broad, purple neck of their enemy. The Titan's gauntleted hand began to close into a fist, and without hesitation, Circe raced forward, instinctively shoving Rocket behind her, much to his discontent. She aimed her repulsor gloves at Thanos's torso and fired two quick blasts which set him off balance as Captain Danvers placed her foot firmly in the middle of the gauntlet to prevent it from closing. But it was not enough. Just as Dr. Banner, in his Hulkbuster armor, was pushing into the hut, Thanos's right arm flailed, grappling for purchase on whatever it could find. Before she could move out of the way, his hand closed around her forearm with a steely grip. Circe felt a storm of rage rush through her and she set off one last blast from her glove as he flung her directly into the fire pit,
The impact was excruciating.
It was blinding at first. The scalding heat of the flames were soon followed by the crushing weight of a cauldron that had held the Titan's meager meal. Circe's left arm was being devoured by a concentrated inferno. In front of her, the other Avengers had gathered, restraining Thanos as Thor wielded Stormbreaker and brought it down on Thanos's gauntleted forearm. None of that really registered with Circe though. She couldn't move. She couldn't think. Even the hands of Agent Romanoff, pulling her forcefully from the fire pit and leaning her against a basket off to the side, seemed as if they were occurring to someone else entirely.
The pain was intensifying, and Circe's head drooped. It was too much. Her skin felt as though it was crawling, pulling at its edges, her ligaments wrenching apart and knitting themselves back together agonizingly slowly. In a fleeting moment of clarity, it occurred to her that she might not make it. A one-way journey into the unknown, was that all this had been? And R'dawē, so far away back on Earth. She had promised him that she would tell him every detail of what she saw, that she would be safe, that she would return. But the more that her muscles screamed in agony and her eyes lost focus, the more it seemed unlikely that she would ever see his face again. She had lost. They had lost.
"You murdered trillions!" The voices rang in her ears, sounding miles away, underwater, and yet all too loud. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as the putrid aroma of charred skin reached her nose. Some intrinsic part of her recognized that burns this bad should be numb, not producing a searing heat that made her stomach roil and her lungs twist in the very effort of breathing. The scene in front of her was increasingly blurry. It was becoming harder and harder to stay present. The sensations were altogether overpowering her.
As her eyes drifted shut and she sank into a bleak, though not unwelcome, unconsciousness, Circe heard Thanos rasp a final insult, "You should be grateful."