Infinity

Chapter 25 The Last of Them

"Is he coming here?" I ask.

"No... he said it was too soon to strike Asgard, that he wasn't strong enough... not yet. He was going to seek the Power Stone first, then the Mind Stone, once he had those he would strike Asgard."

"And how did you manage to retrieve this information?" I ask, "Did he send you here?"

"No, I managed to stay hidden after the explosion, he was speaking to someone he had brought with him... a kree man... Ronan."

"You're staying here until I find these people." I say as Amria walks back in. She hands me the Stone, and I crush it and dissolve it in a glass of water. I hand it to the Collector.

"Thank you." He says, taking a drink from it. His burns begin to heal.

"I will have some of my most trusted soldiers watching over you while you're here. They are close friends of mine and Raoul."

"And as for you?" He asks, his quirkiness quickly returning as his pain subsides.

"I'll be defending the Stones from falling into the wrong hands."

I get up and motion for Amria to follow me, I walk into the hall and close the door behind me, "Get Selman and Tait, tell them to keep him out of trouble, and to make sure he doesn't leave."

"And as for you?"

"I have to return to Earth, but not nearly as long as last time. I'll be gone for less than a day. I have to warn the wielder of the Mind Stone, perhaps I can bring him back with me."

"Can I go with you?" She asks with a curious spark in her eyes.

"Of course, why wouldn't I let you?"

"You seem to keep your time on Earth rather quiet." She says.

"For a lack of a better term... It's a whole other world."

>>><<<

My landings have become more graceful with each change of worlds. I barely flinch as I hit the ground.

I land on the outside of the Avengers base on the northeastern part of New York. The smell of burnt grass sticks in the air.

The building is ruined. The glass panes that stuck in them are shattered, people are cleaning up wreckage from cars and planes, a few of the buildings look as if they've collapsed in on themselves. Destruction surrounds us.

"No." I whisper. It could already be too late for me to save The Vision, he could already be dead.

Amria draws her sword.

"Put it away. They're gone." I mumble, heading toward the main building.

I push through what's left of the door.

Steve, Natasha, and Wanda stand among a ground of people.

"What happened?" I demand.

"Ivanna? What are you doing here?" Wanda asks.

"I need an answer first."

"We were attacked; we're not sure by whom, though." Steve says, stepping forward.

"Where's the Vision?" I ask.

Their eyes drop to the floor, "He died fighting."

"They took the stone, didn't they?"

"I'm afraid so." The Vision's voice echoes, "I managed to upload my previous self to the building before my body was ripped apart."

"So, you're back to Jarvis?"

"It appears I am." The AI echos.

"Where is your body?" I ask.

"I have no memories after the attack."

"Ivanna, what's going on?" Steve asks.

"I need you to come with me. Amria, stay here. Guys, this is Amria, she's a friend, don't attempt to kill her. Amria, the same goes for you." I say quickly before grabbing Steve's arm and leading him out of the building.

"You still haven't answered my question." He says stubbornly.

"Because this is way bigger than you or me." I say, "Someone's going after the Infinity Stones, they currently have two, I have four."

"How did they find them?" He asks, "Why did they kill The Vision?"

"They're using an ancient relic called the Infinity Gauntlet- according to the legend it can hold all six Infinity Stones and the wielder becomes the ultimate power in the galaxy, that's if they survive putting it on."

"Great, so we have a mystery villain that's attempting to kill everyone in the universe and then some?" Steve asks.

"You'd be correct."

"So there's not much we can do."

"No. I can just hope I kill them before they kill me." I look around, "They came here, did you manage to get any film of them, any image of their face?"

"I don't know, we'll have to ask Sam, he's the tech guy." Steve says, glancing inside.

"Sam, meet Ivanna. Ivanna, Sam" Steve says.

"It's a pleasure to meet another one of my heroes." He says, shaking my hand.

"Steve told me that you could help me identify my target." I say, "I don't have much time; I need to get back to Asgard. I need to set up defenses."

"Alright, just a second..." He says, scrolling down on a computer screen that miraculously survived.

"Here, this is him."

Purple skin. A twisted smile. Golden armor.

My heart sinks.

"My Queen- how is-"

"This is far worse than I had originally thought." I mutter.

"You know him?" Natasha asks.

"I've only heard stories..."

"Well, what is he?" Sam asks.

"He's a titan. Far more powerful than anything any of us have ever faced."

"Forget what- who is he?" Steve asks.

"Thanos."

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