Uniting Asgard [Book Three]

Chapter Twenty

Alice was led down a long hall with Thanos and Ebony Maw at her side. She kept her eyes forward, occasionally glancing over at the gauntlet on Thanos' hand, the stones on full display. Being in such close proximity to them, Alice furrowed her brow feeling a very distinct pull towards them. She then looked down at her hands and was surprised to see her veins glowing the same blue color as the Tesseract. Alice could feel her powers surging as she walked, feeling incredibly stronger.

"Now that you are in close contact with the stones, your abilities have doubled in strength." Thanos spoke.

He looked down at Alice, admiring the glow radiating off of her.

"How is that possible?"

"The stones provide power to one another. For instance, the power stone gives me immense strength, but when paired with the mind stone, I have full access to everyone's minds." Thanos replied.

"You'll never win."

"Oh, but you're wrong... and you know it."

Thanos stopped in his tracks and Alice inhaled sharply as he smirked.

"You will never achieve what you want."

"Don't play the fool just yet," He told her. "Like I said... I have full access to everyone's minds. I see what you think about. You know I win."

Alice's expression dropped as she cursed at herself for even thinking of her vision. At that moment, she knew he had seen him with the space stone.

"You may have your little army come to try and save you, but we all know that I shall prevail."

"How is it that you know more about my powers than I do?"

"You'll find out soon," He replied, continuing down the hall. "Besides, there is so much more that you are capable of, You have yet to unlock your full potential... and I only wish to help you."

"What's the catch? Surely, you don't mean to just help me. I know what you've done to Loki and to Sif. I know what you do to your prisoners."

"You, Alice, are different than them. You have what I want. I didn't have to manipulate you. I didn't have to force control over you. You came to me willingly. You are the key to fulfilling my destiny."

At that moment, Ebony Maw used his powers to open a door that blended into the wall.

"This is my cell, I presume."

"Not a cell..."

Alice groaned as Thanos grabbed her arm and forced her inside. She turned around to face him and panted softly as he smiled down at her.

"But your home."

As Alice conjured her powers, Ebony Maw quickly shut the door. In her rage, Alice sent a burst of energy at the wall. She watched as it exploded against the wall, not doing any damage. Despite her anger at being in Thanos' capture, she knew that her family was safe and that Loki was still alive. That was all that mattered to her, and she knew that Loki would be coming for her.

"I suspect you're the Alice that Thanos has always been mentioning."

Alice gasped as she turned around, not expecting anyone else in the room. Stepping out from the shadows, Stephen revealed himself to her. She furrowed her brow as she looked him up and down, seeing the small cuts and bruises on his face.

"Who are you? I've never met you."

"I'm Dr. Stephen Strange. I am a Master of the Mystic Arts and am the sole protector of the Time Stone... or, rather, was."