Coming back to consciousness was… not entirely unpleasant, to be honest, which was somewhat surprising considering what I had just gone through. I expected to be aching a lot more than this, though I suppose that's probably because a large part of my body just feels completely numb.
Lifting my head somewhat, I look down at myself and I can feel the color drain from my face as my eyes widen in shock.
"Oh. That's why…" I mutter weakly as I look down at my own body.
I'm wearing a long tunic made from a white cloth-like material and am lying in a large bed, covered by a thick blanket. Resting on top of the blanket are both of my arms. Or, rather, my arm, singular. The right one, specifically, since the left has apparently been replaced by… something.
All that remains is gnarled, blackened flesh that continues up over my shoulder and probably covers the entire left side of my body and which has apparently replaced my left arm entirely.
The appendage doesn't even end in a proper hand anymore, just twisted, intertwining tendrils of slowly pulsating meat. In several places, crystalline structures extend from the flesh like stumped spikes, glowing with an inner light which shines an unmistakable pure white.
All in all, the left side of my body looks like a purified or angelic form of Alex Mercer's Infected shape from the Prototype franchise.
"What… the hell…" I slowly breathe out, my words coming in gasps as breathing is somewhat tiring.
"An unusual medical procedure, to be sure, though it undoubtedly saved your life." A wizened voice speaks up to my right.
Snapping my head to the side, I'm surprised to see Odin sitting at my bedside, clad in comfortable looking robes instead of his armor. The King seems utterly drawn, his hair hanging listlessly around his head and spotting deep bags underneath his eyes.
Still, his gaze is focused and still shines with an undeniable power as he looks over my new appendage.
Surprised, I tear my eyes away from Odin as I finally take in my surroundings, noting that I'm likely lying in the medical wing in the Palace in Asgard. While the hall is enormous, Odin and I are currently its only occupants. Looking back to said King, I try to sit up a little straighter in the luxurious bed I'm lying in, which proves to be somewhat of a struggle until Odin reaches over and helps me so that I'm sitting with my back to the headboard.
Catching my breath for a moment, I try to force down the chill that comes with the realization of just how weak I truly am right now. Weaker than a baseline human, I'd reckon, which isn't exactly a comforting thought.
Now in a sitting position, I throw the blanket off, allowing me to finally see the state of the rest of my body. My torso and my legs from the knee up are hidden by the tunic I'm wearing (and despite what has happened to me, I'm not keen on disrobing in front of the King of Asgard in order to assess the damage), but I can see both of my legs from the knee down, which confirms my earlier suspicion.
The right one appears to be fine, just a normal calf, ankle and foot (or as normal as those things can be when scaled up to my size). The left one however seems to be covered in a lattice of greedily pulsating black tentacles, lending credence to my assumption that the stuff covers the entirety of the left side of my body. Thankfully, it seems that in the case of my leg at least, the stuff merely covers what is underneath, instead of replacing it entirely, though I notice with some queasiness that many of the thicker tendrils seem to grow into my leg. The lattice also lacks the crystal-like growths that are scattered across my arm and shoulder, though pinpricks of brilliant white light peek from between the folds of the interlocking tendrils.
Slowly, hesitantly, I raise my right hand to my face, almost afraid of what I'll find there, before Odin wordlessly holds out a small mirror towards me. Taking it from him with a mute nod of thanks, I take a steadying breath before raising it in front of my face, allowing me to see the changes that have taken hold there.
Much like with my left leg, a thinner network of tendrils grows over (and in some places, into) my skin, while several short crystals jut out harshly from my scalp, almost like my own version of Darth Maul's horns. My left eye has turned an unsettling pitch-black while the iris has turned a bloodshot red.
All in all, I look like a monster straight out of a horror movie (and a B-Tier one at that) and I slowly drop the mirror into my lap with a shuddering breath. Again, Odin reaches out without a word, handing me a bronze-colored cup of water while taking back the mirror. Thankfully gulping down the liquid, only now realizing how thirsty I really was, I slowly look towards the tired-looking King, struggling to find any words to say.
"What happened?" I eventually manage to whisper, hating how lost my tone is.
Odin briefly strokes his beard as he leans back into his armchair, before shooting me a look.
"The ending to your fight with my daughter caused enough of a distraction that my son was able to strike down her wolf Fenrir. Or, at least knock it out for long enough that it could be imprisoned. Having been raised by the powers of the Soul Stone itself, the beast has proven to be… difficult to put down permanently. Following your… climatic final attack, your allies immediately set out to find you and I ordered my Einherjar to do so as well. It took us nearly half an hour to find the ruins of your remains lying nearby a massive crater. You were so damaged, many of my men thought you were already dead, but your friends refused to give up on you. Apparently, the one with the big head carried hidden on his person a suitcase filled with that organic contraption."
Here, Odin looks down at the softly pulsating tendrils covering my body, his brows furrowing.
"According to my men, it leapt out of the case and onto your body. It covered your wounds and seemed to drink from you. Light had steadily been growing inside of you, to the point many had some difficulty looking at you directly and if your friends had not saved you, I am certain your end would have proven to be devastating indeed. Instead, the Light Dimension was drained from you and into this… creature and as it did so, it steadily grew in strength and size, even regrowing your arm as it formed more of these Light Dimension crystals. It saved your life…"
Odin trails off as I suddenly let out a pained hiss through clenched teeth as the sensation of being bitten by thousands of little mouths suddenly overtakes my senses. Sadly, this isn't the first time I've felt something like this, but that was when I was facing down a whole army of Lovecraftian nopes in the Dark Dimension. If I'm feeling that here, in the Medical Wing of Asgard itself, then…
Looking down at myself, I watch in mute horror as I can see several of the thicker tendrils along my body burrow deeper into my flesh as some of the smaller tendrils swell in size. By less than a centimeter, but the change is still visible to the naked eye.
Regaining my breath with a pained gasp, I look towards Odin with a panicked look, who merely stares resignedly at the black flesh covering my body.
"… but I'm afraid that now it's threatening it instead. It seeks to consume more and more, in order to fuel a never-ending growth, at the cost of your body. Even as it saves you from being overloaded by the Light Dimension and keeps your organs from failing and shutting down, it is currently eating you alive."
"Can't you do something? Tear it off, fuck, amputate it if you have to!" I snarl in response, but Odin merely shakes his head.
"Right now, you are too weak to survive such a procedure. Additionally, the growth of the being is more advanced than what can be seen with the naked eye. It does not merely cover your skin, it has intertwined itself with your very flesh, burrowing deep and spreading out far. To separate the two of you now would be a death sentence."
"Then use the Time Stone! Revert my body to the state it was in before my clash with your daughter."
"It was one of the first things that we attempted as soon as you were stabilized. But we ran into the same issue that prevented you from restoring your body so that it was no longer dying in the first place: the various energies within you, in addition to the unique nature of your soul, prevented us from turning back Time too far. The Infinity Stones can only affect their own dimension: at this point you are mostly an extra-dimensional soul covered in extra-dimensional energy contained within a crumbling mass. The Time Stone does not have much to work with there, unless we were to brute force the issue and risk the time stream itself. For all their immense power, the Infinity Stones will not save you here."
"No. I refuse to believe that. Something can be done. Anything. I won't die like this." I growl in response, sitting up straighter despite the immense effort it takes me, stubbornly staring down the King of Asgard himself.
My own face flashes before me, the crown of Light-crystals, the ruined eye, the face of a monster, and under my breath I whisper "Not like this."
"I agree." Odin says, causing me to look up in surprise.
"Something can be done. It is reckless. It is dangerous. And if not for the immense threat our foes present, I would have forbidden you from even considering it. As it stands, I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that you have already begun working on the solution behind my back, regardless of my wishes." He continues, before raising his hand, indicating something to my side.
Turning my head (and just barely managing to suppress a revolted shiver at the feeling of the blackened flesh covering my neck slickly folding in on and sliding over itself) I look at the nightstand next to me, my eyes widening in surprise when I see what's been placed on it.
Lying in a neat line, appearing deceptively innocent for something so incredibly powerful, are the four Infinity Stones in my possession.
The Tesseract and the Eye of Agammotto, the containers not even having a scratch on them, the damaged remains of my helmet with the Mind Stone still firmly planted in its brow and finally on an intricate sculpture of brass and gold, the Power Stone, torn from my ruined shield by my own hands.
Looking back towards Odin in surprise, I see how the lines in the King's face deepen, showing his true immense age as he gives an exhausted sigh.
"Your current body cannot be saved. So, in order to save you instead, it must be discarded for a better one. While they had already begun building it before you arrived, the Dwarves of Nidavellir now work with the blessing of Asgard as well. I shall no longer stand in the way of your quest to defeat Thanos. Know that my people stand ready to aid you in whatever manner we can."
Odin seems defeated as he says it, and despite myself, I can't help but voice my confusion.
"What? Why?"
"Why? Because you, Michael McCole, are our only hope. No other here could have held off Hela and Thanos. The day of their attack would have been the end of Asgard if it had not been for your aid and you almost gave your life to ensure that would not come to pass. Such a sacrifice is not a debt that I take lightly. Additionally… Thanos with the Soul Stone is threat that concerns everyone. I did not act against him because I never thought it possible one being could acquire all six of the Stones. Such a thing, it should not be possible. He, and you, have proven me wrong however, and now I must seriously consider the possibility of a genocide that will affect trillions. The largest slaughter in the history of the universe, committed with nothing more than a snap of Thanos' fingers. I cannot stop him, especially as weakened as I am now. Thor is strong, but too young. Too rash. He'll try to face Thanos head-on and that would spell his end and with it, the doom of everyone. No. As I see it, the only way to prevent the Mad Titan from achieving his goal… is to assist you in accomplishing yours."
I slowly blink as Odin sinks a little lower in his chair, one gnarled hand coming up to massage his brow as he closes his eye.
"I thought you were afraid of what I'd do once I was omnipotent. To Earth and all of the Nine Realms. The threat I would pose to Asgard."
"Indeed. My feelings on that matter have not changed. The thought of having the wielder of the full might of the Infinity Stone be a mortal from Midgard with a less than stellar moral compass… I have barely had any sleep because I keep imagining such a scenario. Speaking in relative terms, your kind, and you yourself especially, has proven to be far more destructive with far less power. So yes, I disapprove of your plan for omnipotence."
With that, Odin lowers his hand as his eye snaps towards my own, fearlessly staring into my mutated one with his bright blue one.
"That being said, Thanos succeeding is something I disapprove of far more."
"So essentially I'm the lesser of two evils?" I ask, somewhat bitterly as I sink down into the large pillows, trying my best to keep my thoughts off the sensations coming from the left side of my body.
With a considering hum, Odin rises from his chair with some slight difficulty, before walking over to the opposite side of the spacious hall, looking out through the immense stained-glass windows, gazing out over his Realm. From my lying position I can't see what he's looking at, though I imagine Odin is looking over the immense damage that now scars his kingdom, courtesy of my fight with Hela.
The sky is a beautiful shining blue, but even from where I'm laying in my bed I can see it's marred by long streaks of black, columns of smoke a visible reminder of the destruction Hela and I had caused, and it's not difficult to see how the King of Asgard slowly tracks them with his remaining eye as they lazily drift out over his domain.
After a few moments of deep thought, Odin speaks up in a considering tone, his voice low.
"I do not think you are truly evil, Hyperion. If I did, I would have brought the full might of Asgard down upon you years ago, when I first realized that you were seeking the Stones. Such power, in the hands of someone truly evil, would cause a level of death and destruction none of your people have ever even imagined. You would have been set on a course that would see entire worlds razed to nothing but ash. As it is, you have used their power to save your world instead, even if it was out of selfish motivation. No, I think that you are mortal. For all that you've styled yourself after an ancient deity, for all your desperate struggles to stave off death itself, you are still ruled by mortal conventions, fears, motivations. I feared you would destroy your planet, bring humanity to its knees, not out of maliciousness, but ignorance."
He slightly turns away from the window to pierce me with a heavy look, one filled with the boundless wisdom he was so revered for.
"I know what too much power can do when it is accompanied by too little restraint. And I know the price that must be paid for it in the end. I had to seal away my own daughter into a prison created with the force of my very life energy, in order to keep my people from paying that terrible toll and still I suffered for it. My policies to restore peace among the Nine Realms, to swing the pendulum back the other way with all of my might, has resulted in my family tearing itself apart, one of the Nine Realms nearly being completely destroyed and it wasn't enough to keep another from isolating itself from the universe for thousands of years. Beware the trappings of power Hyperion. No matter how strong you think you are, they come with a weight that will crush everything you've ever held dear if you don't manage to throw them off."
The room is thick with a heavy silence after his dire words and I find myself slowly giving Odin a thoughtful nod.
"Fair enough. I'll take your words to heart. If I even survive to actually become as powerful as you fear, that is, which at this point…" I trail off as once again my eyes drift to my mutated left arm.
"… well, at this point that's rather debatable." I finish weakly, getting a considering hum from Odin as he slowly walks back towards my bedside.
As he moves, I notice that he really shows his age, as his form is somewhat hunched over and his steps are small and weak, barely above shuffling. This is only more noticeable when he lets himself fall into the large chair beside me in a decidedly ungracious way for a King, expelling a deep sigh and needing to take several whispered breaths in order to steady himself.
"Odin… are you…?" I speak up somewhat hesitantly, not entirely sure how to ask the question that immediately jumps to the front of my mind and the tip of my tongue.
Thankfully, Odin seems to have picked up on it regardless, waving me away with a hand that looks decidedly more wrinkled and thinner than when I confronted him in his own hall, before Thanos attacked.
"I'm merely old and tired, McCole, but not yet dead or dying. I would say not to worry about me… but the truth is, I'm severely weakened. I will need to enter my Sleep soon in order to regain my powers and recharge Asgard's defenses and vitality. Restore life to these now ruined lands. Doing so, however, will be a severe blow to your list of allies in your fight against Thanos and his people." He says in a thoughtful voice, his eye distant.
For most anyone else, that would've been an arrogant boast, but considering this is the King of Asgard himself, one of the most powerful beings in the universe with magical, martial and command experience spanning thousands of years… even just not having him around for tactical advice could prove devastating. And that's not even going into all the potential allies his station and reputation gave us access to which we would potentially lose out on.
Apparently, Odin's own thoughts have been going along much the same lines, shifting somewhat in his chair to look me straight in the (malformed) eye.
"I have reached out to as many forces as I could. Asgard and Vanaheim stand with you. Surtur still wishes to see nothing more but the wholesale destruction of my people, so do not look to him for aid, or even as a buffer between yourself and your true foe: he would sooner turn on you than hinder Thanos in his plans for a second, as long as it means Asgard suffers in the end. Jotunheim has agreed to keep to themselves. They are still feeling the consequences of Loki's attack and need to direct all their energy to the protection of their own kin. And after everything that has happened… well, not even the greatest advocates for peace among them will follow Loki now, even against a foe like Thanos. As for the other races in the galaxy… Asgard has kept to the Nine Realms for too long, I fear. Very few still recall the oaths and promises of ages past, though some Orders at least have answered the call. Frigga speaks with my full authority and has knowledge of everyone's strengths and weaknesses. She will coordinate and lead them." Odin explains, softly stroking his snowy white beard.
"What of Alfheim?" I ask, wondering why he didn't mention the remaining race inhabiting the Yggdrasill.
"Ah, the Light Elves… Truth be told, I don't even know how to contact them in the first place, much less ask them for their assistance. The horrors my daughter committed there… it is where she earned her epitaph and it is where I saw the wrongs of the path I had set myself on. It was when I was standing knees deep in a river of blood that I realized how foolish my "peace" was, even if Hela refused to see it. Alfheim… was where everything changed and the Light Elves were the one who paid the price. They wish to have nothing to do with the lineage of Bor Burison and I cannot fault them for that, even now."
"I'm not from the line of Buri. Can I convince them to fight?" I wonder, but Odin gives a shake of his head after a couple of thoughtful moments.
"I can see why you would think that and you're not entirely wrong. The Ljósálfar aren't connected to the Light Dimension in precisely the same way you are, much like how the Svartálfar aren't connected to the same Dark Dimension that Dormammu has claimed. That said, the connection is there all the same. The same dichotomy setting them apart and against each other. And with the threat Thanos poses to their home, even if he doesn't know where it is… yes, you probably could convince them, to send a small armed force if nothing else."
"But?"
"All of this is merely theoretical. As I said, I simply do not know where they are. When I gave them back their homes, they made it clear they would hide themselves from the rest of the universe, never to be found again and out of respect for their pain and my role in it, I honored their wish. In the thousands of years since then, I have never sought to look for them and now I wouldn't even know where to start. Perhaps my wife, when given enough time and resources, could cast a scrying spell powerful enough to bypass even their barriers, but by then the Convergence will have already occurred, exposing the Reality Stone once more, making the whole point moot."
"What? How's that possible, the Convergence is still almost half a year off?"
"Partially because these types of spells take a lot of preparation, planning and practice. Additionally, several of the reagents Frigga would require for a spell of this magnitude are very rare, or can only be acquired during specific times or under unique conditions. And finally, we have less time than you think." Odin finishes gravely, fixing me with a heavy look and I feel ice cold dread seep slowly through my veins (at least, I really hope that's just dread and not the Celestial-made Venom knock-off currently attached to my body).
"How long… how long was I out?"
"Longer than we would have liked. Likely not as long as you fear. A little over three weeks. It's a good thing you woke up when you did. Your allies had agreed that, should you remain unresponsive for a whole month, they would resort to more… drastic measures. I'm not sure Asgard can survive another desperate move by the people of Othrys at this point."
His tone is light despite his clear exhaustion, but I can tell he's only half-joking. Meanwhile, I'm still struggling to come to grips with the fact I lost almost a whole month of my life in what seemed like ten minutes to me.
Oh fuck, I hope my kids are still babies! I mean, yeah, probably, but now I can't stop thinking about the super-baby in Twilight. Didn't she grow to be around five years old in less than half a year or something? Who even knows how the babies of superhumans develop, especially when the parents are some of the most powerful beings in the galaxy?
I don't want to lose out on being a part of my children's life (or childhood at least) just because I was unconscious for a little bit!
"Your family is fine. Your wife was upset that we wouldn't let you recuperate in your place of power and she's not entirely wrong to think so. Your connection to Othrys might have granted you the strength to wake up sooner, but it was eventually decided that you were still too fragile to transport through the Bifrost. Not to mention that you were still emitting a lot of extra-dimensional energies, to the point that the Bifrost destabilizing around you mid-travel became a genuine concern. Now that you've regained some of your strength and the Light Dimension is contained to the creature however, we should be able to reexamine the issue." Odin reassures me, probably picking up the panic from my face and I give him a shaky nod.
"Alright. Three weeks. Three weeks, I can deal with that. You've reached out to your allies. The Dwarves have kept working on my new body. But Thanos is probably regaining his strength as we speak as well and he won't stay idle for long. He doesn't know about my new body, but I'm fairly sure he knows that I hold the other Stones other than the Aether. He likely did already, which is what convinced him to go after me when he did: couldn't afford to let me grow in strength and couldn't resist the temptation to nearly complete the set in one fell swoop. Meaning that now, he likely thinks the Aether will be the deciding factor and he'll search for it with all his might in order to beat me to it."
Which might actually work to our advantage, I realized. With Thanos wholly focused on locating the final, unclaimed Stone, my own allies had more time and breathing room to finish that little project of mine, which could prove to be a bigger determinator in who wins this War of the Titans than the Aether itself. Both my Think Tank and the Dwarves had speculated on just what I would be capable of with my new body and integrated Infinity Stones and their increasinly stupifying suggestions had caused me to do a fairly accurate Vince McMahon interpertation by the time we reached the continent-shattering stuff.
In the end though, I could only draw one simple conclusion when the rough estimates of my future self had been finalized and outlined.
Was there a distinct possibility that I could defeat Thanos even when he got his hands on the Aether, testing my four Stones against his two?
Yes.
Was there any way in Hell (or anywhere else, for that matter) that I would take my chances and test those odds against the Mad Titan?
Fuck no.
Odin's strong, softly spoken words rouse my from my thoughts.
"Correct. Though I think you either overestimate his strength, or underestimate the toll his actions took on him. You've experienced firsthand how much the Stones can demand of your body. He has suffered the same, but to his very soul. Even a being of Thanos' strength and unequalled determination cannot simply shrug something like that off. He needs time to recuperate, same as you. However, throughout his reign of terror across the universe, what set Thanos apart from other madmen and powermongers is that he does not operate alone. He commands vast legions and has powerful underlings and they have made their moves known across the universe."
Seeing my gaze snap to his lone eye, Odin continues in a grave voice, exhaustion clearly creeping into his speech as he goes on.
"Raids across several planets in different galaxies across the universe have picked up in number. Sometimes it's the work of Thanos' legions, or some of his higher placed commanders. Members of the Black Order, cutting swaths of death through armies and population centers alike. Other times it's the work of mercenary groups, or rebel armies and terrorist groups that suddenly have access to weaponry far beyond the development of their planet. In all cases, however, they are reported as operating differently to Thanos' usual method. Instead of genocide, they always seem to be… searching, for something. Targeted strikes, instead of wholesale slaughter."
"He's looking for the Aether. And sending out everyone he has and everyone he can buy to go out and get it for him." I realize, before I frown in thought.
"But why so spread out? Why those planets specifically?"
"They are planets which the Asgardians have visited long ago, or where we had reliable allies in ages past. He's retracing my steps, and those of my father before me. It's useless, of course. My father hid the Aether where none other, not even the other Asgardians, not even I, could find it, but our foes' movements are troubling nonetheless." Odin says gravely, tiredly closing his eye.
"Thanos is old. Older than most beings can even comprehend. But Buri is older still, the progenitor of our race, spawned from the same primordial void that gave birth to Ancient Ymir himself. There is no way for Thanos to follow the footsteps of my forefathers so closely, so accurately… without insider knowledge. Someone who is not only familiar with Asgard's ancient history, but its oldest and most closely guarded secrets as well. Of the people who possess such exclusive knowledge, all are either dead or here on Asgard. With the exception of one other…"
"Hela. She survived?"
"Either she did. Or the Soul Stone made the question of her survival a moot point. I was almost certain that she had found her way into Thanos' awaiting grasp, much like… like Loki had done after his fall. Now, thanks to a spy in the Mad Titan's midst, we know this for certain. She is weakened, a ruined form of her former self, but very much alive and all the more enraged for it. Her connection to Asgard's source of strength may have been weakened, if it hasn't shattered entirely, but with the might of the Soul Stone giving her a twisted semblance of life, she is no less dangerous. It seems the universe must once again fear the sting of Odinsdottir's blades. Thankfully, our spy reports that Thanos has been keeping her close to his side for now. Either because he trusts her to protect him now that he's so weakened, or because he doesn't trust her at all, who's to say?"
Well… fuck. Hela was hands-down the toughest opponent I've fought in this dimension (though to be fair, I was pretty severely weakened when we clashed) and if Thanos did raise her from the dead like I suspect he had to (considering the strength I unleashed directly into the Goddess' face) then I really didn't fancy facing off against her again in the future.
Regular Hela had been bad enough. Pissed off zombie-Hela? Yeesh.
Of course, if my new body was ready before I had to face her, then putting her down once again (and this time, permanently) shouldn't be much of a problem considering how much more powerful I'd become. Or, more accurately, how much more power I could safely channel and control from the Infinity Stones simultaneously, but considering how closely they'd be interwoven with my new form that was mostly semantics at that point.
Still, if I were to face Hela again as I am now… well, I feel so weak I'm pretty sure a regular punk with a gun (or not even that, a simple baseball bat would suffice) could do me in just as easily. A Goddess of Death would just be overkill at that point.
As the thought brought my mind back to the squirming feeling on (and in) the left side of my body, I resolutely terminate the train of thought before it can go any further and focus on something else Odin said instead.
"We have a spy in Thanos' forces? Who?"
"You know of her already. You sent out a team to retrieve her and her sister not long before you arrived at my court. While the Beta-Ray and his companions arrived in Sanctuary only after Thanos had already sacrificed one of his daughters, they encountered her grieving sister while there and convinced her to turn on her monstrous father, for revenge if not for justice. I imagine her shared background made her connect well with the Beta-Ray and the… raccoon. But if you wish to know more, that is their tale to tell. Suffice to say, it was decided that the one called Nebula could harm Thanos the most by pretending to remain by his side for now, revealing his plans and movements to us. The moment he has the position of the Aether, so will we."
"Nebula turned on her dad then? Good, she'll be a valuable ally, especially if she can keep us informed. Is she safe though? Thanos doesn't exactly strike me as the trusting sort."
"Your team thought much the same and has prepared for it. The plan they came up with was rather ingenious. The Beta-Ray sacrificed one of his arms, while Nebula allowed herself to be severely beaten, so as to appear sufficiently battle-scarred. Seemingly coming directly from a pitched battle, she offered the trophy of her victory to her father, regaling him with the tale how she desperately fought off a team of assassins seeking to strike him down at his lowest point. Seeing as how she's still alive, he believed her, unknowingly taking the means of his undoing into his own domain. Thanks to his unique body, the Beta-Ray is still in contact with his severed limb, giving Nebula a safe way to contact him and relay information without risking discovery."
Huh. Like Odin said, ingenious, though I imagine to most people it'd sound somewhat brutal. Then again, both Bill and Nebula were highly modified cyborgs, meaning they could take a lot more damage than most beings and walk it off relatively unscathed. At least this way, communication was both safe and direct, which was one of the toughest and most dangerous things for a spy to keep up while in deep undercover.
Or so the SHIELD and Hydra training manuals say at least, I've never gone undercover myself (not that that really remained an option after I had taken a Gamma-powered Erskine formula) so I wouldn't know, meaning I'll just have to take their word for it I suppose.
"Okay. So, Thanos' people are on the move, going down the list of possible caches Hela is supplying to him, even though the Aether isn't among them and we've got a spy close to him that can alert us the moment that changes. Seems to me we're at a bit of a stalemate, at least for the moment, which is good. Buys us more time for the Dwarves to finish building my body. How are we dealing with Thanos' forces though?"
Odin's answer is immediate, showing that he has been giving our tactics and responses a lot of thought in the time I've been unconcious, most likely taking charge of our side of the war, even including my own forces, by virtue of his experience and sheer force of personality.
"Overcommitting our own armies too soon could leave us in a bad position should Thanos locate the Aether before we do, or before you ascend to your new form. But to not respond at all would reveal to him that he's searching in the wrong places and he'll redirect his attention elsewhere. Not to mention his frantic search is costing millions of people their lives already. My wife has reached out to the Coven that raised her, and through them as many practitioners as she could reach. Additionally, she has asked Bodhmall to call as many Sorcerers to arms as she could. Their task is to strengthen the ancient enchantments surrounding many of our long-hidden caches. While they may not contain the Aether, there are still treasure there that are best kept out of Thanos' hands. The ancient allies I mentioned before have been sent to worlds that are threatened by Thanos' forces as well, though they have orders not to fight a lost battle and to immediately disengage should either the Titan or my daughter show up in the field. I do not think it likely they'll personally involve themselves in ground battles, not at this stage. It is not Thanos' style and my daughter will follow his lead. For now, at least. Still, better to be safe than sorry. We cannot afford to hemmorrage people when faced with such vast opposition. We will need our numbers, and our strength, for the battles to come."
I nod along with Odin's explanation, adding my own two cents as well.
"I'm pretty sure I can convince the Ravagers to fight against Thanos' forces as well. At least a number of them. An agreement with both the Kree and the Nova Corps can easily be reached as well. The Nova Corps has invaluable and unequalled infrastructure and the Kree can provide impressive warriors and technology. They're at each other's throats, but I should be able to set them straight. The Nova Corps is bound by oath and duty to oppose a threat like Thanos. As for the Kree... I believe I should have something of value to trade for their assistance, no matter how grudginly they may give it. Humanity will fight where it can of course, they will go where I tell them to, but our means of transportation are limited. I'll see if I can't get Foster and her team to build more Iris ways, transport our armies that way instead of funneling them through Othrys."
Odin dips his head in agreement with my words and a silence falls over the large and empty Medical Wing, though surprisingly enough it isn't as awkward as I'd imagined it'd be. Probably because both Odin and I are still mulling over the current situation and trying to plan our next moves accordingly, looking for a way to turn this waiting game with Thanos to our advantage somehow.
More than that, however, is that we're both just plain too damned tired to really care about awkward silences.
Odin's brow furrows and he moves to speak up, but before he can, ornately decorated wooden doors on the far end of the Wing smoothly open up, and the King turns slightly in his seat to see who just entered as I crane my head in order to do the same.
While she's not wearing her black duster for once, the flowing black hair and smooth pale skin immediately give away Jessica's identity as she stalks towards us, even before I've fully glimpsed her face. Her head is downturned, looking at the fluffy white towels she's carrying in her arms and her expression is drawn, with deep circles underneath her eyes.
It looks like she hasn't slept in days.
When she's about ten meters away, her eyes lift up towards me, before widening in shock. The towels drop to the floor, completely forgotten as Jess launches herself at me, flying over Odin and completely disregarding the Asgardian King completely.
Not that she's the only one, as I've pretty much forgotten about Odin myself the moment I feel Jess' body against mine, her strong, lithe arms wrapping around my neck and the side of her face pressed against mine.
Weakly, my remaining arm reaches up to pull her close as I can sense her body shaking and with our cheeks together, I can feel as tears begin to spill down her face, both of our Extremis enhancements meaning they immediately begin steaming away.
From seemingly far away I can hear a soft chuckle and a muttered "I'll leave you to it then" as Odin stands up and leaves the room, but I hardly notice or care, focused wholly on the upset woman in my arms.
I keep whispering soft nothings in Jess' ear as I rub small circles on her back, though I can barely get the words out with how dry my throat has become and the circles can barely be called as such since my arm is too weak to do much else but miserably twitch against her back.
Still, the fact that I'm even responsive at all seems to be enough for Jess, who begins to take deep, steadying breaths as she calms down. Even so, we remain locked in a desperate embrace for what feels like hours (and as my eyes fall on the now indigo sky visible through the tall windows, very well could have been). Eventually, my assured whispers fade out as well and we're merely holding each other in silence, enjoying the simple fact that I'm even alive to hold her in the first place.
It's Jess who pulls back first, moving her hands up to cusp my face, looking deeply into my eyes as she takes in my appearance. To my surprise, I find myself uncomfortable under her gaze, even though I've never cared about how I looked before. Even losing my hair and gaining a freakish raised skeleton didn't faze me at the time, considering I didn't really care about how human or not I looked.
I was the kid who, when I watched Beauty and the Beast, never understood why Beast wanted to go from awesome bear-lion-wolf-bison hybrid to just a regular old ass human like everyone else and thought that Belle did him dirty.
But the way I looked now… I didn't simply look non-human anymore. Now I was truly hideous, monstrous even. A ruined, wretched form of life. And so, I averted my head, or tried to at least. Weakened as I was, Jess soft grip is stronger than iron and she forces me to keep looking her in the eye.
"I… didn't want you to see me… like this." I eventually manage to rasp out.
Jessica briefly looks surprised, before her brows dip down in a frown and her lips pull into a stubborn grin. Right before she suddenly leans in and plants a kiss on me without any sense of hesitation or reluctance.
As always, the kiss sends tiny streams of lightning through my nervous system and despite my misgivings I find myself smiling as she slowly pulls back again, looking at me with a fond grin and exasperated look.
"You know, for a guy that got injected with a literal Brain Booster, you can be really dumb at times." She huffs, before her expression softens.
"I'm not with you because of how you look, Michael. I'm not with you because of all your powers, or your titles, or your money. I'm with you, because of you. This? This crap here, keeping you alive right now? That changes nothing. You got that? Nothing." She says firmly and since I find myself at a loss for words, I just pull her into another kiss in response.
This one's longer and more passionate, but my condition quickly makes itself known again, a wave of exhaustion and another unsettling, biting pain throughout my body making me pull away with a slight hiss and a deep sigh.
Looking up at Jess' concerned face, I go for a self-assured grin, though I'm pretty sure it came out as a twisted grimace instead.
"Yes ma'am." I whisper good-naturedly, getting an approving nod from Jess in return, though she can't hide the way her worried eyes flicker to my left arm as the tendrils slowly settle down gain.
Slowly settling down beside me on my (relatively) unscathed right side, she hesitantly reaches across my broad chest with an outstretched finger. She lightly pokes one of the thicker visible tendrils, which convulses slightly under her touch. The movement, combined with the hiss I couldn't quite suppress, causes her to retract her arm as if burnt and she shoots me a worried look.
I merely shake my head, forgoing trying to grin this time and instead just drape my good arm around her, pulling her close.
She keeps looking at me, searching my face for something, before she eventually gives a small sigh, her lips quirking up into a smirk as some light returns to her eyes, a playful tone entering her tone as she speaks up, the familiar snark finally making its reappearance after so long.
"I'll give you this though: it really does looks freaky as hell. But hey, silver linings, right? Now you can finally look pretty, if only by comparison." She says with a grin as she looks up at me.
The comment takes me by surprise and I laugh out loud for the first time since a long time (my three weeks spent unconscious notwithstanding) before quickly running out of breath. Taking several steadying gasps of air, I look down at her with a smile that doesn't look completely strained.
"So only now do I look pretty by comparison? Why exactly do you think I've kept you at my side all this time then, hmm?" I shoot back, even managing to wiggle my eyebrows at her.
Jess' eyes widen in surprise, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times as she scrambling for a counter to my unexpected comeback, before she decides to let me have this one, settling down with a huff and a good-natured poke to my side as she rolls her eyes.
"Oh, shut it, you big goof." She mutters and both of us try to pretend not to notice the way she took extreme care to measure her strength, toning it down to the point you'd think she was handling freshly spun glass.
We settle down in a comfortable silence, merely staring up at the ceiling as Jess keeps absentmindedly drawing small doodles on my unmarred pec with her long fingers. Neither one of us says a word, but I can feel her inner turmoil and I don't have to turn my head to see that her eyes are glued to the various Light-filled crystals jutting from my Prototype arm.
"So, what's the plan? Tell me there's a plan. And before you even start: punching things while flying by the seat of your pants does not count as a plan, Mister."
My teeth click audibly as I shut my mouth, slightly turning my head so I can send her a teasing smirk.
"Well, there goes that explanation, I suppose." I grin, before looking back up at the ceiling, thinking back to what I'd discussed with the King of Asgard.
"The damage Odin and I did to Thanos' soul projection bought us some time, for now. He's using proxies, powerful ones, but since he doesn't know where to look, they're pretty much wasted. All the while, we keep making progress with my new body, which should-, no, which will win us the war. Just gotta make sure we hinder Thanos in the meantime. Odin's got his allies. The moment I'm fit enough to get out of bed, I'm going to contact mine."
"Anyone I know? Someone good enough to go up against Thanos' goon squads?"
"If you've read the reports Sterns made after our roundtrip to Xandar, you should know most of them already, yes?" I answer as I glance down at her from the corner of my eye, chuckling coarsely when she averts her face with an embarassed cough.
"Thought so. Well, there's the Ravengers. Space pirates, mercenaries and scavengers, depending on the job and the pay. Got some dealings with them in the past, their leader is a reasonable man and should be capable of holding himself in a fight. Hasn't taken to the field in a couple of decades, ruling mostly with the reputation of his name alone, but Sterns found plenty of archived news reports that indicate he packs a mean, explosive punch. Or used to, at least. Still, they should prove useful in tying up Thanos' ground forces if nothing else. Peter used to run with one of their crews when he was still a kid."
As Jess gives out a low, thoughtful hum, I continue.
"Then there's the two big players, the Nova Corps and the Kree Empire. Both are large, powerful, among the most technologically advanced organizations in the universe and have been at each other's throats at times for centuries by now, with the occasional cease-fire. Captain Marvel has been harrassing the Kree for the last couple of decades, to the point they've got one going on right now with the Nova, though a Kree extremist called Ronan the Accuser is causing tensions to rise again. 'Removing' him should buy me the Nova Corps, they're big on seeing themselves as defenders and peace keepers so fighting against Thanos should be right up their alley."
I hesitate for a brief moment, but by now Jessica knows me well enough to immediately pick up on it, slightly raising her head as she focuses glowing eyes on mine.
"And the Kree?"
"... I'm thinking of giving them Captain Marvel." I admit after a brief pause.
"... oh." Jess softly says, and I can see she's conflicted so I speak up, trying to reassure her.
"I get it. It's not a nice thing to do. But I've done a lot of not-so-nice things over the years and the stakes have never been higher. Weighing her life against half the universe... there's only outcome to that." I try to explain, hating how Thanos' words in the Soulworld immediately ring out again in my mind.
'We've had the same mentality for so long... the scale which I operate on is simply larger'
"I understand Michael. It's not like I care about Captain Bitch after what she tried to pull against you. But from what you've told me... she's messed up in the head. Big time. It doesn't... it doesn't seem fair, to send her back to the assholes who did that to her in the first place. Not when she's finally gotten a chance to break away from it all, got a chance to heal for the first time in her life... it just doesn't seem fair." Jess finishes softly and I don't need to use my telepathy or the Mind Stone in order to tell that she's thinking about her mother, who's living (relatively) fine in Othrys' residential wing with (a still rather nervous) Karl Malus.
While my powers had done a lot to heal the ressurected woman's mind, she was still seeing a therapist on a weekly basis until both Jess and I deemed her safe enough to be near the kids, though her progress was assuring and helped significantly by Jessica's almost daily visits.
"No. It's not fair. But between the limited time we have and the usefulness of having the Kree as allies, it is necessary."
Jess hums in agreement, but I can tell she's not happy with it (and considering I've enjoyed watching Danvers grow closer and closer to Bucky, who seemed to benefit a lot from their budding relationship, I'm surprisingly unhappy with it as well), so I squeeze her shoulder in a comforting grip.
"I'll find a way, Jess. Something to keep her safe and healthy. Or relatively healthy, at least. I don't know exactly how yet, but I will find a way. I always do." I assure her, getting a thankful smile in return.
"That you do. My hero." she simply responds, before settling down against my side again.
The words ring hollow in my ears despite the slightly teasing tone and I shift in discomfort (which is only partially the fault of the symbiont burrowing into my flesh), and once again Thanos' conversation with me in the Soulworld drift back to me.
Well, at least now I know what my nightmares are going to be for the coming months. Awesome.
Jess doesn't say anything, but I can feel her searching eyes on my face and I soon give in with a morose sigh, though I keep my eyes fixated on the ceiling.
"Thanos... made me an offer. When he kidnapped my soul."
Even though she remains silent, I can feel Jess' shock as she stills completely, her eyes not leaving my face. After a thoughtful pause, I continue, taking care in how I word my whirling thoughts and feelings.
"I would give him my Infinity Stones... and in return, when he snaps half of all life out of existence, we would be spared. You would be spared. The kids wouldn't be harmed, they'd likely not even know anything had happened in the first place."
For a moment, the cavernous hall is utterly empty, before I face Jess, my face drawn and my eyes downcast.
"Jess... I almost took it. I almost took the deal. If he'd come to me just a couple of years earlier, I would've. In a heartbeat, even..."
"But now?" Jess softly whispers, getting an explosive sigh from me as I try to raise my shoulders in a shrug (and almost poking myself in the neck with one of the Light-crystals justting out of my right clavicle.
"Now? I... couldn't. The moment the thought flashed through my mind, the only thing I could think of was you and the kids. It just... I couldn't do it." I finish weakly.
As Jess doesn't answer, I continue, my voice somewhat hesitant.
"Do you think... I should've taken it? Taken Thanos' deal? I knew, the moment he made it, that'd he'd honor it. Instead, I rejected the offer and now we're taking one hell of a gamble, trying to save me before he can return with a new toy in order to finish the job. I endanger the lives of our kids..."
"No." Jess suddenly speaks up in a surprisingly firm tone of voice, gaining a raised eyebrow of surprise from me.
"I get why you were tempted. I would've been too. Even if I know the rational answer, know what I'm supposed to pick when it comes between the kids and the rest of the universe... I would've chosen them, every time. I'm not apologizing for that and I don't expect you to either. But I don't blame you for not agreeing to that mad man's offer. As far as I'm concerned, you did the right thing. Even if he'd keep up his end of the deal... we'd survive, but we'd live in his world. His vision of the future. And I'd be reminded of that every time I'd set foot off the island, every time I look at empty cities and abandoned houses. That's not a world I want to raise the kids in. We're going to raise them in our world, 'cause you're going to kick his ass, alright? You'll get better again, be better than ever before, be better than him and you'll make sure he'll never fullfill his destiny. Thanos. Dies."
Jess voice is strong, her face is hard, but even through it all, even as she's trying to bolster my spirit, I can feel how hers wavers. She can talk about strength all she wants, try to hold firm to the idea that I'll stand victorious over Thanos' broken body... but she can't deny what's right in front of her eyes.
I very much doubt I can stand over the toilet without assistance at this point, much less overcome Thanos and his armies.
Still, Jess' faith in me, and her approval of my (rather rash) decision in the Soulworld, is a soothing balm to my own fraying nerves and creeping doubts, and I shoot her a grateful smile as I plant a soft kiss on her forehead. In response, Jess' arms around me tighten their hold, though she's still very careful in how much force she applies, causing me to feel as if I'm held in the comfortable grip of a walking fortress, safe and sound for the first time since I woke up in this weakened state.
We stay like that as Asgard's sun finally sinks below the horizon, throwing a cool blanket of shadows over the massive Medical Wing. We don't say a word, simply listening to the rythm of the other's breaths and heartbeats, but even after our little talk, I can tell that Jessica can't quite let go of her anxiety, though to her credit, she's doing an admirable job of putting up a comforting, determined facade for my sake.
Into the silence of the hall and the dark of the night, I speak up in a low whisper.
"I'm not gonna lie and say I'm fine. I'm not. But I'm alive, which is a small miracle in and of itself. Nothing has changed, other than the timetable. Even now, the Dwarves continue building my new body and then this nightmare will be over. I promise."
"I know. I know Michael, it's just… before, when you told me you were dying… at least you didn't look it. It gave me faith, made me believe we still had time, that you were strong enough to protect yourself until you… ascended, or whatever the fuck you wanna call the weird shit you're up to now. And then of course the whole, giving-birth-to-three-gods happened and it got pushed to the back of my mind. You were just gone on a business trip, ensuring the future, crossing t's and dotting i', that kinda crap. But then, the Darcy and Jane come back to Othrys, without you and both are barely even keeping it together…"
She halts, her voice choking up and without anything that I can say to comfort her, I settle for squeezing her shoulder instead. She shifts somewhat in the bed, pushing up so she's resting on her elbow as she looks at me, her eyes glowing in the low light of the room.
"When they finally managed to calm down enough to actually tell me what the fuck happened, that Thanos already attacked and what happened to you… I gave the kids to Maya, told Susan and Python to eat every non-Othrysian that even thinks of setting foot on the island while I'm gone, and took the Iris way here. And then I saw you and you… you looked like crap, Michael. I thought I was too late, that I already lost you. I've been having too many moments like that since I've been with you."
She falls quiet, grabbing my remaining hand in her much smaller, daintier ones as she gives it a careful, tender squeeze, before focusing back on me again.
"I can't lose you, Michael." She whispers desperately.
What could I say to that? That she didn't need to worry? That she wouldn't lose me, not ever? I've made those promises in the past and the fact of the matter was that, if it weren't for Burstein's crazy experiments with Ego's Seed and Sterns' forethought in bringing it along, the tale of Michael McCole would've been over.
More importantly, it could very well have meant the end of not just her, but Eos, Helios and Selene.
So instead, I just reach up and cup her face, softly brushing away the hissing tear that slowly dripped down her cheek.
"We're doing the best we can, Jess. Odin reached out to his allies. I got plans to recruit more. We know what Thanos wants and where he's looking for it and above all we will know when he actually starts looking in the right direction. Until then, it's all up both the Dwarves and our Think Tank. It's a waiting game right now and all we can do is make sure we're a well prepared as possible when the inevitable race for the final showdown starts. And I intend to make damned sure that we'll come out ahead, okay? You've trusted me for years now, been at my side nearly every step of the way. I'm not going to ask you to forget your fears or stop worrying. I'm worried too. All I'm asking for, is that you keep trusting me, just for a little while longer. Can you do that?" I ask, my mismatched eyes not leaving her glowing orange ones.
Jessica is silent for only a couple of moments, before she takes my hand into her own, slightly turning to plant a soft kiss on my palm before lying back down again, nestled in the crook of my arm.
Her voice is soft, but strong and without hesitation and in the silence of the night, I can hear it clearly.
"I'm with you 'till the end of the line, Michael. Always."
I can't help the wide smile on my face and pull her a little closer as we settle down for the first decent night's sleep either one of us has had in close to a month. As Jessica's breathing evens out and deepens though, right before I drift off to sleep myself, an errant thought shoots into my brain as if Thor had a personal grudge against it and if it weren't for all my injuries I would've shot straight up in bed.
Turning to face Jess, I shake her awake from her dozing state, her eyes lidded and confused as she looks at my worried expression.
"Michael? What's wrong?"
"The kids, Jess!"
"The kids are safe, I talk to Maya almost on the hour each day, Susan barely even leaves their side anymore-"
"How old are they?"
"… They're… three weeks old…?" Jess haltingly answers, shooting me a confused look the moment my odd question finally fully registers in her sleepy brain.
"Why?" she asks in a suspicious tone, but I've already fallen back against my thick pillow with a deep sigh of relief.
"It's nothing, forget about it."
"Michael." Jess responds, fully awake and alert now.
"It's just some Time Stone related concerns. Trying to turn back my body too far when they tried to save me, that sorta thing. Gotta look out for paradoxes and stuff, you know?" I reply, waving away her concerns and patting the mattress besides me.
I can tell Jess isn't really buying it, but thankfully she decides to let it go (for now, at least) settling back down besides me and fairly soon, she's off again, snoring in blissful ignorance, while I'm lying beside her, silently thanking every god of luck I can think of for the bullet I just dodged.
I can never, ever let Jessica find out I compared our kids to that Twilight gremlin.
Fun Fact: In The Avengers, after Bruce Banner falls from the sky, a security guard (played by Harry Dean Stanton) asks him nervously if he's an alien. Considering aliens invade later that day, it's not an unreasonable question. The real easter egg is in the casting though: Stanton played one of the crew members on the ship in Alien that was killed by the Alien. Figures the guy would be somewhat wary where E.T.'s are concerned.
AN: A bit short and a bit filler-y, but I wanted to keep the final resolution and action scenes contained to the last chapter, which meant the dialogue and setting the stage had to mostly be done in this chapter. Meaning that (if everything goes right, which I already know it won't), this is the second-to-last chapter of 12 Steps, with the final chapter, titled Apotheosis, bringing a close to journey spanning several years, hundreds of thousands of words and thousands of wonderful people. Yes, I'm talking about you, you handsome devil you! Thank you for making this journey possible Hope you liked this and made you curious about the grand finale and I'll see you next time. Cheers!