Scorpio

TWENTY TWO - Fighting The Aether

Down below, Thor watched as the alien mechanic in front of him soldered a clump of wires on Gamora's new mechanical hand, then installed a steel plate over the frozen green warrior's fake silver tendons.

Thanos' booming speech spread through the clearing, his gravelly voice taking on the quality of a monotonous rant in the background as the god in the shadows focused on his task at hand.

Start small then spread big, Rocket's instructions echoed in his mind. The tremors from the bomb would pick up speed and build a threat; a distraction of a large-enough scale to scare a titan.

Once the first chapter is in play, I'll take out his ship while you remove the mech and tase the prune-head. Revive the guardians; we'll work his gauntlet off and throw it somewhere far, far away...then I'll come back here and taze him over and over until his wrinkles turn white for fun.

Thor didn't understand what the fun in torturing a mad titan was, but he understood the gist of the raccoonoid's strategizing - and, to be honest, he was quite impressed by the impromptu plan; although it was nothing short of expectation from the halfworlder.

He knew just how intelligent Rocket was built to be – Volstagg had once found an injured baby otter at the edge of the riverbank and brought it home as a pet for the queen, only for the young halfworlder to hold the burly Asgardian at knife-point while demanding her freedom and a ship of her own.

A hectic week had followed the rodent's recovery, most of which was filled with innumerous pranks lazily planned by the halfworlder's incredible intellect. She even somehow managed to persuade Loki to join in, and when the trickster obliged, Thor knew at the bottom of his heart that had been the happiest he had ever seen his brother in the last decade.

The god smiled sadly to himself as he recalled the memory, before shaking his head roughly. Now was not the time to mourn, he chided himself, forcing his mind to focus on the mechanic's status.

The last screw slid into place as the green warrior flexed her new hand experimentally, and Thor leapt up as adrenaline began to course through his veins again. That's the signal!

Fumbling for Rocket's device, Thor activated the final bomb on the ground, then sprinted; unseen through the rubble whilst cloaked in shadows.

*******

Gamora could hear the blood pounding in her ears as Thanos waited intently for her response - as if she would ever join him to betray her family, as if she could ever live with herself knowing the blood from half a galaxy stained her hands just as much as they stained her murderer of a father.

No, she was simply buying the guardians and herself some time, waiting on the hope Groot hadn't randomly decided to teleport here alone.

"It's your choice, young one."

Clouds gathered rapidly in the air above the titan, darkening in thick clusters and enunciating his intimidating figure. Crooked talons of light flashed in the sky - but something felt different.

This was no ordinary thunderstorm.

A loud explosion preceded the first stroke of lightning; a deafening noise against the crackling of ionized air.

Just as Thanos raised his gauntlet to deflect the explosion, a small cluster of sparking objects whizzed past Gamora - had she blinked, she would have missed them entirely.

Then the Mad Titan was howling as his body shook with blue light, and in that brief interlude, the Guardians were released from the power of the Aether. Thor leapt from the rubble, beheading the alien mechanic with ease as Peter rolled to his feet and began dragging Gamora away from her electrocuted father.