A Twist Of Marvel || Infinity War

73. Equals

The planet of Vormir was barren, devoid of any life. Small pools dotted the land, but Naomi paid no mind to them. Her feet remained steady on the shifting dirt and rubble of the land. If she faltered, she bit her tongue, but never vocalized it. In front of her, the giant form of Thanos led the way, weaving a path through the terrain toward the only notable feature  of the planet, the mountain. Its spires stretched into the foreboding clouds. The planet was unforgiving, suited to the Mad Titan hell-bent on reaching the peak.

Naomi kept her eyes trained to the ground, and tried not to think of what laid ahead. There was no conversation between her and Thanos. He never looked back to check if she was following, not that she had any other option. She focused on her breathing, shoved the burning in her lungs and thighs into the back of her head. Pain could wait, but Thanos could not.

When they reached the summit, Naomi allowed herself a breath. The air tasted sickly and metallic, fitting for the bleak ruins of whatever structure had once sat upon the mountain. Still behind Thanos, his figure obscured her view beyond a few feet in front of her. However, the ruins  hallway was straight and narrow, and when Thanos trudged ever onward, she caught a glimpse of the cliff. The sudden drop off was a harrowing sight, but it was necessary for Naomi. Following Thanos felt like a march toward her own death, that perhaps she would completely take Gamora's place and be cast into the open air herself. 

Naomi had never forgotten what her journey was for. Everything she had been through thus far, was to prevent the victory of Thanos, and all the deaths that entailed. But somewhere along the way, she had gotten involved with the heroes she had admired for so long in her own home. Companions from all walks of life, and somehow, she had even found love in this dark hour. Perhaps it was foolish, but Naomi Swanson was only human. Meeting her beloved heroes face to face had only solidified her resolve, her certainty that none of them deserved to die, or suffer through the tragedy of the infinity war. It was an experience she would never regret. Not for all the world.

But despite that, Naomi had a life too. She knew that she didn't deserve to die either, and for what it was worth, she didn't want to. Naomi had a new life here, and she had an old life too. Despite her focus on stopping the war, Naomi still hoped to return to her own dimension one day. Her family deserved to know she was alright. But each step she took after Thanos felt like one foot in the grave. A gust of air blew into her face, and some deep, twisted part of Naomi's brain imagined that it was the wind, ripping at her clothes as she tumbled through the air. If she died here, the last thing Naomi would see would be the face of Thanos. She knew he would not be mournful of her death.

He would, however, be mournful of Gamora's death. He would cry for her.

It made Naomi sick.

With every new hero she met, there had been an immense realization at how alive they were. They were not actors on a screen, but real people with emotions and relationships and passions. Realizing that only made thinking about their inevitable deaths if she didn't succeed tremendously harder.

Having met Gamora, having seen the quiet fury and pain behind her eyes, the trained grace in her posture- Naomi could imagine the woman's face as she was cast off the cliff in staggering detail. The image was haunting, but it was a necessary realization. Keeping her eyes trained on the ground, she forced herself to imagine the faces of every fallen hero, their expressions just before they fell limp in death, or crumbled into ash.

Naomi's heart ached painfully, and she thought she might cry. But when the last face slipped from her imagination, she raised her head. Her eyes bored deep into the back of Thanos's head, and she froze for a moment. If he realized she had stopped, the Mad Titan did not acknowledge it. Naomi stared at him for several seconds, his figure advancing toward the cliff. Her eyes darted from him, to the drop, and back.

Several large steps brought Naomi in pace with the Titan, walking abreast with him in the ancient and broken corridor. She didn't spare him a glance.

When the Red Skull revealed himself to them, he gazed upon the two. Side by side, they not only stood as equals, but he noticed that their eyes were the same too. Saddened, perhaps, but the fires alight in them burned with indistinguishable passion.

"Welcome Thanos, son of Alars. Welcome Naomi, daughter of The Watchers."