Red blurs the edges of my vision, my powers flare up around me, shooting out in random waves. My lips form the word 'No' just as Tony slumps forwards and lands on the ground with a deafening thud.
Dead.
A vengeful, primal, guttural sound rips its way out of my chest as I scream. I fill to the brim with rage, and in an uncontrollable fit of fury the world around me explodes as my knees hit the ground.
Every vile beast around me explodes as I rip their vile blood from their bodies. The sound is loud and disgusting, and still I barely notice it. The blast is so strong that a crater in the very Earth is formed around me. Alien bodies lay dead all around me.
Hundreds.
Tears, hot and heavy, blur my vision. I grit my teeth and clench my fists, slowly rising to my feet.
My glare is murderous, and it's set on the bitch that killed Tony.
I bring my arms up, and the red iron dust floating in the air collects itself. The cloaked woman barely has time to scramble to her feet before all of the iron dust forms a tight ring of metal around her throat.
I ball my fist and squeeze.
The metal ring tightens around her throat as she helplessly tries to pry it off, choking against the bar. I realize I've been walking towards her. I want to watch her die.
I get so close I can see the white of her black eyes. I curl my fist tighter. She squeals. Tighter. She drops to the floor, flailing. Tighter. The blood vessels in her eyes burst. Tighter. I crush her throat. Tighter. Blood spurts from her eyes and nose.
She's already dead. But still. Tighter.
The ring closes and her head detaches from her body. Well, her corpse.
I feel no remorse. Only pure anger. It evaporates the moment I turn and look at Tony dead at my feet. I drop to my knees beside him, for the first time in my life feeling true heartbreak.
A low whistle sounds, and I snap my head up to see Thanos' entire army is retreating back behind their battle line. I meet Thanos' eyes across the battlefield. Concern betrays his steely nature. He nearly looks afraid. Of me? Good. He should be. He's next.
"Cassidy, come on." Cap places a hand under my armpit and begins to drag me back and away from Tony.
"No! No! We can't leave him!" I scream, violently protesting.
"We won't! We would never." He reassures me, and I see Thor and Vision slowly lifting him up. I have to pry my eyes away as Vision removes the spear from his chest. Tears sting at my eyes and I let them fall. I can't stop them.
Tony is gone.
The realization hits me again, and once we're behind our makeshift barricade, Cap lets me go and I tumble to the ground. I try to regain my breath on my hands and knees, but the world is spinning.
I can't breathe.
I can't breathe.
I need Tony.
I can't breathe.
A comforting hand runs down my spine. I look up to see Loki, an anchor in the chaos. I jump into his arms, sobbing freely onto his shoulder.
"I know." Is all he says, "I know."
I finally pry my head off of his shoulder, a firm resolve filling me. Tony wouldn't want me to sit here and cry when there's a war to be won and people to be saved. I need to finish this for him.
I stand on shaky legs, still feeling numb and heartbroken, but I channel all of that into my drive. I spot Peter staring blankly at the ground beside me.
I walk up to him and place a hand on his shoulder. He looks up at me.
"This fight isn't finished yet, Peter." I tell him. My voice shakes, but it's convincing enough.
He nods, barely.
"Don't get lost in your head, okay? We need you here." I take a deep breath, "Tony needs you here." At the mention of Tony his head snaps to alertness.
I see the familiar glint of anger and determination flash in his eyes. He nods more enthusiastically this time. I'll be sure to really talk to him later, but for now I just leave him with, "It wasn't your fault."
I see the pain behind his anger, but we need the anger more right now. He knows that. I think everyone else does too, because the shock of his death has been replaced with red hot fury in every single one of us.
I turn my attention on the battlefield. Bodies are still littered around the crater my blast made. For the most part, all of the rubble and bodies and chunks of buildings have been pushed aside into two lines on either side of the vast yard. Barricades of sorts.
The lines are drawn, with no man's land in between us.
Thanos has gathered his remaining troops, and we have gathered ours, sheltering our dead and wounded well behind the barricade. Many Asgardians have fallen. Tony has fallen. Dozens more, including Sam and Nat, are badly wounded.
I'm about to scream that we need to regroup and get into formation when I catch a true and unobstructed glimpse of him for the first time. Thanos.
This time his throne sits at the front of his troops, so close I can see his face clearly in the distance. But I barely have time to notice his face or even his gigantic frame before my eyes focus on his hand, or more importantly what adorns it.
The infinity gauntlet. I don't pay any attention to the glittering purple jewel that sits on its knuckles, all I am drawn to is the glove itself. Its metal is silvery and lilac, and immediately I know what it's made out of.
The same thing I am.
I walk up and over the barricade, despite people screaming at me to get behind the barrier. I don't care. I can't even hear them, they sound muffled.
My body is drawn to the metal on Thanos' hand, almost as if I have no control over myself. I glide towards him until both sides of the battle are dead silent and watching me intently. Nothing else enters my mind but the desperate need my body has to reconnect with that metal. My substance. It pulls me in.
Thanos moves his hand into the air and I snap out of my trance. Suddenly I realize I'm halfway into the gap between my friends and my enemy. No man's land. I freeze.
"I've heard about you. You're the one who can touch the stones. The one who Loki has grown to care for. You cost me an excellent servant and informant." Thanos rumbles in a voice far more melodic and graceful than I expected for him.
An image of Tony lying dead flashes through my mind. Rage fills me.
"You cost me a father. We can't always win, I suppose." I spit through gritted teeth. It's true, Tony was a father to me, and now I've lost a father for the second time in my short life.
"No, we cannot. But today, I must. Let me tell you a small lesson I've learned, little human." He begins. My blood boils at the nickname he gives me. "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself. These foolish bounty hunters only managed to bring me one Stone out of six, so I came to collect the rest myself."
Thanos uses a giant purple finger to pluck the Power Stone right off of the gauntlet. He admires the gem, every bit the regal entity he pretends to be.
"Infinity Stones. They're beautiful and terrible at the same time. A great metaphor, really, for what I plan to do with them." He says. I spit at the ground in his direction. He looks shocked at my boldness.
"You plan to kill half of the universe. There's no beauty in that savagery." I snap hatefully. I have no regard for watching my tongue right now, I will rip Thanos apart all by myself if I need to.
"I plan to save half of the universe. Try, if your narrow mind will allow, to look at the glass half full. All things come with a price, I just happen to be the only person brave enough to pay it." He snarls back.
"Too bad you're going to lose." I reply, puffing out my chest.
He laughs. He really truly has the audacity to laugh.
"And when we're done with you the universe won't even remember your name, you ugly purple monster." I snap, resorting to petty insults because I'm so infuriated.
"The universe will thank me! I will be hailed a savior!" His calm demeanor cracks because of me, a little human, insulting him.
"You will be hailed a failure. You will die with your wretched dream." I prod further, trying to hurt him and his ego.
He leans back on his throne, fuming with anger at my stubbornness but trying to conceal it.
"You know little of my dreams." He dismisses me with a wave.
"Then it's a good thing I know your nightmares." I reply, and his gaze flashes back to mine. I don't flinch under it.
I do flinch, however, when a spaceship blinks into existence above us. I recognize it immediately to belong to the Guardians.
They all jump out of it into no man's land with me. Gamora charges towards her father, myself and the other Guardians follow.
Thanos looks thrown off. He steps down from his throne, moving towards Gamora to say, "Daughter why are you here?"
"We've been tracking down the Power stone ever since your goonies stole it from us. It led us back here." She tells him with lead in her voice.
"Don't think you being here will make me stop, Gamora. I have to do this." Thanos says, and I detect just a hint of remorse in his tone. He loves Gamora.
"And I have to stop you." She forces out through gritted teeth, standing her ground.
"I only hope I don't hurt you in the process, daughter." Thanos bows his head.
At this, Gamora scoffs. She walks up to him and says in a pleading tone, "You could have done such good."
"Join me, please." Thanos offers her his hand, now only a foot away from her.
"Father..." Gamora looks genuinely choked up.
"Please, daughter." Thanos gives her the ghost of a smile. She looks like she's genuinely considering it, and my own heart stops for a moment. She better not be tempted by this, although I know what the allure of family can mean.
Thanos extends his hand further towards her. My eyes fix on the gauntlet like a hunter on its prey.
Gamora goes to grab his hand, accepting his offer, when suddenly Peter Quill screams, "Now!"
A strange woman with antennas jumps on Thanos and shouts, "Sleep!"
Thanos' muscles go limp for a moment, just long enough for Gamora to rip the gauntlet off.
"Shit!" Gamora curses when she realizes Thanos still has the Power stone gripped firmly in his hand from when he took it off the gauntlet to admire it.
She tosses the gauntlet to Rocket, who tosses it to Quill. Gamora reaches for the stone, but she doesn't have enough time before Thanos breaks his trance. He uses the stone to blast both Gamora and the other alien girl away in a violent and strong display.
"No!" Thanos screams as he sees the gauntlet being thrown through the air at...me?
I catch the toss from Peter Quill, and it takes me a moment to realize now is a great time to go invisible. Tony must have filled them in on our plan.
I phase out and fly up and away before Thanos can blast me and get the gauntlet back. It buzzes in my hands, like the substance in the gauntlet is excited to be reunited with the substance in my blood. My body tingles with the sudden surge of power.
Thanos lets out a great shriek of frustration, and suddenly his armies are marching forwards. The battle resumes. It rages.
I fly over to the compound with the other stones, and see Thor and Loki already waiting for me. Vision and Wanda sprint over to join us, and we all run into the fortress together.
When we reach the bottom fortress I waste no time grabbing the Reality, Time, and Space stones and joining them to the gauntlet. Each one sends a power blast through the room that makes us all wobble on our feet a little bit.
I pause when I get to the Soul stone. I take my necklace off slowly, gripping the stone in my hand. I'm scared to let it go. Without it I could very well go back to being a soulless monster. During a battle like this who knows what destruction I could cause because I can't control myself.
Loki senses this and places a gentle hand on my own.
"You are Cassidy Martin. Frustratingly so, sometimes." He smiles, then adds, "All this stone did was help you rediscover what you already are."
I take a deep breath and nod, pulling the stone from the necklace.
"For Tony." I say out loud as I drop the Soul stone onto the gauntlet. The words taste bittersweet.
But I push down the overwhelming ache. I swallow it. I have to keep moving for Tony. Still, every step I take feels heavy, yet oh so empty at the same time.
With the gauntlet, and therefore the Soul stone, in my hands still, I feel no change in myself. No darkness creeping back in. For a moment I'm disappointed. At least the soulless version of myself couldn't feel pain like this.
It's crippling.
No, push it down. You're alright. For Tony.
"Vision, are you sure about this?" I speak again, looking at Vision and not at the stone we're going to have to rip from his head.
"Take it. My body will still be here when you're done with it, if you're able to bring me back. If you are not, do not fret. I cannot die, for I never lived. But if I could I would gladly die in service of the universe." He tells me and I nod at his bravery.
Wanda is already in tears when she tells him, "I'll bring you back, Vis. I promise."
"I love you, even if you don't." He says, cupping her face in his hands. She leans into them.
"I love you." She whispers back, heartbroken. I look away out of respect as they share a final kiss goodbye.
Vision lays on the ground and I stand over him. He meets my eyes one last time and nods, prodding me along. Wanda holds his hand as I slowly use my powers to gently lift the mind stone from him.
I shudder as his entire body turns gray. Still, I push forwards and add the mind stone to the gauntlet.
Wanda cries over Vision's lifeless body. I pray to some higher power that we can bring him back to her. We all leave to give her space and time to grieve.
"Now we just need the Power stone." Thor says as the three of us congregate in the lobby of this building to come up with a plan.
"Are we idiots for assembling the Infinity Gauntlet right under Thanos' nose?" I wonder aloud.
"Only if it doesn't work." Loki replies, and Thor tries to hide a smirk given the gravity of the situation.
"Any ideas?" I ask the two of them.
"Well, I may have one." Loki replies mischievously.
His plan is either genius or madness, but it's the best any of us have got. Loki takes a moment to examine the gauntlet so that he can cast an illusion and make Thor's hammer look like the gauntlet. He then smirks as he casts an illusion to make Thor look like himself.
I blink for a moment, and I genuinely would have no clue which of them was the real Loki if it weren't for the glittering fake gauntlet being carried by the fake Loki.
"You look well, brother." Loki teases and Thor rolls his eyes.
"You already play the part perfectly." I joke at Thor's eye rolls, because it's exactly the annoyed reaction Loki would have had. Thor laughs, doing his best impersonation of Loki's laugh. It isn't half bad. It might just work.
We all walk out together, though only Thor illusioned to be Loki can be seen. Loki and I both use our powers to make ourselves invisible. To everyone else it looks like Loki is walking out alone into the battle with the gauntlet.
"Thanos! Hear me now!" Thor screams in Loki's voice.
Thanos stands, eyes wide as he stares at the gauntlet. He throws up a hand and his troops freeze. The entire battle stops before my eyes.
I fly above everyone to get into position to the left of Thanos' throne. I keep my distance but get close enough so that Thor can hopefully throw the orb and Power stone right to me. Thanos clutches the orb in his mighty hand.
My breath hitches in my throat as I see Thanos' army part, creating an aisle for Thor to walk down that leads right to Thanos. I know Loki is invisibly walking right behind Thor to keep the glamor up. His illusion is holding up perfectly so far, because to my eyes Loki is betraying everyone and carrying the gauntlet right to Thanos.
It hurts my heart to know that most of the others probably believe this lie. My fear is confirmed when Cap screams into the silence.
"You traitor!" Cap shouts, struggling against the two remaining cloaked figures that are now holding him and Sam down.
Nat, who is still badly hurt, and Clint stand towards the back of the battle, watching in silent anger and knowing that they can't do anything against Thanos and a gauntlet-bearing Loki.
Peter Quill is a trickster in his own right, and he must realize we have some sort of plan because he stops the other Guardians from interfering. Doctor Strange does the same thing, holding out an arm to keep Peter Parker from sprinting over to Loki. I see Bruce back with Nat and Clint and I wonder what happened to make him turn back into himself. I'm guessing it has to do with Nat getting hurt.
Rhodey is the only one I can't see, but I can guess where he is. He's probably protecting Tony's body. The thought makes me go cold.
"I have beaten my brother down. I have torn this beauty from the wretched hands of the metal girl. And now I offer it to you. I told you I would not let you down." Loki's voice booms over the silence and Thor holds up his hammer, which looks like the gauntlet to us.
"You betrayed me for the girl. You want me to believe you've changed your mind?" He asks Thor, well, Loki suspiciously.
"I gained their trusts is what I did. Do you think I would be holding this in my hands if they didn't trust me enough to lead me right to it? I care for them both marginally, yes, but we all know what my heart truly desires. I want more than something as fleeting as love, Thanos. I want power. In exchange for this gauntlet, I am asking you give some to me." Thor gives a stirring speech that sounds exactly like something I'm sure Loki once would have said.
"What is your price?" Thanos asks.
"Earth. Nothing more. Just one planet to rule out of the many thousands you will soon hold power over." Thor replies, making up a believable lie to make Thanos believe in this trade.
Thanos doesn't reply.
"The tide has turned on these fools. I intend to be on the winning side of this fight." Thor adds, and this seems to ease whatever tiny doubts Thanos had left.
"Very well. You have a deal." He nods.
Thanos reaches out a hand. Everyone holds their breath. Thor carefully extends the hammer disguised as the gauntlet, and the second Thanos has his hand around it, Thor lets it drop.
The hammer sends Thanos to the floor, dropping him completely off balance. In a moment of pure chaos, the glamours are lifted and Thor lunges for the orb in Thanos' other hand, now looking like himself again.
Thanos' grip is loosened by the shock of the hammer's weight causing him to tumble down, and Thor is able to rip the orb from his grip.
"Cassidy!" Thor screams, throwing the orb to me with godly strength. Loki grabs onto Thor and pulls him away from Thanos just as the purple giant gets back to his feet.
I use my powers to stop the flying orb. I grab it, break open it's metal shell, and rip out the Power stone from within it.
Thanos gets his bearings and looks at me with wide, angry eyes. He sees the real gauntlet in my hands.
"No!" He screams, charging at me.
My heart beats up into my throat in fear, and I break out into sweat. My cheeks flush. I swallow the nerves and without thinking I bring the Power stone to the gauntlet, placing the last stone into its spot. I finish the Infinity gauntlet.
The ensuing blast of power from finishing the gauntlet is too strong. I wasn't expecting it, and I'm blown back as if by a violent gust of wind.
My feet fly into the air as I'm tossed, soaring at the mercy of the gauntlet's energy. My head smashes back against something hard and concrete.
Then...blackness.
The first moment I blink my eyes open again is slow. My head throbs as my blurry vision slowly focuses on the scene around me. Bodies run everywhere, rubble liters the ground, and thick black smoke billows in the distance. I sit up off of the ground and touch the back of my head. It's sticky with my blood.
My ears buzz, light hurts, and time slows.
Then, time spring forward. As if I'm hit by a lightning bolt, my world snaps back into clarity. I gasp, filling my lungs with smoke and rust-scented air.
Thanos charges me. No, he charges at something behind me.
I turn and see the Infinity gauntlet now rests on the ground behind me. It must have flown off of my hand. I scramble on my hands and knees, still dazed and disoriented.
I scream out in pain from the blinding agony of my head injury, but I keep going. I frantically rip through the mud, stumbling over a corpse and some rubble.
My hand closes around the edge of the gauntlet. Then so does the hand of Thanos. He rips it from my grasp and dread fills my body.
"No." I breathe out as he slips it on his hand, laughing triumphantly.
A great shout echoes through the battle field as Thor streaks through the sky, lightning and all, to try and stop Thanos from snapping his fingers.
He bats Thor away like a rag doll.
Oh, God. What have we done?
I stand to my feet shakily as Thanos returns to his throne, probably eager for a great vantage point from which to watch half of the universe die.
He raises his ugly hand, adorned with each and every Infinity stone. I feel coldness creep up in my veins now that the Soul stone has left my reach. But the intensity of this moment is too strong to be overcome by darkness.
Cassidy Martin isn't going anywhere just yet.
With all of my focus and energy, I hold Thanos' fingers in place. I keep the gauntlet rigid, unmoving.
Confusion flashes across his face when he realizes he can't snap his fingers. His eyes meet mine and he sees my outstretched hand.
Fury races across his features and mine. He grunts and tries to close his fingers with all of his strength.
I don't break focus; I just grit my teeth as a bead of sweat rolls down my forehead from the exertion. My head throbs, vision blurs, and arm shakes from the force of holding back the strength of a literal titan, but I will not waver.
For Tony.
For the universe.
Thanos looks around at everyone watching this scene unfold, with him being bested by a small girl. The might of Thanos crumbling under my powers. I sneer at him.
This embarrassment only infuriates him further, and he bellows out a ground shaking scream.
"Enough!" Thanos shouts. He breaks out of my magnetic field and uses the full force of the Infinity stones to blast me back.
Blinding rainbow light comes at me, and the intensity of it feels like it's searing my skin. I can hear it sizzle against my black suit. I'm no match for the gauntlet, and I fly backwards fifty feet into the crowd of Asgardians and Avengers watching the scene in horror.
Loki is there to break my fall, and we tumble to the ground as the wind is knocked out of me. Blood drips from my nose before being reabsorbed into my skin.
I look into his eyes, wild with fear, and the weight of what is about to happen comes crashing down on me. My heart breaks. A single tear falls onto Loki's cheek as I hover over him.
We pull each other to our feet. We've barely stood up, holding onto one another for dear life, when we watch in terror as Thanos snaps his fingers.