the first fight of thanos
THOR and Loki rushed to the main area, watching as Marlene and Heimdall prepared to fight the new threat. Marlene frowned, yearning for a break—a moment to breathe. As she shut her eyes, she searched for a mind to read aboard the newest ship, and though she had gone through about ten minds, she finally landed on one she dreaded.
Opening her eyes, blue met yellow as she stared shakily at Heimdall, "It's him. It's Thanos." Marlene became alight with her powers as she then looked to the Hulk, "You wait until we call you." She turned to Valkyrie and Korg, "Get these people out of here!" Creating a portal to a random city on Earth, she knew she would not be able to hold it long enough for everyone—especially if she had to fight. Everyone looked to Thor, the man visibly worried.
"Listen to her. Go!" Thor commanded as he watched Valkyrie and Korg go through the portal first to guide the people. "Why is he here?"
"Don't know. I can't keep this open long," Marlene strained.
Thor looked at Heimdall and Loki. "I suppose we'll hold them off."
The ship began firing canons to the Asgardian ship to break the engines and weapons. A man tried to call out using the PA system on the ship. "Our crew is made up of Asgardian families, we have very few soldiers here. This is not a warcraft. I repeat, this is not a warcraft!"
Marlene grunted as the ship was blasted again. Seeing only about half of the Asgardians gone through the portal, she felt others joining the ship. Thanos's army flew in with rage and malice as they began to slay the remaining Asgardians. Marlene felt a tear leave her eye as she closed the portal before one of them went onto Earth. She felt terrible, but she could not let anyone in Thanos's army onto Earth that easily.
Flying up, she began to fight to try and protect the Asgardians as much as she could with Heimdall and the brothers. Marlene sneered as a squidward-like alien (thanks, Tony Stark, for making her watch Spongebob) began to fight Heimdall. Gulping, she watched Heimdall be knocked to the ground easily. Marlene stood above him with a glare at the alien. She sent blast after blast as she also tried to send shields. It was overwhelming. Asgardians were dying. Thor was fighting. Loki was fighting. Marlene felt weak for the first time since Ultron.
The Ebony Maw threw a piece of debris at her, knocking her aside as he called, "Hear me, and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Titan. You may think this is suffering... no. It is salvation. Universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile... for even in death, you have become Children of Thanos."
Marlene shoved the debris back to the alien, missing him by mere inches as she stood shakily. Loki was standing as Thor was being held down by other aliens. Marlene met Loki's eyes, and he sent her a reassuring look that had her go into his thoughts.
"It's my fault," Loki thought. "Let me handle it."
Marlene nodded as Thanos showed himself. She crouched near Heimdall, trying to help him sit up. He pushed her off with a shake of his head, whispering, "This is my time, our Savior. Your time is far from here."
Thanos walked close to Thor. "I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail, nonetheless." He picked up Thor by his breast plate. Marlene rose her hands, ready to save him if Loki did not hurry. "It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. I ask you, to what end? Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say... I am."
Lifting his hand, he showed the Power Stone in the Infinity Gauntlet. Marlene tried to call for it, but she was suddenly grabbed from behind. As she was held, Thanos laughed at her.
"Yes, I've heard of you. You're just a witch with no more tricks," Thanos said as he moved his hand to begin to choke Thor. Thor had blood running down his head as he shook his head at Thanos's next words, "You're no Savior. Merely a weapon meant to be controlled—"
"You talk too much," Thor cut him off with a grunt as Thanos held him tighter. Marlene knocked her guard away as she hovered in the air. "Marlene," Thor called weakly.
Thanos ignored Marlene as if she was nothing as he turned to Loki. Again, Loki's eyes went to hers for a moment before he did a subtle shake of his head. "The Tesseract, or your brother's head. I assume you have a preference."
"Oh, I do. Kill away!" Loki said happily.
Marlene was sent aside with the Power Stone before Thanos brought it to Thor's temple. Marlene stood shakily as she was about to run at him again. Thor screamed loudly. Loki flinched.
"ALL RIGHT, STOP!" Loki shouted.
"We don't have the Tesseract. It was destroyed on Asgard," Thor coughed out as Thanos released him from the Power Stone. Loki gently touched the air around him as he summoned the Tesseract from its place in the sky. Thor laughed weakly. "You really are the worst brother."
"I assure you, brother... the sun will shine on us again," Loki said softly.
"Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian," Thanos said, dropping Thor and walking to Loki.
Loki shrugged. "Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian. And for another... we have a Hulk."
Marlene smirked as the Hulk appeared very angrily, slamming straight into Thanos. Loki moved to help Thor, but he dropped the Tesseract on the way. Marlene went for the blue cube just as the Hulk continued his fight with Thanos.
As Marlene picked up the Tesseract, she felt her fingertips buzzing with something unknown. Feeling her body alight again, she watched as Thanos suddenly pulled Hulk's hands away. He threw the Hulk into the deck, the green monster defeated.
Thor slammed a rod into Thanos, but he was soon shoved away as well. Ebony Maw put magic on Thor to keep him down as Loki stood protectively in front of Marlene.
"Allfathers," Heimdall whispered from behind Marlene. She turned to see him lift his hand as he finished, "let the dark magic flow through me one last time."
With a relieved sigh, Heimdall sent Hulk through the Bifrost back to Earth. Marlene watched as Thanos glared at Heimdall. Loki put his hand on her arm to stop her as she tried to help Heimdall survive.
"That was a mistake," Thanos snarled as he grabbed the nearest sword and killed the man instantly.
"NO! You're going to die for that!" Thor shouted as Loki rose his arm when Thanos turned to see Marlene holding the Tesseract still.
Marlene was about to send it through a portal to either Steve or Tony when Ebony Maw sent a nearby blade right through Marlene's side. With a grunt of pain, she shouted, "You're a coward. Fight your own battles, Purple Freak!"
Using her magic, though weak, she sent the Tesseract into the skies as Loki had done once before. She watched Thanos approach Loki and herself, shoving the God aside.
"You dare—?"
"Yes, I dare," she seethed. "I've seen you coming for years. I'll be damned to let you win."
"I'll pray you're one to disappear." Thanos grabbed the blade, shoving it deeper. "Bring it back."
"Marlene," Loki called, eyes pleading. "Give it to him."
"No," Marlene snarled, eyes watering from the pain.
Loki stepped forward. "Let her live. She'll give it to you!"
Thanos smirked, letting the blade go. "I am merciful. You have mere moments. Bring it back."
"Please," Loki said softly, turning to her. "You'll die. We can't win the war without you. This is a battle we can lose." Thanos laughed at his words, grabbing him by the neck instead.
Loki was gripping Thanos's hands as his feet kicked under him. Thanos looked at Marlene, "Tick tock, Weapon."
Marlene felt the word like a trigger. She clenched her fist as something inside of her snapped. She knew she would not make it to Earth, but she had to save Loki and Thor. Thor spoke before about finding a new weapon, but Loki had no need to stay in space.
Loki was dying as Marlene stood shakily, her mind made up.
As Loki thought it was the end, he sneered breathlessly, "You will... never be... a god."
Marlene screamed as she sent rays of light to Thanos. Thanos covered his eyes and let Loki go, the God of Mischief crying out in relief as he held his neck. Marlene felt herself grow angrier by the second, using her magic without remorse as she sent blue and yellow waves of energy. Suddenly, between the magic, she sent a portal to Loki, shoving him through it. Without wasting another second, she knocked Ebony Maw aside and yelled as she released Thor from the magic he was under. Thanos sent his blade at her, but she paused it midair and sent it flying back just as she grabbed Thor's arm and used her hands to summon a final portal, thinking only of one person.
Thanos screamed as the three disappeared, the Tesseract still lost because of Marlene.
Loki appeared in the middle of a bedroom, hands rose as he gasped for his breath that was still weak. He saw three sets of weapons pointed at him, but they soon dropped it at his weak state and when he uttered, "Marlene," before feeling sick.
Steve Rogers felt his blood run cold at her name.
Marlene and Thor appeared on a ship with Mantis yelling in fright and Gamora holding Drax back from killing the two people before they realized who it was.
Thor made the connection that this was the Guardians Marlene spoke of, so he yelled, "Peter Quill. Where is he?"