Forbidden | Carol Danvers

Chapter 32: Broken

'Okay, who here hasn't been to space?' Rocket's voice filled his ship. Apparently, the jet Carol found Tony and Nebula in, was owned by one of the people on Rocket's team, so he knew it well. That is also why she let him fly and didn't try to mingle.

Natasha, Steve and Rhodey slowly raised their hands as if they were in class. Again, if Yala was here, she would have chuckled or made a funny remark, but it looked like Rocket was capable of doing that all on his own. 'You better not throw up on my ship.'

'Approaching jump in 3... 2... 1.' The blue woman also in front announced. Bruce, Natasha and Steve all braced in their seats, not knowing what to expect. Natasha's fists were white from the pressure she put on the armrests. The jet sped up towards the jump-point. It was nothing new for Carol, she had done this a thousand times before. The planet emerged from behind it, everyone staring with big eyes.

Carol unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped out the ship, announcing she would do some recon. It was easier and safer for her to do it on her own. Easier to be unnoticed. But it looked like she didn't need stealth or carefulness. There were no weapons, no defense-system, no people but Thanos. 'No satellites, no ships, no armies, no ground defenses of any kind. It's just him', she said through her comms while hovering in front of the jet. 

The fact that Thanos was smart and didn't have any kind of defense at the ready, made everyone uneasy. He didn't care if they found him.

Nebula, clearly looking for some revenge at the man that had tortured her for years, looked satisfied it was just the Titan. 'And that's enough.'

The planet was beautiful. It actually looked a lot like Earth, which made Carol a little uneasy. Thanos' house stood in the middle of a large field, the mountains raising up behind it. It was peaceful, not at all what everyone associated with the giant. His armor was displayed on a pole, like a trophy, something he wanted everyone to see.

Carol reached the house first, blasting a hole through the roof that the man caught with his iron hand. She followed immediately after, knocking him over before they both got up quickly. She jumped on his back, her hands keeping him in a headlock. Rhodey and Bruce -in his Hulk Buster armor- raised up from under the wooden floor and grabbed both his arms before he could throw her off him. 

Thor raised Stormbreaker and chopped his left hand off with a swift cut. The Titan yelled in pain. That was when Natasha and Steve walked in, Rocket turning around the amputated hand with the molten gauntlet around it. He gasped when the sockets were empty, the Stones were gone. Natasha and Steve stared down at it, a little hope fading from their eyes. 'Where are they?', the Captain asked.

Thanos just grunted, so Carol applied more pressure to his throat as a threat. 'Answer the question', she said dangerously in his ear. She knew she was being way to emotional and angry. She could practically hear her purple-eyed girlfriend yell in her head to stay calm, that was the only way she could win this fight.

Thanos took a few shallow breaths, trying to get some air in his lungs. 'The universe required correction. After that, the stones served no purpose, beyond temptation.'

'You murdered trillions!', Bruce yelled and pushed the Titan over. Carol could jump from his back just in time not to get crushed under his weight.

'You should be grateful', Thanos said angrily. It was clear that he really thought he had done the right thing. But Bruce wouldn't hear any of it and punched him in his face hard. He wasn't the only one having trouble keeping his anger contained. Natasha looked down at him, angry tears in her eyes. 

'Where are the Stones?' It sounded way more dangerous and threatening than if she would have yelled it at him.

But he still wasn't impressed. 'Gone. Reduced to atoms.'