Infinite (A Marvel Fanfic)

Chapter 45

Chapter 45

May 8th, 2018

Everything went wrong in an instant, one moment everyone was talking and laughing, looking forward to our arrival on Earth where they could start anew, the next....half the population was gone. I had wanted and tried to save them, but 5 minutes into the boarding of the ship, Loki put a stop to any of my attempts. It was then that I knew that fate had finally decided to bring me face to face with the man who had been hunting me for 6 years. It had taken all my strength to just keep the others from manifesting. I felt like a coward for not fighting back like Thor and Heimdall had, but it would do no one any good if I revealed myself.

" Hear me and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Titan. You may think this is suffering. No, it is salvation. Universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile. For even in death,  you have become Children of Thanos." The telekinetic alien declared as he walked amongst the dead. Loki squeezed my hand lightly as he stood in front of me, and I glared at the ground in frustration before glancing around him toward the large figure who stood over Thor. Thanos.

" I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right...yet to fail, nonetheless. " He picked up Thor by the front of his armor as he stepped closer to us, and I once again turned my gaze to the floor as I gritted my teeth. " It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. But I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say...I am."

He raised his other hand and it was my turn to squeeze Loki's hand as it felt like someone was trying to drill a hole in the back of my head with a screwdriver. " It hurts." I heard Jami cry at the back of my mind, but I could do nothing but try to block out the pain.

" You talk to much. " Thor choked out, but his comment was ignored as Thanos looked at Loki. " The Tesseract, or your brother's head." Thanos threatened and I frowned in confusion. " I assume you have a preference. "

" Oh, I do." Loki said " Kill away."

Thanos' eyes never left Loki as he pressed the power stone to the side of Thor's head and I gritted my teeth as the pain at the back of my skull started become unbearable. " Please, please, make it stop." Jami pleaded with a cry that echoed Thor's screams of pain.

" Alright, stop." Loki screamed and Thanos released Thor from the torture.

" We don't have the tesseract. It was destroyed on Asgard." Thor said. Loki looked down at me, the warning clear in his eyes, before he let go of my hand and held out his own as it shimmered and the small blue cube appeared in his grasp.

" You really are the worst, brother. " Thor told him.

" I assure you, brother...the sun will shine on us again."

" Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian. " Thanos told him.

" Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian. And for another, we have a hulk." Loki tossed the tesseract as the Hulk came barreling toward Thanos, and I followed Loki's plan by diving for the tesseract. A surge of energy filled my body as my skin came in contact with it, but I ignored the familiar feeling as I looked toward the fight happening between Thanos and the Hulk. A fight the Hulk was clearly losing. Thor pulled away from Loki as he tried to go to his aid, only to be knocked aside, and pinned to the ground by a bunch of metal.

A blast light surrounded the Hulk and when it cleared he was gone. In return for his actions, Thanos stabbed Heimdall through the chest with a spear. Thor was silenced as the metal covered his face and the telekinetic alien hushed him. " So, we finally meet. " Thanos said turning to face me and my eyes narrowed. " Aria Stone."

Seeing as how we had been found out, Chloe, Dahlia, Jami, Marley, and Avery, appeared beside me. " Aria, give me the stone." Chloe thought to me and without even a glance toward her, I handed it over. " I hear you've been looking for me." I said, trying to keep my voice calm. " Why?"

" The infinity stones, while they are great sources of power, all power has it's limits. Upon their creation, something else was created-"

" A conduit." Chloe said and I frowned at her in confusion." The ancients feared that a time would come when the power of the stones might be abused. So they created something that could contain their power."

" They created you." Thanos said before the Tesseract was yanked from Chloe's grasp. " No. " She cried as the telekinetic alien caught it, before waving his hand toward her. She was knocked off her feet, but just before she hit the wall, she exploded in a bright blue light. The alien held the tesseract out to Thanos, who took it and crushed it in his hand to reveal a small blue stone at the center of it. He connected the stone to his gauntlet and silently admired it for a moment before speaking. " There are two more stones on Earth. Find them, my children, and bring them to me on Titan. "

" Father, we will not fail you."

" If I might interject. If your going to earth, you might want a guide. I do have a bit of experience in that arena. "

" If you consider failure experience."

" I consider experience experience. " Loki told him. " Almighty Thanos, I, Loki, prince of Asgard." He glanced toward Thor. " Odinson, the rightful king of Jotunheim, God of Mischief, do hereby pledge to you, my undying fidelity." He tried to stab Thanos in the throat, but Thanos stopped him with the power of the Space stone. Chloe screamed inside my head, not just in pain, but for me to help him, as Thanos wrapped his hand around Loki's throat but as he began to squeeze, I pushed through the pain and threw out my hand. A blue glow surrounded Loki, and he was collapsed as he appeared behind me with a gasp.

Chloe appeared beside him with a worried expression on her face. " Your not leaving me again. Do you hear me? Your not allowed to go where I will never follow, not yet." I heard Chloe's voice whisper to him mentally, but I didn't hear Loki's response as I glared at Thanos. I made a sweeping motioning with my hand and Loki vanished.

The telekinetic alien made to stop me, but was stopped as Marley appeared out of no where and landed on his shoulders, her arms and legs wrapping around his head as he stumbled and tried to dislodge her. The rest of them tried to go after her but found themselves frozen as Avery appeared, the green light in his eyes brighter then ever. I looked toward Chloe who looked just as she had when Loki had died in the dark world, broken. " Chloe. We need you."  I pleaded and she looked at him. " I motioned to Thor and she seemed to understand. She moved toward Thor as Jami appeared at my side and we shared a look, knowing this probably wasn't going to end well.

" Aria, I can't hold them forever." Avery said gritting his teeth. Chloe made it to Thor, and with a bit of help from Dahlia they got him free. " Aria-"

" There's no time." I said cutting him off. " When you reach them tell them I sent you."

He was gone before he could protest and the moment he was gone, Avery lost his grip on Thanos. " Now, Jami." I cried and in second the ship was completely swallowed by the energy of the power stone.