Worthy

Part 54 - Snap Out Of It

Meanwhile, back at the compound...

"Dammit Tony, would you just relax?" Bruce huffs out, trying for the third time to get Stark to stay in bed. "You need to keep calm, if you don't do as I say then you're going to hemorrhage again and then it's the hospital..."

"I can't," Tony snaps, grabbing Bruce by his collar. "I can't just sit around while she's out there. She.."

"She didn't give herself up just for you to still die!" Bruce roars, a slight twinge of green running up his neck. "Now lay back down." Despite the temptation of arguing back, Tony finally lays back down, letting Bruce continue to treat his wound. All is peaceful until Quill walks in, sending Tony into another rage.

"What aren't you telling us Star Munch huh?" Tony yells, trying to get up once again. "What does that giant grape want with Kate? Isn't it convenient that he takes your girl and then ours?"

"She's my sister..." Quill starts to reply. "If you think for one god damn second that I would give her up to that bastard..."

"He's not saying that Quill," Steve interrupts, laying a hand on Quills shoulder.

"Aren't I?"

"Come on Tony. We can't fight amongst ourselves here. We need to work on..."

"What? A plan? We're just going to march out into space and start knocking on doors looking for Kate?"

"I don't have all the answers Tony, but fighting each other definitely isn't one of them."

Throwing his head back in frustration, monitors start bleeping in all directions. Bruce injects Tony, before heading off, pulling Quill and Steve with him. "His blood pressure is sky high, we need to keep him calm. I've given him a sedative, hopefully that should keep him quiet for a few hours."

"Not likely," Quill can't help but let out a little laugh. Steve and Bruce smile, knowing it's exactly what you would say if you were there. "But he's not wrong. I don't even have a clue where to start."

"Well we do," Loki suddenly appears, his catlike grin etched over his face. "Gentlemen," He gestures with his arms for them to follow him. As they all walk into the meeting room, the whole team is standing there, including what's left of the Guardians.

"Where's Thor?" Bruce asks, not the only person to notice his absence.

"My brother is not himself," Loki replies sadly, before looking out the window to the destroyed lawn. Standing there, in the mud, letting the pouring rain hit off his armour is Thor. Not moving, simply staring up to the sky. "I've tried, but he won't listen to reason."

"Give him time," Bruce stops Nat as she tries to walk out and grab him. Loki nods at the suggestion. "So what do you have?"

"A theory." Loki retorts. "Kate has been looking into all of the infinity stones." He gestures up to your notes up on the big screen, the paper versions having being strewn all over the place in the fight. "But the only one she hasn't been able to source has been the soul stone. She asked me to look into Odin's library while I was on Asgard. Unfortunately we were called back before I could have any success."

"So you think Thanos took Kate to help find the soul stone?" Steve asks, picking up randoms bits of paper from the ground. "What do you think Quill?"

"Makes sense," He seethes, sitting down next to Drax. "Gamora told me Thanos wanted her and Nebula to find it, years ago. But they couldn't."

"So your girlfriend sold Kate out?" Wanda's tone is cold, surprising everyone. Immediately Quill gets up, marching over to her.

"Gamora wouldn't do that!" He roars, before getting knocked to his feet by a blur of blue that speeds past him. Suddenly the whole meeting room erupts into anger, roaring and shouting at one another. The only person staying calm is Parker, who looks around the room in dismay, before heading out to the lawn.

"Mr Thor, sir. I need your help. They're all fighting in there about Kate..." He's stopped by the large rumble of thunder, followed by the large lightning bolt that dominates the sky. Swallowing down his nerves, Parker moves to stand in front of the god of Thunder. "I'm sorry. I know you're upset, and you have every right to be. But she's my friend too." Annoyingly Thor doesn't respond; his eyes fixated on a spot in the ground. The spot where you left him writhing before walking off with Thanos. Frustrated at the lack of response, Parker reaches up and slaps Thor, surprising himself with not only his strength as he almost knocks the god off his feet, but with his courage to do so. "Snap out of it." He yells.

Thor rubs his chin, feeling the effects of the hit. He had been so distracted by thoughts of you that he hadn't even realised there was someone out there with him. Gripping tightly onto Mjolnir he looks for the threat, only loosening his grip when he sees Parker standing in front of him. "Spiderboy?"

"IT'S SPIDERMAN!" Parker yells in frustration. "But that's not important right now. You need to get your ass in there," He points over to the compound. "And help us find a way to save Kate. Sir." It's almost as if Thor has been in a trance since you left; not knowing how long he was standing there, nothing else on his mind except the sight of you walking away from him.

"I'm sorry," Thor puts his head down, before looking around, seeing the chaos that has erupted in the meeting room. "You're right." He places a hand on Parker's shoulder, gripping tightly; a little too tightly for Parker, but he doesn't show it. With a little grin, he marches over to the compound, slamming open the doors to let the wind and rain fall into the meeting room, sending swirls of the already damaged walls with him. The action brings everyone to a stop. "Less arguing." Thor bellows. "First I need an update on Stark, and then we are going to work together to work out a way to stop Thanos, and find Kate."

"Who put you in charge?" Quill argues, letting go of Pietro, who he had finally managed to catch by the scruff of his neck. "That's my sister AND my girlfriend. My family, so don't you think..."

"Kate is our family too." Parker snipes back, before Thor grabs his shoulder again.

"Spiderboy... I mean man, is right." Thor looks around the room at the entire team who all nod in agreement. "And she means more to me than anything in this entire galaxy. WE need to bring her and Gamora home." Taking a step closer to Quill, Thor extends his hand out.

Quill, still slightly unsure, looks around at the Avengers. Seeing the resolution on all their faces does warm his heart, knowing that you had had all this support all those long years you were apart. Nodding alongside them he takes a step forward and shakes Thor's hand. "Where do we start?"

"On Asgard," Loki's voice rings out. "We need to visit the library there, Odin be damned."