The unconscious Guardians are flying upwards uncontrollably, moon-chunks are still making fiery ballistic inbounds, and random debris and massive rocks are floating in any possible direction. Spider-Man is well-equipped to handle this physically, even if he's freaking out emotionally.. All Maria wish she could do is tell him he was doing a good job.. He was doing amazing.
Maria looked over and Thanos making his way towards her. She started walking towards him until they stood off for a few moments until Thanos with the power stone shot a beam of power at her. Maria summoned the Mirror Dimension and used it to protect her. Thanos then ran at her and shot another beam, this time with the space stone causing a black hole to come at her and she generated a shield to cause the black hole to be destroyed. She used the Seven Suns of Cinnibus as a lightning-like effect of immense heat jumping from rock to rock until it reaches Thanos, sending him flying - but he makes use of the erratic gravity to keep control and fire back a blast from the Power Stone, Maria created a much bigger shield and she pushed it forward to hit Thanos and he got knocked back.
He saw Stephen levitating and invokes the Images of Ikonn, multiple images of him flying and sme of them covering Maria. Stephen then used the bands to try to hold down Thanos but the Titan used the Soul and Power stone to find where the real Stephen was and leaped forward and punched him, knocking Stephen into a couple of rocks. Thanos used the Reality stone to make the ground to come towards him along with Maria and he grabbed her by the throat. She started to struggle against him and Thanos grabbed the Eye
"NO!" Maria said as Thanos yanked the eye out of the chains "You never once used your greatest weapon." He said and soon he crushed it, hopefully to get the Time Stone but it was empty, he looked at Maria with narrowed eyes "A Fake" He muttered before starting to squeeze her neck, aiming to crack it. Maria started screaming and struggling and it wasn't until a device flew at Thanos' other hand and Thanos was knocked over by Riley. Maria was thrown to the ground coughing and holding her neck. Stephen crawled his way towards her and held her in his arms.
Riley made her way towards Tony. Thanos looked over at Tony and grinned "Ah Stark.. Smith"
"You throw another moon at me, and I'm gonna to lose it.. You better hope Anthea is alive or I'll rip your skin off"
"You know us?" Riley questioned and Thanos nodded and sighed "I do. You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."
"My only curse is you." Tony said as small rockets pop out of Iron Man's back and launch at Thanos. Riley looked and did the same. Thanos smiled as he was challenging them "Come on!"
The rockets all explode on target, momentarily shrouding Thanos in smoke. Before it clears,Tony piledrives into Thanos horizontally, using his single super-jet boot configuration. As he bounces off, he flips and sticks his landing, immediately reconfiguring his boots into ground clamps for stability and his gloves into rocket-driven battering rams, punching Thanos into a ruined wall behind him. Riley flew and her boots turn into ground clamps and kicked him in the face and she used her beams to shoot at Thanos.
Thanos shakes it off quickly, reaches forward and tears Riley's helmet off, revealing Riley's surprised expression before the suit recovers automatically and re-forms her head protection. Tony ran in front of Riley and Tony got slammed into the ground and Thanos started punching the suit away. The Titan makes use of the fractional delay and punches back hard, and punched Riley back a bit, giving Thanos time to rip the brace device off the gauntlet. He immediately uses the Power Stone to stream furiously lambent energy at his opponent, but a figure jumped in front of the two and Anthea created a force field with her golden energy who was kneeling behind just as instantly, getting pushed back even further by the incredible force. Thanos smirked when he saw it was Anthea and her eyes glowed golden and she sent a huge amount of power at him. It was Thanos' turn to be knocked back as he used the Power Stone to create a shield. Soon he shot another beam of power and Purple and Golden energy were combing with each other, both powerful and both ended up going into the air
Thanos started shooting another beam of power but Anthea was quick to harness the power and she shot the purple energy back at him but Thanos was quick the get the energy back
Tony flew in front of Thanos whips back to Thanos full thrusters; he kicks at the Titan with his left foot, turning the boot into a ground clamp at the same time to pin the gauntlet, and keeps twisting while his left glove becomes a ram again, slamming into Thanos's face, cutting his cheek.
Thanos smiled a bit and he looked at Tony "All that for a drop of blood."
He soon punched Tony, sending him pinwheeling, then starts beating him with his fists. Tony attempts to block the blows with his forearms, but Thanos is relentless, picking him up by the helmet and blasting his midsection with the Power Stone. Riley flew into Thanos, knocking him away from Tony and she kicked Thanos in the face. It wasn't until Thanos used the Power Stone on Riley and The gaps in nanite coverage are now gaping, as the armor loses the ability to recover from the intensity and extent of the damage. Riley landed hard from the Power blast, struggles to one knee and fires her right hand repulsor at the inexorable Thanos; the beam is easily deflected by the gauntlet. Tony got to both of his feet as the suit tries to complete repairs on his own suit, adding the beam from his left hand as well. Thanos walks right up to him, and backhands the incomplete helmet completely off Tony's head. He crosses his arms to block a blow from Thanos's gauntlet, and has his left hand caught over his head. In desperation, he forms what's left of his right glove into a shortsword, which is also easily caught by Thanos, snapping it off clean. Tony heard a loud 'No!" from Riley and he felt her covering him and Thanos driving the sword through Tony left side and through Riley's stomach.
Anthea looked in horror as she watched Thanos throw the sword to the ground and Riley collapsed to the ground and Tony alongside, but he placed his hands on her cheek and tears came down his face when he saw the amount of pain running through her face
"No.. No Riley, you have to okay.. For me, for Steve" Tony gasped through his own pain and she was wheezing with pain. Anthea made her way in front of them and Thanos looked at her. Anthea's eyes glowed golden
"If you want to kill them, kill Maria.. You're going to have to get through me first" Anthea said and Thanos looked at her, impressed with her challenge.
"You think you can take me on?" Thanos taunted and Anthea's golden energy swirled around her hands and arm.. Thanos closed his gantlet with the power stone ready to attack but he knew Anthea was prepared.. She could deflect it but Thanos saw someone getting up and he smirked as he knew.. He knew this would get Anthea so with the power stone he shot a huge beam towards the person.
Anthea saw the way that Thanos' eyes moved to another figure, she knew who it was too because Anthea knew Thanos wouldn't do this to just anyone. Without even thinking, Anthea ran to the direction of the blast of the power. Quill saw the blast coming towards him with horror in his eyes as he saw the purple beams coming towards him.
Anthea leaped and without thinking, she reached her hand out to try the absorb the energy of the power stone but she didn't get all of it.. Quill watched with a shocked expression as he saw Anthea falling to the ground as she caught the energy with her body and some of her hands. Anthea had fallen to the ground with her eyes closed in pain.
"You have my respect" Thanos said looking at Anthea.. Tony and Riley, he shook his head "When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive." he straightens and steps back "I hope they remember you." He said as raised his gauntlet, his fist closed as all four stones were glowing and aimed at Anthea.
He did.. Until he heard a voice.
"Stop!" Thanos heard a weak voice and he saw Stephen sitting up and sounding entirely damaged "Spare their lives... Anthea and Maria's life.. and I will give you the stone." He whispered.
Maria sat up too weakly, her eyes widen as she shook her head "Stephen.. No! No please" She tried pleading with him but Stephen ignored her as he looked up at Thanos. The Titan nodded "No tricks." Strange shook his head as Thanos points all four Stones at him instead
"Stephen.. Please don't do this" Maria pleaded as Stephen looked down at her, she saw sadness and love in his eyes "I have to my love.. I have to do it for you" He whispered
"Don't!" Tony called but Stephen ignored him as Stephen reaches up and plucks the Time Stone out of its hiding place in the stars.. Something Maria did. He opens his hand, and the Stone floats to Thanos's bare hand.. Not without hearing his wife starting to sob. Strange watches him intently, as Thanos took the Stone and drops it into the thumb setting, the energy pulse making the Titan wince.
"One to go." Thanos said but suddenly an energy blast hits the gauntlet right in the empty Mind Stone setting, and Thanos grimaces in surprise
Quill was screaming in rage, helmet up, firing with both hands and flying straight for Thanos
Thanos didn't even bother responding to the assault - he just leaves. Star-Lord flies through where Thanos had been and crashes, rolling several times.
"Where is he?!" Quill demanded with a defeated voice and Tony started stitching up his stab wound as well as he can with his suit functions; slowly working on Riley who was gasping in pain before laying there.
"Did we just lose?" Quill whispered before he saw Anthea's figure and he ran towards her and rested her head on his lap and shook his lap "Why did you do that? Why?" He whispered and Anthea opened her eyes as she grabbed her side in pain
"I gotta protect you.. You don't know how important you are to me.." She whispered and Peter shook his head "We just met.. I don't know you and you don't know me.. How am I so important?" He whispered and Anthea grabbed his hand and squeezed it "Just remember.. Quill please remember.. We had a life together.. We were gonna get married. Remember me" She pleaded
"Why would you do that?" Tony whispered and Stephen looked at his sobbing wife as he shook his head in defeat and he looked at Tony who was cradling Riley's head "We're in the endgame now."
Quill looked at Anthea in shock as he shook his head "No.. I was with Auber, I remember that day in Xander.. I was.. I was" He whispered as suddenly the voice in his head got louder and he started to hold his head in pain as he stumbled in pain as the voice was now screaming in his head.. It was getting louder and louder and he started to scream
The only thing that kept being said in his head..
'Remember!'
Author's Note
OH NO WHAT'S HAPPENING?! ;)
Anthea was always meant to be Thanos' equal or more powerful.. She hasn't unlocked her full powers yet which will be awesome when it happens. Riley has gave it her all and I love her for that. Maria too as she tried to distract Thanos long enough for Anthea to recover.
I love the ladies of Team Titan, they gave it their all and made sure each other was safe.. They're my favorites to write.
So.. Is Quill getting his memory back? ;) Well we won't be back to them for a while because we have the next two chapters focused on Team Wakanda!
Next Chapter:
Thanos comes to Wakanda
A truth will come out and will forever change everyone.. Something that will be the biggest shock of them all. It will change the story as we know it.