The Red Soldier: The Crimson Prophecy

PROLOGUE

It had been three weeks since the snap. Steve had sat in endless meetings, wasting time as they scrolled through the photographs and files of all the people they'd lost: Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Fury, T'Challa... (Y/N). Nobody had seen or heard from him, and he'd managed to avoid the global census, so as far as the world's governments were concerned, (Y/N) (L/N) was gone. Even still, Steve Rogers held out hope. After all, it wasn't the first time his friend had disappeared.

         Tony had returned the night prior, looking dangerously malnourished. He wasn't healthy enough to accompany them on their mission, but his new friend was going to be an asset. Nebula, a former daughter of Thanos, had given them the coordinates to where he planned on going once his plan had come into fruition. And so that was where they were heading, into space to get the stones and put everything back to the way it was – the way it should be.

         'Okay, who here hasn't been to space?' asked Rocket from the cockpit. At first, Steve had found it strange – a talking raccoon who doubled as a pilot, but then he supposed he'd met stranger beings during his time with the Avengers; the Chitauri for example. Steve raised his hand along with Natasha Romanoff and James Rhodes. 'Well, you better not throw up on my ship,' the talking raccoon warned.

         'Approaching jump in three... two... one...' Nebula, counted down before their ship began to soar expeditiously past the stars and planets which scattered the darkness outside their windows.

         Steve felt his stomach churn as the spaceship finally slowed down and begun to orbit a foreign planet. He began to swallow hard, trying his utmost to prevent his breakfast from coming back up. Carol Danvers, an old friend of Fury, left the ship to survey the surroundings. Whilst awaiting her return, Steve pulled out his compass, flicking open the lid and staring at the picture he kept inside of it. Apart from the shield, it was the only thing he had to remember the war now that Bucky Barnes was gone and (Y/N) (L/N) had vanished.

         He stared into Peggy Carter's brown eyes longingly. In some sense he was glad she was gone, that way she'd never have to know of his greatest failure. There was a part of him which still yearned for her though. She'd have known how to find (Y/N).

         'This is gonna work, Steve,' Nat assured him, dragging him out of his thoughts and back into the real world.

         'I know it will,' he responded with an optimistic, but shallow, nod, 'because I don't know what I'm going to do if it doesn't.' He flipped shut his compass and stored it safely in his pocket.

Carol Danvers appeared in front of the windscreen, 'no satellites, no ships, no armies, no ground defences of any kind, I'm not even detecting any life.'

Thor stood up and stormed towards where Nebula sat, 'you said he'd be here!' his voice boomed, 'you said this was his plan!' She didn't seem too bothered by his shouting and simply typed in the coordinates Thanos had supposedly given her years prior when discussing his ultimate plan.

'Sit down, Thor,' Steve ordered him, 'we're here now, we can at least go check.' The god of thunder reluctantly followed his instructions, slumping back into his seat and folding his arms across his chest, cursing under his breath.

Rocket landed the ship about a hundred feet away from an unassuming thatched cabin. Birds chirped happily as Steve Rogers followed his teammates out of the ship and onto solid ground. It was a rather beautiful place teaming with greenery. Outside the hut hung the titan's armour, positioned in a cross as though it were supposed to act as a scarecrow. The only piece which wasn't displayed was the helmet, which looked as though it had been knocked off, as it now lay in the dirt.

'He was definitely here,' said Steve, quietly, 'so we still follow the plan as normal – understood?' His teammates nodded.

Carol entered the house first, soaring through the door, knocking it off its hinges. Steve, Nat, Rocket, and Nebula followed, with Bruce coming up through the floor. Rhodey and Thor came through the ceiling, prepared to put up a fight. There was no use in raising any fists though.

Thanos was there, but he was far from alive.

His body lay on the floor, contorted in an unnatural position. The gauntlet remained on his left hand, but his arm was severely burned. What was most obvious though, was his lack of head. Dark violet blood dripped from the walls and ceiling. It was obvious it had been there for a while since it had begun to pool on the splintered floorboards.

         'What the hell?' Rhodey asked, he looked as though he were about to throw up as they all moved closer to the body, 'it's like his head was just...'

         'Exploded,' Rocket finished for him, 'but by who?' Steve Rogers knew exactly who. There was only one person who was capable of doing something so gruesome. Images of all the Hydra soldiers (Y/N) (L/N) had instantly killed using shards of shattered glass popped into his mind.

         Steve bent down, turning over the gauntlet to make sure it was still intact. 'They're fried,' Natasha stated, pointing to all the stones which were now shattered and scorched, 'You don't think whoever killed him broke them, do you?'

         'No,' Steve shook his head, unfolding Thanos's fingers and reading the note which was crumpled up inside of them.

He destroyed them.

He used the stones to destroy the stones.

There's no going back.

-       (F/I) (L/N)

         'And how can you be so sure?' Bruce asked. Steve handed him the note. 'Thanos destroyed the stones,' he breathed out, sounding utterly defeated.

         'How do we know this (F/I) (L/N) guy didn't destroy the stones?' questioned Rhodes.

         '(F/I) (L/N) is (Y/N),' Natasha pointed out, 'why would he destroy the stones? You saw how he was when he lost Barnes. I'm pretty certain he'd give anything to get him back.' Everyone went silent now, except Thor.

         The god of thunder was seething with anger. The grip he had on his axe was quickly tightening. 'Thanos was my kill,' he shouted, his voice echoing off of the cabin's walls, 'that was my kill!'

He turned to leave, but Steve put a hand on his shoulder, 'Thor...'

'Who am I to call myself an Avenger?' he asked rhetorically, 'who am I to call myself an Avenger when I can't even avenge my own people?'