The Visit

The Soul Stone

Each group split up and went their respective ways. Everyone had an earpiece to communicate with people in their group and each group had a pager to communicate with the other groups.

Loki and Bucky boarded their spacecraft, which they lovingly codenamed "Baby". Bucky sat down in one of the pilot seats while Loki sat in the other. Bucky looked over at what seemed like Wakandan letters and numbers projected on some sort of advanced steering mechanism. He had no idea what it said.

"You sure you can fly this thing?"

Loki pressed a holographic image on the control panel and Bucky felt the ship's engine turn on. A few more switches and buttons and they were speeding through the atmosphere into space.

Loki smirked and chuckled. "Yeah, I think so. Hang on, this might feel a little weird the first time."

A hexagonal portal opened up in front of the ship and they were transported through it to a different part of space. Then another. And another. Then they stopped after about 45.

Bucky felt like his face melted and was very disoriented. "What the hell was that?!"

Loki looked over at Bucky. "Jump points. Quicker travel than speeding all over the galaxy. Though, you can only do fifty jumps at a time. Trust me, you don't wanna know what happens if you do more."

Bucky's head finally cleared a bit to see a purple-tinted sky with a huge planet in the middle of it and a ground with canyons and valleys throughout. In the distance he could make out a large cityscape.

"Where are we?"

"Lamentis-1. The main city of Shuroo has many  ports. Someone is bound to know where Gamora is."

"Wait... you don't know where she is?"

"How would I?"

They neared the city and parked their ship just outside it to not draw too much attention. They disembarked and entered the gates to the trade town.

They asked around for hours with no luck. Loki was ready to move onto the next trading post when they heard: "Loki?"

The two turned around to see a green alien clad in black leather from head to toe with a sword resting at her side. 

"Gamo-"

"Shh!"

She shushed Loki and dragged him outside the gates. Bucky followed close behind.  As soon as they got far enough away, Gamora sighed in relief and hugged Loki. Loki hesitantly returned it.

"I am glad that you are alright, Gamora."

"Same to you."

There was a bit of an awkward silence before Bucky nudged Loki.

"Right, well, down to business I suppose... where is the soul stone?"

Gamora whipped her sword to his throat and Bucky swiped at her legs to knock her to the ground. Loki wiped the spot of blood off of his neck. Gamora glared at him. "I don't know why you want to know, but I'm not telling you. It could fall into his hands."

"That's why we're trying to get it, crazy," Bucky commented as he was pinning her down. She might be an assassin, but she was no match for Bucky's brute force.

"What?"

"Gamora, we are trying to kill him before he kills us and half of the universe." Loki showed her the healing burn on his shoulder and her eyes widened. Bucky got off of her and helped her up once he saw that she was not a threat.

"Vormir...it's on vormir."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. There is bound to be something guarding it. What? I don't know."

"We will deal with it when we come to it."

She nodded and strutted back towards the city, where a man, a raccoon, a tree, a woman with antennae, and a grey alien with red tattoos stood at the entrance.

Bucky and Loki got back on their vessel and Loki typed in the coordinates for Vormir. A few more jump points and they were there.

A lone peak sat on marshy ground and the clouds rumbled overhead. They made their way up the mountain in silence. When they reached the peak they saw a lone wispy black figure between two pillars.

"Welcome. James, son of Winnifred. Loki, son of...hmm...you are an interesting one, but the one you call mother is Frigga."

"Who are you?" Loki asked at the same time Bucky said, "I know that voice."

"Consider me a guide, to you, and to all who seek the soul stone."

He stepped into the light and Bucky tensed as he saw the face of his old adversary, Red skull.

"I cannot do any harm, James, I am merely a guide appointed by the stones. If you seek the soul stone I will show you how to get it."

Bucky gave a curt nod as he glared at the figure. Loki looked at his friend with concern. A question for a later time.

They followed Red Skull to the edge of the precipice, between the two pillars.

"What you seek lies in front of you. As does what you fear. In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A soul for a soul."

They stood in silence for many minutes.

"I've already lost that which I love. My mother. That must count for something?"

"A soul for a soul, that is the exchange."

They sat on that rock for over an hour. Loki then perked up a bit and looked at James. "I'll be right back." He stood up and looked over the edge for a moment before jumping off.

Bucky looked up and when he saw Loki wasn't there, he rushed to the edge and looked down only to see...nothing.

"I can't believe that worked."

James turned around to see Loki holding the soul stone. Red Skull looked mildly confused but Bucky raced over to his friend. "WHAT THE HELL! ARE YOU OKAY?!?!"

Loki chuckled. "I'm fine! He said 'You must lose that which you love' and well... I guess these past few months have allowed me to learn how to love myself."