I don't own The Avengers. Marvel Does. I only own my OCs.
Carol gasped for breath as she tried to free her arms, but Thanos kept them restrained in a firm grip. She whined softly as her left arm throbbed in pain.
"I-I told you," peeped Carol, "I'm not Loki!"
Thanos growled in anger, displeased with Carol's answer. The titan released her arms. Upon cue, Carol attempted to get back to her feet, but Nebula quickly pinned her arms to the ground while Thanos knelt next to her legs.
"Then this little game is not over!" growled Thanos.
Thanos pinned Carol's ankles to the ground with his knees and plunged the knife into her right thigh, eliciting another scream of pain from her. The purple titan dragged the knife down her leg as Carol struggled to free herself, but to no avail. Little did they know, while Thanos was dragging the knife down Carol's lower leg, Thor, Loki, Ultron, Pietro and Wanda arrived at the throne room and their eyes widened in horror.
"No," gasped Ultron.
Thanos reached Carol's ankle and withdrew the knife. Ultron stared at the purple titan, rage building up in his optics. He would never forgive anyone who would hurt Carol and he was now tempted to yank Thanos off her and rip out his heart.
"Hey!" called Pietro, "I have an idea!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Pietro sped towards Nebula, Thanos and Carol at lightning speed, knocking Nebula out of the way. Ultron seized this chance and used his anti-grav tech to yank the knife out of the titan's hand. Loki then fired a beam of the scepter at Thanos, knocking him off Carol.
"Carol!" boomed Thor.
Carol gasped in surprise and slowly sat up, her eyes focused on Thor, Ultron, Loki and Wanda.
"Ultron," whispered Carol.
Ultron sprinted to Carol's side while Thanos groaned and staggered to his feet. Wanda rushed to Carol's other side and used her telepathy to examine her memory, hoping to understand what happened to her while Loki took a few steps towards Thanos with a smirk on his face.
"Oh, Thanos," chuckled Loki, "you are so stupid, mistaking a poor girl for me."
Startled, Thanos snapped his head at Loki.
"Have you come to surrender?" asked Thanos.
"No," smirked Loki, "I have come to negotiate, you wanker."
"Wipe that smug look off your face!" roared Thanos, "you know you have failed me!"
"Failed you?" remarked Loki, "even if you had me under your control, I never trusted you."
Furious, Thanos charged at Loki, but Thor thought fast and threw his Mjolnir at the titan, pinning him to the ground. Nebula recovered and started charging at Ultron, but Wanda conjured up scarlet energy and lifted Nebula into the air without even touching her before she flung her backwards.
"So it was you who sent Loki after the Tesseract!" thundered Thor, pointing at Thanos.
"So you must be the Asgardian nemesis of Loki," grunted Thanos.
"He's my brother!" corrected Thor.
Ultron carefully lifted Carol into his arms and stood to his full height, his hand cradling her head to his chest. Thanos still struggled to get back to his feet, but the Mjolnir kept him pinned down. He tried lifting it by the handle, but was unsuccessful.
"And where are your Avenger friends?" demanded Thanos.
"Why should I bother answering you?!" snapped Thor, "you took the wrong hostage!"
Thor telekinetically withdrew the Mjolnir and it landed back in his grip. Thanos stood to his full height.
"In that case," announced Thanos, "tell your Avenger friends that I will do everything in my power to crush them, even if it means the extinction of the pathetic humans!"
Ultron, Wanda, Pietro, Loki, Thor and Carol stared at Thanos in disbelief. Was he actually considering genocide? This seemed to be sinister, but why?
"Not today," growled Thor.
Ultron's cheekplates opened up and he fired a concussion blast at Thanos, hitting him in the shoulder and causing him to yelp in pain. He then led Thor, Loki, Pietro and Wanda as they scurried out of the throne room and descended the stairs. Once they reached the base of the stairs, a portal appeared and they skittered into it. They instantly teleported to the Bifrost Bridge, so Ultron carefully laid Carol onto the ground upon arrival.
"Are you ok?" Ultron asked softly.
"Why?" whimpered Carol, "why did that…purple bastard go after me?"
Ultron carefully inspected her left arm and her right leg, grimacing at the sight of the deep wounds. Noticing the tears streaming down Carol's cheeks, the tall mech carefully placed his hand behind her back and lifted her to his chest, pulling her into a gentle embrace.
"Shh," purred Ultron, "it's going to be ok."
Ultron wanted to let out his sadness and worry that he almost lost Carol, considering that to him, she held the key to the fate of humanity. He nuzzled his face against hers while he stroked her hair. He was at least glad he was able to be there for her, even if she never said anything about needing him. Loki noticed Ultron cradling Carol in his arms, so he approached them, catching the tall mech's attention.
"Do you mind if I have a look at the damage Thanos inflicted on your girl?" requested Loki.
Carol turned her head at Loki and her eyes widened in shock.
"Loki!" gasped Carol.
"You're lucky we arrived on time," replied Loki, "otherwise, Thanos would've killed you."
Loki carefully took Carol's left arm into his hand and carefully inspected her wound. With a flick of his hand, the trickster god used his magic to heal the wound, much to Carol's bewilderment.
"What the…?" paused Carol.
"Illusions are not my only area of expertise," mentioned Loki.
Loki turned his attention at Carol's injured leg, and he used his magic to heal it in a matter of seconds. He then focused his eyes on Ultron.
"She should be all right," assured Loki, "she just needs some rest."
"Thank you, Loki," smiled Ultron.
Ultron stood to his full height while Carol wrapped her arms around his neck, her head resting on his shoulder. Upon cue, Thor walked up to Loki.
"How come you got your hands on the scepter?" demanded Thor, "I was going to bring it back to Asgard."
"Are you sure you cannot trust me to hide the Infinity Stones from Thanos?" asked Loki.
Thor stared at Loki in disbelief. Did his adoptive brother actually know something connected to Thanos?
"Did Thanos tell you about them?" interrogated Thor.
Loki nodded.
"If you don't believe me," added Loki, gesturing to Wanda, "ask her."
Nodding in agreement, Thor walked up to Wanda, catching her attention.
"Why did you accompany us?" asked Wanda, "aren't you with Stark?"
"I may be Stark's friend," answered Thor, "but that does not stop me from helping you. Is Thanos really after the Infinity Stones?"
Wanda and Pietro exchanged glances in a moment of silence. Was Stark really that bad in their eyes? They never asked since they kept to themselves, especially when Strucker experimented on them.
"I could show you," offered Wanda, "but you're not going to like it."
"I'm certain simple mind games cannot make me succumb," beckoned Thor, "I am up for the challenge."
Upon cue, Wanda conjured up some scarlet energy and waved them into his mind. At first, Thor didn't notice any change, so he started wandering around the Bifrost Bridge until the scene suddenly began to change. What he saw was truly horrifying, as Loki was propped up against a large rock without a top while chained to it. He saw Thanos approaching his younger brother with a knife in his hand, the same knife Ultron yanked out of the titan's hand.
"So, do you give up, yet?" smirked Thanos.
Loki lifted his head, his eyes glaring at Thanos.
"I hope you die a violent death!" muttered Loki.
"We will see about that," Thanos gave an ominous chuckle.
Thanos knelt down and placed the blade of the knife on the left side of Loki's forehead. He pressed the knife into the flesh, but not too deep, and dragged it down to his cheek as the trickster god moaned in pain.
"Loki!" called Thor, his hand extended towards Loki, "fight back!"
To Thor's dismay, Loki couldn't hear him as blood seeped out of the wound. If only Thor had known of this earlier, he would've pleaded with Odin to give Loki a chance to heal. It was only moments later when Thanos withdrew the knife, blood staining the blade. If only this wasn't a vision, Thor would've rushed in and attacked Thanos head on. He felt sick at the sight of burn wounds and cuts scattered all over Loki's body. Then again, it wouldn't hurt to try intervening, so Thor charged in, his Mjolnir at the ready. However, before he could even close in, a flash of light appeared out of nowhere and clouded his eyes. The next thing he knew, he saw strange artifacts floating in space, including the Tesseract and Loki's scepter shatter, revealing six colored stones aligning themselves in the shape of a fist.
"Domination," he heard Thanos say.
Seconds later, Thor snapped out of his vision and scanned the Bifrost Bridge. He was now certain that there was an even bigger threat and he suspected Thanos could strike at any time. He laid his eyes on Loki and cautiously approached him, catching his attention.
"Brother?" paused Loki, "what are you doing?"
Thor didn't say anything, but he set down the Mjolnir and placed his hands on Loki's shoulders, catching him off-guard.
"You've been through all of this and you did not tell me?!" exclaimed Thor.
"If I told Odin," admitted Loki, "he wouldn't have believed me."
"You could've told me first and I could've covered you!" protested Thor.
At that moment, the trickster could see sympathy glistening in his brother's eyes. Loki couldn't help but laugh as tears of joy started welling in his eyes.
"You are so persistent," smiled Loki, "aren't you, Thor?"
Thor couldn't help but smile as he pulled Loki into an embrace. He hadn't thought he'd be able to restore his brotherly bond with Loki, but this moment was a good start. After a moment of silence, Thor released his embrace and Loki handed him the scepter.
"Loki?" paused Thor.
"Whatever you do," instructed Loki, "keep this away from Thanos."
Thor glanced at the scepter and then returned his gaze at Loki.
"You have my word," nodded Thor.
Thor stepped away from Loki and gathered with Ultron, Pietro and Wanda, the tall mech still carrying Carol.
"Heimdall," called Loki, "send them back to Midgard."
Upon cue, Heimdall activated the Bifrost Bridge and the portal teleported Ultron, Carol, Thor, Pietro and Wanda to the platform entrance to Ultron's base. Thor shot a glance at Ultron, who gently stroked Carol's face with such affection that it reminded the thunder god of his feelings for Jane Foster. He did remember ranting about Tony messing with the scepter, but Ultron gave no maniacal expression. Maybe Carol had something to do with it? After a few seconds, Ultron lowered Carol to the ground as she stared into his crimson optics.
"Ultron," requested Carol, "can I stay with you for the night?"
"Are you sure about this?" paused Ultron, tilting his head, "my base is not complete yet."
"I could persuade Stark to let you two rest at the tower for the night," called Thor.
Startled, Ultron, Carol, Wanda and Pietro snapped their heads at Thor.
"Seriously?!" warbled Carol.
"Are you sure you can persuade Stark not to attack me?" mentioned Ultron.
"I'm willing to give you a chance," offered Thor.
Ultron tilted his head and placed a finger on his chin while he thought over Thor's proposal in a moment of silence. His previous encounter with the Avengers was a bit violent and he had a sneaky suspicion that the other Avengers still didn't trust him. He snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Carol tap him on the chest.
"Don't worry, Ultron," assured Carol, "I got your back."
Ultron couldn't help but chuckle as he stroked Carol's head.
"I appreciate it, Carol," purred Ultron.
Ultron lifted Carol into his arms and after sending a com-link message, two drones emerged from the base through the elevator platform. The tall mech turned his head at Thor.
"Do you need a lift?" asked Ultron.
"I'll pass," Thor declined, "I can get to the tower myself."
Thor twirled his Mjolnir and raised it into the air, teleporting him away as the drones lifted Pietro and Wanda into their arms. The robots took off into the air, flying over the country until they arrived at New York. Ahead, they could see the Avengers Tower at a distance. They landed at the dock with Thor face to face with the Avengers. Natasha shot a glance at Ultron and jumped to her feet.
"We got company!" shouted Natasha.
Tony, Steve, Bruce and Clint turned their heads at Ultron, Carol, Pietro and Wanda, eyes widening in shock. In the midst of the confusion, Tony glared at Thor.
"You invited Ultron here?!" warbled Tony.
"Ultron helped me save Carol," explained Thor, "seeing how much he cares for her, I'm willing to give him a chance."
"If I recall," reminded Tony, "you smashed him at the party."
The drones lowered Pietro and Wanda to the floor.
"Ah, this is funny, Mr. Stark," Pietro commented in a snarky tone, "it's what, comfortable…like old times?"
Tony shot a glance at Pietro and Wanda before letting out a sigh.
"This was never my life," Tony said softly, remembering his past dealings with weapons.
"You two can still walk away from this," offered Steve.
"Oh, we will," remarked Wanda, eyes locked onto Steve.
"I know you suffered," Steve told Wanda.
Tony focused his eyes on Ultron as the tall mech held Carol in his arms with such gentleness. He didn't think she could be the reason why Ultron hasn't made any extinction plans yet. Tony figured if she was to get a robot boyfriend, then maybe she should help Ultron develop even further.
"All right," announced Tony, gesturing to Pietro, Wanda and Ultron, "as long as they don't cause any trouble, they can stay."
Smiling, Ultron carefully lowered Carol to the ground.
"Thank you, Stark," replied Thor, "but we all need to come together if we are to fight Thanos."
The Avengers exchanged confused glances in a moment of silence before laying their eyes on Thor.
"Who's Thanos?" asked Natasha.
"Thanos is the bastard that kidnapped me," explained Carol, "he mistook me for someone else and tried to kill me, but Ultron, Thor and these twins came to save me. After that, Thanos said something about killing off the human race just to get rid of you guys."
Bruce made a brief glance at the scepter in Thor's hand.
"Is Thanos after the scepter?" asked Bruce.
Thor brought the scepter to his eye level for a few seconds and then lowered it, turning his head at Bruce.
"Yes," nodded Thor, "it holds one of the Infinity Stones."
"Infinity Stones?" paused Clint.
"There are six of them, and they're the greatest powers in the universe," clarified Thor, "I saw them in a vision."
"Not to worry," Carol chirped all of a sudden, her right hand high in the air and her left hand on her hip, "I'll help you keep the Infinity Stones away from Thanos!"
Without warning, all eyes were on Carol, the Avengers giving her puzzled expressions.
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