Fanfic Bootcamp Entries

Major - Paths

Ivy could only watch helplessly as the people around her turned to dust. All of them had been informed of what was happening with Thanos and the Infinity Stones, and those who had been chosen by a relic had been sent out through the streets, to protect the people. She had only joined the patrol a couple of days ago. Her throwing knives were always sheathed by her waist. They travelled as fast as a bullet, and always hit the target. She would tap the sheath, and the knife would return, appearing in the sheath as if it had always been there.

    She had been one of the lucky few personally trained by Stephen Strange. He often told them about how everyone’s life was laid out on a path, but every choice that you made could set you on a different one. There were millions of paths, and millions of crossroads, choices, so in the end, it was still your choices that gave you whatever life you had, not some predestined fate. And now she had a choice to make.

    The time stone was not the only thing that could bend time. Ivy reached out to her left for a bronze orb, thinking as hard as she could about the day that aliens came to Earth. Her fingers brushed the orb and her surroundings changed. She was back in her room sitting on the bed, just as she was the morning of that day.

    Ivy felt something was off, and brushed her fingers along her side. Her sheath, along with her knives, was gone. She had a short moment of panic, before realizing that although she had all her memories, and hopefully abilities, from before she travelled back in time, she was back in the physical body of past her.

    When her relic came to her, she had been walking past the sheath when it flew up and strapped itself onto her waist, then the knives had materialized. She got up and walked to where she remembered finding the sheath. As she got closer, she saw that it was still there. The relics chose you when they thought you were ready, meaning most of it was mental. Sure enough, since mentally she was herself after the knives chose her, she walked to it and it strapped itself on. She tapped it and felt a lot more at ease with her knives back at her side.

    A voice spoke from behind her and she jumped.

    “Ivy. I’d offer congratulations on the relic but I have a feeling it’s already happened.”

    She turned to see Stephen standing by the doorway.

    “Oh! Doctor Strange, I didn’t see you, sir,” she stammered.

    “I was looking into the future with the Eye when everything shifted and the only thing I saw was you. Ivy, what have you done?” he asked.

    “I-” Ivy couldn’t think of what to say. Finally she sighed. “I used the Bronze Orb to travel back in time.”

    “Why would you do that?” Stephen asked, baffled.

    “Okay, this is going to sound crazy, just listen. You know the Eye of Agamotto is an Infinity Stone. Someone named Thanos is after them and it's bad. He will do anything to get them.” She hurriedly explained everything she knew. “But whatever you did didn't work because a bunch of people turned to dust. From what I've found out, you were one of them. You looked at the possible futures and saw only one where Thanos lost, but at a great cost. At that point it was the only option you had, but like you said, me travelling back here has changed things.”

    Stephen nodded slowly. “Okay. What needs to be done?”

    They tried their best to change things, but they ended up in the same situation. On Titan, with Thanos and Stark. As good as his technology was, he was no match against four Infinity Stones. But one thing was different this time. This time, Ivy was there.

    Stephen shouted out that he would give Thanos the Time Stone for Tony Stark’s life. Ivy pulled a knife out from her sheath. Stephen sent the stone floating over to Thanos. Ivy adjusted her grip on the knife. The Time Stone clicked into place on Thanos’ gauntlet. Ivy threw her knife.

    Too occupied by the Time Stone, Thanos didn't even notice. In the blink of an eye, the knife was sticking out from the Space Stone. It shattered into tiny pieces that fell from the gauntlet, clinking as they hit the ground.

    Thanos screamed in rage. “How dare you!”

    He raised his hand to fight, knowing he could no longer teleport away. Before he could use another one of the stones, Ivy pulled out another knife. This one landed in the center of the Power Stone, destroying it as well.

    Ivy drew her third knife, threw again. The Reality Stone scattered across the ground.

    She tapped her fingers against the sheaths and her knives were back.

    Thanos started to use the Time Stone, about to reverse the destruction of the Infinity Stones.

    Ivy drew her knife again, but it was not needed. Stephen’s Cloak of Levitation flew over and wrapped itself around Thanos’ fist, breaking the connection. She ran towards him, Stephen following behind her. They grabbed onto the gauntlet and pulled. After struggling against Thanos, who was holding on tight, they finally managed to get it off his hand. They stumbled back and fell with the weight of it, the gauntlet was surprisingly heavy.

    Peter Quill finally flew back in, guns blazing, just in time for Thanos to lose the powers. He shot wildly, but all of them hit Thanos.

    He shot Thanos, who was no longer unkillable, over and over and over again. Even after Thanos was dead, and it was just a corpse, he kept shooting. Finally, he stopped, panting. He turned to them.

    “Give me the Soul Stone, I need to find Gamora.” He was shaking, but his voice was steady.

    Ivy and Stephen hesitated. Peter looked at them exchange a glance and started screaming hysterically.

    “Give it to me! I have to save her. Give me it!”

    Peter lunged for the gauntlet. Stark lurched forward to try and stop him, but he was still injured. Peter Quill quickly overpowered him. He touched the Soul Stone and then just disappeared.

    Ivy laid back.

    “Nice job,” Stark called.

    “You okay? “ Stephen asked.

    Ivy blew out a shaky breath.

    “Yeah. Yeah, I will be. And now so will everyone else.”

    Stark made his way over to where Peter Parker was laying and they could hear him talking in a soothing tone, but not make out the words. The two of them walked back to Ivy and Stephen.  

    “Let's get back to Earth,” Stephen said. “The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, as the call themselves, can sort themselves out.”

    Ivy and Stephen slipped on their sling rings and created portals back to the sanctum, sending Stark and Parker through first.

    After they sorted out what they could and couldn’t tell people about, Stark and Parker left.  

    Stephen gave Ivy a soft smile. “I imagine you're tired. You should go to bed,” he told her.

    So she did just that. Within seconds, she was out.

    Deep down in the sanctum, a small bronze orb whirred quietly. No one noticed, but it would always be there.