"And we should have no more surprises. Ever. I should promise you."
Tony Stark was in the midst of sharing a kiss with Pepper when they were abruptly interrupted.
"Tony Stark?"
A strange figure stood before them, dressed in a manner reminiscent of Superman, framed by a radiant orange circle that appeared to be... a portal?
"I am Dr. Stephen Strange, and you must come with me."
That explained the name. The couple exchanged a glance, a mixture of curiosity and unease crossing their faces. Who was this man?
"We need your help... The fate of the universe is at stake—"
"And who is 'we'?"Tony interrupted, clearly perplexed.
And then, stepping out of the portal, came Bruce Banner.
"Hey, Tony."
Bruce exhaled in palpable relief at the sight of Tony, his fears assuaged—he had been worried that Thanos had already reached Earth. With a look of utter confusion still on Tony's face, Bruce embraced him, unable to contain his relief that his friend was still alive.
It had been three years since they'd last seen each other. Bruce had assumed Tony was lost to the madness.
Tony, still in the dark, finally relented and agreed to follow. Together, they stepped through the portal, leaving Pepper behind in a whirlwind of uncertainty.
Then, Tony saw him.
Loki?!
The Asgardian god stood amidst the wreckage left by the Bifrost, gazing forlornly at the sky through the shattered ceiling.
"Heimdall, open the Bifrost."
Nothing happened.
"Heimdall!"Loki's voice, laced with urgency, cracked with worry."Heimdall!"
Still, no sign of the mighty Asgardian sentry.
"HEIMDALL, HEIMDALL!"
Loki's cries became desperate, his voice tinged with the raw edge of emotion. His vision blurred with unshed tears as he hoped against hope that his brother was safe, that Heimdall would respond.
Tony, wide-eyed with disbelief, couldn't comprehend the scene unfolding before him. It was Loki—the same god of mischief who had hurled him from a building, killed countless innocents, and tried to invade Earth six years prior. The one who had set this entire chain of catastrophic events into motion.
"What the hell is Loki doing here?!"Tony's voice seethed with anger, his finger hovering near the button on his chest that could summon his armor.
"Relax, Tony. He's with us."Bruce's voice was calm, though there was a tinge of exasperation. He knew more about Loki's redemption than anyone."He's changed."
After what seemed like an eternity, Loki gave up on waiting for a response, the empty sky above him the only answer to his pleas. His shoulders sagged, the weight of his grief nearly breaking him. Heimdall was gone, and with him, his brother—lost to the void of space. He would never see Thor again.
No,Loki shouldn't have left Thor alone with that mad titan. He had believed Heimdall would save him, that something would happen to change the outcome. But no. His brother was lost—perhaps forever. He could barely contain the swelling storm of anger and sorrow that boiled within him, yet he remained silent, keeping the tide of emotion buried beneath a mask of stoicism. Only a single tear betrayed his inner turmoil.
"How is he on our side? He's a murderer! I thought he was supposed to be rotting away in some prison in Asgard, or whatever hellhole they have there!"
"Well, Asgard is gone."
Tony paused, ? Gone?That mythical realm, that paradise of old, was now nothing more than a memory.
"Doesn't matter!"Tony snapped, shaking off the shock."Wake up, Banner! He's dangerous! How do we know this isn't some trick? Some mischief he's cooking up to turn on us? He's the god of mischief, for God's sake!"
"He.Won't."
"How do you know that? How do you know we can trust him?"
"Because Thor did."
Tony blinked, trying to digest the revelation. Thor trusted Loki? Was he missing something here?
Bruce glanced over at Loki, sensing his pained silence. He turned to the god of mischief."Is everything okay, Loki?"
Loki looked up at the group, seemingly startled as if he hadn't been listening. His thoughts were far away, consumed by loss and regret.
"Thor is gone,"he said softly, his voice raw, a near imperceptible tremor beneath the words."We are completely alone in this."
The room fell silent, the weight of his words settling over them like a shroud. Tony's face softened, disbelief giving way to sympathy. Banner looked sorrowful, but Loki was the one who felt the loss most keenly.
He had lost everyone—his mother, his father, his home... and now, Thor. He had nothing left. No family, no friends, no one who cared for him. His worst fear had come to pass—he was utterly alone. And the bitterness of that loneliness cut deeper than any blade.
What haunted Loki more than anything was the knowledge that he had played a part in it all. He had led the elf to his mother, he had left Odin to die alone in Midgard, he had allowed Hela to escape the Bifrost, and, most tragically, he had abandoned Thor to face the mad titan alone.
Why? Because of his own ego. He had sought the throne, sought power, but in doing so, he had lost everything that mattered. Thor had always forgiven him—always loved him, no matter what. Loki had been so blinded by his own ambitions. And now, all that was left was regret, and a bitter understanding that he was the architect of his own misery.
It was Dr. Strange who broke the silence.
"Alright, everyone. We need to come up with a plan,immediately."
"Hold on—"Tony interjected, still trying to make sense of the whirlwind around him."I still don't understand why I'm here. Or whyLokiis here, suddenly on our side. Or, for that matter,"he glanced at Bruce,"Where the hell has Banner been all this time?"
Tony's voice was a mixture of suspicion and disbelief, his eyes narrowing as he shifted his gaze to Loki. The god, apparently annoyed, stuck out his tongue at him. Tony's irritation grew, his wariness undiminished.
Wong and Dr. Strange explained the threat of Thanos and the hunt for the Infinity Stones, revealing that the fate of the universe rested on their shoulders. Loki, Bruce, and Tony absorbed the details, their attention rapt.
"Tell me his name again?"
"Thanos,"Bruce replied, a grim look crossing his face."He's a plague, Tony. He invades planets, takes what he wants, wipes out half the population, and—"
"Thanos... He was the one who sent me,"Loki interjected. His voice was cold, but there was a note of urgency. He needed Tony's trust, however reluctant he might be.
"Exactly", Bruce confirmed."The attack on New York—that's him! He's powerful, Tony. He took down the Hulk without breaking a sweat. He defeated Thor. He has the Power and Space Stones. That already makes him the most dangerous being in the universe. If he collects all six stones—"
"He could destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of,"Strange concluded, his voice heavy with the gravity of the situation.
Loki's expression darkened. He was the only one truly aware of Thanos' true power, and it terrified him. Here they were, discussing strategy while their - supposed to be - mightiest hero - Stark - was leaning on a cauldron while he should be alarmed. How could they stand a chance against someone like Thanos?
His thoughts drifted as he recognized the familiar sight of the Cauldron of Cosmos—a mystical object of immense power, one he had read about in Asgard. The magic Strange and Wong wielded intrigued him. He still didn't quite understand it, but it was enough to pull him from his thoughts when Tony spoke again.
"And what is your job, exactly—aside from making balloon animals?"
"Protecting your reality, douchebag," Strange shot back, his irritation evident.
Loki's curiosity piqued—Midgard sorcery? He had studied it back in Asgard, assuming it had long since faded into myth. Just as he was about to speak, Tony interrupted.
"Vision is somewhere out there with the Mind Stone, and we need to find him."
"Yeah, that's the problem... Two weeks ago, Vision shut off his transponder. He's offline."
"What!?"
Loki felt a surge of frustration. Stark had been foolish enough to entrust an Infinity Stone to a robot? At least the Time Stone was in safer hands, but the Tesseract... Thanos would undoubtedly come after him, too. He hadn't revealed this yet, but should he?
"Look, Tony, Thanos already has two stones, and if he gets Vision's, it's over. He'll be unstoppable. Please, you need to call Steve—"
"Actually, he only has one stone right now."
Loki, without a word, lifted his hand. The Tesseract—a glowing blue cube—appeared within his grasp.
"You have the Space Stone!"Bruce said, his tone tinged with relief.
Dr. Strange raised his hand, signaling Loki to surrender the cube. But Loki immediately cloaked it in his magic, concealing it once again.
"The stone stays with me."Loki's voice was calm, though his eyes burned with an unspoken intensity.
"Loki... Give me the stone now, or I'llforceyou to."
"I won't trust the power of this stone to a mortal, especially one who already possesses another. Thanos would easily take both. The Tesseract remains with me."
"And how do we know you won't use it against us?"Tony's tone was skeptical.
"I hate Thanos as much as you do, and I want to see him burn more than anyone. Trust myrage."
None of them knew the truth of what Thanos had done to Loki, and Loki intended to keep it that way.
Bruce seemed convinced. Strange was still uncertain, but he chose to trust Loki. Tony, however, remained wary.
"I trust you, Loki. But if you cross us, we'll be coming after you."
Bruce turned to Tony."Come on, Tony, call Steve. Thanos is on his way, no matter who you're talking to."
Tony hesitated, but then accepted the inevitable. He prepared to make the call when suddenly, something was off. The others felt it too.
Outside, screams echoed, and when Tony opened the door, the scene before him left him breathless. People were running in a panic, fleeing from something.
The team rushed to the window and gasped.
It was a giant, donut-shaped spaceship.
Loki recognized it immediately. It was one of Thanos' ships.
"Thanos... he's here..."Loki whispered, the reality of the situation crashing down on them all.
Omg, done with the 3rd chapter finally. 2 chapters in one day, yay! I hope you liked this chapter. You can write any suggestions in the reviews. And thank you for reading!
Updated:12/3/24