deadliestwomaninthewholegalaxy:
thanos-of-titan || loser-of-the-galaxy || deadliestwomaninthewholegalaxy || rakknruinrocket || strange-sorcerer || the-fire-that-burns || rory-hendricks || hackermanjock || meangreenbrand
Upon entering Thanos’ ship, Loki could not completely suppress the look of disgust which crept across his face. It was bad enough he had been called upon by the Titan to join in this mission; having to spend time on his ship just added insult to injury. Not exactly how he wanted to spend what might be some of the final moments of his existence. And do not even get me started on the company, Loki thought. All those mortals…then that sentient tree and his little creature pet…not to mention the Mad Titan himself. Still, Loki had no wish to die, and if allying with this ragtag little band would save the universe, well, so be it.
Once they were all together, Mar-Vell wasted no time in giving them their instructions. Loki did not appreciate being told what to do by the Kree, but at least it was better than having Thanos do the same. He noticed the Titan had not said much, for which Loki was rather grateful. The less interaction he had to have with Thanos, the better. Though listening to the rest of them was not much of an improvement.
The comment from that blasted talking tree was the same exact comment he had made since they had boarded the ship. Loki resisted the urge to groan, and instead replied, through clenched teeth, “Yes, I do believe we have already been made aware of that little tidbit. Can you not add something more meaningful to the conversation?” The tree’s compatriot, Quill, that man with the infernally irritating Midgard music device, had an equally inane remark, to which Loki smirked and added, “You’ll look good dying as well. How nice.”
Mar-Vell’s description of the trip through the Void sounded distinctly unpleasant, but then nothing about this venture was going to be pleasant. And while Loki could have cared less if Thanos’ ship was damaged under normal circumstances, he did care if he happened to be on board. So he did not argue with the Kree’s request to prevent any ruptures from becoming too pronounced. He would be able to hold any such tears with a concentration of magical energy, at least for a while. Hopefully that would be all that would be needed. Anything further would be beyond his power to handle.
That was not an unreasonable command, but Loki found the Kree’s next to be a bit harder to stomach. He was being ordered to go along in one of the ships with several of the mortals? This time he could not completely keep from groaning, though he attempted to turn it into a cough instead. “Ah, yes, of course. What a…wonderful little crew we shall be.” He forced a smile, but it quickly faded as Mar-Vell strongly encouraged both him and that so-called sorcerer to use their powers to protect their respective crews. Really? Loki had just assumed that the mortals could fend for themselves. Were they so incompetent as to need protecting? Not only did the thought of using his skills to protect a worthless bunch of mortals displease him, he was also irritated to think that the Kree considered Strange’s magical skills to be on par with his. Oh please, Loki thought, giving the magician a haughty look. Let him try to outshine me.
“So. That’s the plan,” Loki parroted, when Mar-Vell had finished. “Well, it sounds like this is going to be a joyous affair. I do hope we all survive. Not that I wish to share any drinks with anyone later, but still.” That was about as nice a comment as they were going to get from him. And in truth, it was nicer than what Quill decided to put in concerning Thanos. In truth, Loki wondered the same thing, but assuming they managed to survive, he did not wish to incur Thanos’ wrath later, and so amazingly he did not offer a reply to that. Instead, he said to Mar-Vell, “My only question is that I question my own sanity in participating to begin with, but I have no questions for you, Kree.” Making a face, Loki glanced at Peter and Gamora. “As much as I hate to concur with them, let’s just get on with it, then.”
Not long ago, Stephen would have never thought he would have stepped into Thanos’ ship and lived to tell the tale. Now here he was coming aboard a second time, on an even more important and dangerous mission than before. And once again they had a team, which was as impressive–if not moreso–than the previous group. Stephen had never met the Guardians of the Galaxy, but he knew of their reputation, and he was glad to have fighters such as them aboard. Likewise he was glad to once again have Mar-Vell as a teammate, especially after all they had already been through since this odyssey began. His fellow Earthlings too were a vital asset. He had only met Holly Throne before, but since she had proven her worth on the previous mission, he knew the others would be just as dedicated.
Of Thanos and Loki, however, Stephen was less certain. In all their dealings so far, the Titan had done his part, but no matter how much Thanos blustered, Stephen still did not trust him. Nor did he trust the Trickster God, even if Loki had joined the mission willingly. How could one trust a being who had tried to take over the Earth, no matter how contrite he might appear? Besides, from what Stephen had seen so far, Loki was far from contrite. Still, they needed all the help they could get, and there was no denying that Thanos and Loki were powerful. All they could hope was that the two would use their power for good and not falter at the critical moment.
While Stephen acknowledged that traveling through the Void was the only way to reach the Foesitians, he was terribly concerned. What he had already seen of the Void had shown how dangerous and unpredictable it was, which made him worry as to what shape they would all be in even if they managed to survive the trip. But he trusted Mar-Vell’s judgment, and he nodded as the Kree outlined the plan.
“I shall help as best I can,” he said, hoping he would be able to keep any breaches in the ship closed before too much damage would be done.
At the announcement that he would be joining the Guardians in the Milano, Stephen was immediately offered a handshake from Peter Quill. Giving the man a small smile, he accepted the handshake. “I am honoured to be aboard, Mr. Quill. Though I too wish it was under better circumstances. Still, I am confident we shall make the best of it.” He nodded to the other Guardians, pleased to be counted among their company. Even if Mar-Vell had not requested it, Stephen had already been planning to do all he could to keep his crew safe from any of the Foesitians’ mental attacks. The awful visions he had seen on their ship were still in his thoughts, and he would not wish anyone else to be subjected to that. If he could prevent the Guardians from falling prey, he would.
Loki did not seem as pleased with doing the same for his crew, if the Asgardian’s look of disgust was anything to go by. Upon catching his glance, Stephen noticed that the Trickster seemed none too impressed with him either. He knew a challenge when he saw one, but now was not the time for any of that. Quietly, Stephen said, “I am also honoured to be counted in company with such a powerful sorcerer, who I know will also do his best to keep his crew from harm.” Loki only scowled in reply.
Peter’s jab at Thanos was a bit worrisome, for Stephen thought it unwise to anger the Mad Titan when they crucially needed his assistance. But he could not deny that Star-Lord had a point, and it seemed Stephen was not alone in his distrust of Thanos. But indeed it would have to wait.
“No questions, Mar.” Stephen shook his head. “I can only hope for our success…and survival.” He greatly hoped they would all survive, but against the Foesitians, that outcome was terribly uncertain.
Rory Hendricks had never planned for this to happen. Their parents had been delighted to have a little girl they could love and cherish - their sweet little Aurora - and had always vowed to protect the sweet little thing. Imagine their surprise when their tiny little daughter grew up more boisterous than her elder brothers, more interested in cars and engines and far more tomboyish than they had ever expected. Dark hair sheared short, ivory skin inked with as many tattoos as could be squeezed onto the canvas of her body and a determination that she would not fit into a gender binary. Rory’s parents had hated it - had hated to hear that their little girl didn’t see herself as a little girl - and, until the age of 18, Rory had never heard their preferred pronouns from their parents. They still loved their parents - how could they not - but Rory wished that they could see their ‘precious little girl’ now.
Rory stood upon the Sanctuary - the ship of Thanos of Titan - as a highly qualified engineer on a suicide mission to save the whole of the universe, or what was left of it. If their parents were not proud of them by now, nothing would change that. All it meant was that they would not return home to see disappointed faces once more. Perhaps it was for the best. Rory had not seen their parents in a few years, mostly because they didn’t have the energy to deal with subtle jabs about their job, gender identity and life. Now, it was likely that they would never see any of their family ever again. Strangely, they were okay with that. It was a quiet acceptance.
Death wasn’t a foreign concept to them. And to die here, surrounded by an amazing team and on a brilliant mission, would be perfectly alright by them. They had never expected the chance to go out in a blaze of glory. Maybe this would be their chance. And so, Rory straightened to their full height and and forced their brain in gear. They had to be on high alert here.
At the mention of the bombs, Rory nodded eagerly. “I know where you mean. The ones aboard the Serpent II are ready to deploy if necessary.” They said, voice surprisingly steady.
Despite how steady they sounded, how calm they looked, Rory could feel their stomach roiling, threatening them with fear and anxiety. But they could not afford such emotions. Not now anyway. So, forcibly, Rory pushed them back and eyed Loki almost suspiciously. They didn’t really trust him at all. The other members of the team seemed far better and Rory offered them a respectful nod and a tense little smile. Death had never scared Rory. Death was nothing but the end of a chapter for them. What scared Rory was the possibility of losing. For, if they did, the entire universe was doomed to a fate worse than death. All they needed to do was fight to win. All they needed to do was defeat an entire alien empire with three spacecrafts. Seemed simple enough, right?
As Peter made a jab at Thanos, Rory grimaced quietly, trying to keep their mouth shut. Mostly, they agreed with him but still, they weren’t sure that it was wise to make the Titan angry. He seemed like a man Rory would not want to cross but all the same, they merely bit their lip and said nothing about it. The sooner they got away from Thanos of Titan, the more comfortable they would feel. The Titan had an aura about him that made Rory feel entirely on edge at all times. As if he saw right to their very heart.
As Mar-Vell asked if anyone had any questions, Rory merely shook their head. “No questions.” They murmured, biting back their nerves as they tried to prepare themselves for the drop into the Void.
{Note: this reply contains hackermanjock, meangreenbrand and rakknruinrocket‘s replies}
From the moment he stepped aboard the Sanctuary to the moment Mar-Vell started speaking and dolling out orders, Jock had had his iPod in and playing his upbeat mix. He kept the volume of the music to a minimum because he didn’t want all of these heroes realising that the only thing keeping Jock from turning tail and running away as fast as his legs would take was Taylor fucking Swift shaking it off for all she was worth.
He was well aware of the tiny chance of him returning to Earth after all of this was over. He had said his goodbyes, or at least he had tried to, and honestly there wasn’t much for him to come home to anyway. Except maybe seeing Taylor Swift live in concert. That would be cool. Not that he would admit that out loud to anyone, especially to any of the people assembled here on this ship.
When Mar-Vell called everyone to order, Jock had managed to nestle himself between Groot, with Rocket sat up on Groot’s thorny shoulder, and Abigail Brand. By the time Mar-Vell had started his big speech, Jock took his earbuds out as Phil Collins reached the crescendo of “Something Happened on the Way to Heaven” and Jock had to suppress the smirk that threatened to break through his dour expression. That was his favourite Phil Collins song and and seemed kinda fitting, considering. Something happened on the way to Heaven, yeah it did and that something was a bunch of asshats called Foesitians.
Abigail wore her usual scowl with an added hint of disgust as she glared at Loki’s posturing. She had already decided that if the Trickster dared disobey his orders, she was going to give him the ass kicking of the year despite it possibly being the last thing she ever got to achieve in her life. It was obvious Loki wanted to be elsewhere and Abigail wanted to shake him. Surely he knew how important it was to stop the Foesitians? Regardless, she sat still, resisting all temptation to physically accost the God of Lies, and waited for Mar-Vell’s orders.
Abigail already knew what the plan was going to be, so as Mar-Vell spoke, the green-haired commander watched the rest of her so-called team. Most of them she would have picked herself for this mission but there were an odd couple (Loki and Thanos) she wouldn’t have. Still, it wasn’t her place to choose the people selected for this. It was more run on volunteers than anything else since it was nearly guaranteed that the majority of them weren’t going to make it back in one piece.
Still, at least one of her crew for the Serpent II had good taste in music. Already Abigail was planning on telling Jock to hook his iPod to the comms in their ship as that they went on their mission. Nothing like facing the biggest battle of the universe with Phil Collins blasting out of the speakers.
“No questions here,” Abigail said promptly and gave the others of the Serpent II crew a nod, including Loki. “The sooner we do this, the better so if there’s nothing further, I’d like to get my crew on our ship and be ready for take off in five minutes.” Five minutes should be more than ample time for people to say goodbye if they wanted to any of the others, maybe say one last prayer, maybe listen to one more sugary-sweet pop song. “Good luck everyone.”
Good luck? Ha! Where they were going, they didn’t need luck. They needed a god damned flarking miracle.
During the whole dishing out off orders and last run through of the plan, Rocket had been grooming Groot’s branches diligently. If he could’ve gotten away with it, he would have sneaked in a grooming session for both Gamora and Quill too. Because Rocket was worried, sick to his tiny stomach worried. He didn’t need to be told of the impossible odds they were facing and honestly, it was those odds that were making him feel sick. Contrary to what he liked to tell people, he was scared of dying. If there was some kind of guarantee that he got to stay with Groot and the rest of the Guardians, then maybe he wouldn’t be so nervous about the whole deal. But there were no guarantees like that. Time to suck it up, fuzzball.
“I agree with the lady: the sooner the better.” Rocket spoke up and grinned over at Quill and Gamora. “We ain’t got time to waste on pleasantries when we could be making things explode with awesome huge fireballs, eh?” Rocket injected as much enthusiasm as he could into his words, hiding his fear behind his love for explosives and screaming “blam, murdered you!” at the bad guys.
No matter what happened, at least he had Groot by his side for this. The two of them had been through so much together and before this all ended, they were going to go through a heck of a lot more too. Rocket finished grooming his buddy’s branches and patted him on the side of the head. “There you go, buddy. You no longer look like a disgusting mess. Now you’re ready to give the Foesitians the beating someone should-a given them a long time ago. Take us to the Milano and get ready for some action. We got some exploding to do.”
{Next up: thanos-of-titan}
“I am Groot,” was the enthusiastic reply. Groot turned to go. He could feel that they were getting farther above the Earth’s surface, but the ship’s rate of ascent had slowed. There was probably a critical speed they had to reach in order to enter the Void safely – well, safely ,being a very, very relative term. Groot wondered about that. He understood that they could only go through the Void because the Foesitians would soon be opening it and it would burst into the Blood Star, he understood that there could only be the narrowest window for them to make their drop, and he wondered who had worked out the navigation calculations on that. Thanos, probably. Groot’s expression darkened as he looked over his shoulder one last time at the purple Titan, then he reached up and gave Rocket’s side a twiggy stroke. Rocket’s warm little presence was a comfort, but it wasn’t enough. Of all the ways and all the places Groot could have died, he always hoped it would be on the ground somewhere. He wanted his spirit to join into the energy of a planet. He wanted his body to decompose into earth, he wanted little bugs to nibble on him, little animals to burrow in his corpse as it dried, as some sun bleached it. Groot didn’t want to die in space. He didn’t want to die out in the black – especially when there weren’t even any stars left…
Groot gulped and ducked down as he took Rocket to the Milano and nudged him inside. Groot stayed outside, however. Their magic man was going to have to wait right outside the hatch, if he was going to help keep an eye on the massive tomb they sailed in, and Groot wanted to be there to help him, if necessary. Who knew what might happen to him, how disorienting it would be to try and use magic to combat – whatever would happen? Groot didn’t know, but he knew that he intended to hold onto him if he had to, to hold him up if necessary, and to throw him into the hatch and seal it up fast the second Quill or Rocket said it was go time. Groot was scared, but he was also focused.
When he felt Rocket hop off his shoulder, he gave his best friend a sweet, sad smile. They’d only be apart for a few minutes, just however long it took to get through this Void-Blood-Star thing. And then, well, after the fight of their lives? Then maybe they’d be together forever.
“I am Groot,” he whispered.
Thanos had watched the others in silence, arms folded, patience thin. He, too, wanted this over with as quickly as possible, although perhaps for reasons other than theirs. When Peter Quill, insolent, arrogant, Quill, made his jibe, Thanos’s blazing blue eyes turned to him. He gave Quill a tight smile (a promise to one day kill him), but that was it. While the others voiced their lack of concerns, he turned away from them, heading to join to Holly.
There was no point in asking if she was ready. She was already piloting the ship, and the two of them had discussed this already – over and over again during their planning, both of them once having to shout down Mar-Vell’s objections. Holly Thorne was committed, and she understood exactly what she was doing. She understood what she was paying – and while he could not fully empathize with her decision, while he certainly could not understand it, Thanos could respect it. Even those who were not warriors could be brave, at times, could be worthy of remembering. Humans were inherently frail creatures, short-lived due to the insufficient, inelegant ways that their bodies processed energy, but their souls – those were something else. They shone brightly… and that was a brilliance he was learning to see.
So, while the others walked away into their ships, Thanos left to go carry out a private part of the plan, with Holly. They had modified the helm-station together, following his designs, making it even possible for this to work –
She was focused on flying, her eyes fixed on the data flashing over the screens as she held the ship in position over the Void, waiting for the fluctuations that would signify the Blood Star had gone active. Holly didn’t flinch when Thanos began putting the long, hollow needles into her veins. She didn’t react when her blood began flowing into Sanctuary, when a much brighter fluid began flowing back into her. She simply stayed focused, and Thanos wondered if she was even aware of the world around her, anymore. Curious, he looked into her mind after placing the last needle –
Holly was completely in the moment, completely fixated on her task, but she had also already taken action to protect herself from the trip’s distractions. In her mind, she was hundreds of miles away, walking through a field in Alaska. it was spring, the snow melting, and there were flowers poing through the grass. Her husband walked at her side and they were talking about the cabin they’d build –
Thanos left her mind. She had chosen where she would be to meet her end. Very well.
When he heard Romulus walk up to join them, Thanos gave him a small nod. He saw the way the former-human looked at their pilot but gave that no acknowledgment. This was no time for regret.
“Was Quill right?” Jack asked, zipping his leather jacket up tightly around his body. “Are you gonna betray this when it’s all over? Cause if you turn out to be that shitty a friend..” He shrugged. “Guess I won’t be surprised, but I’ll be pissed.”
“Mar-Vell is here to protect you all,” Thanos pointed out.
Jack met his eyes. For a moment, neither said anything. Then, he shrugged again and looked at Holly. “You’re really using her life… uh, life energy, to get us there?”
“And soul,” Thanos said coldly. “Don’t worry. There’ll be nothing left of her when it’s over. She won’t be in any pain.”
“Guess it’s worth it.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Can she hear us?”
“Not anymore.” The ship shuddered and lurched to one side, but Holly quickly corrected it. Thanos had reached out to steady her, although she’d firmly strapped herself in by now. Jack had grabbed onto Thanos, but he stepped back as soon as it was over.
“It’s starting,” Holly said, her voice sounding hollow, empty. Her eyes stared at the screens, still seeing them, although Jack was starting to wonder if she was the screens now. This seemed like some sort of cylon shit to him, but then again, there were reasons he hadn’t wanted to be involved in this particular aspect of the planning. Planning out how to kill her might have made it a little harder for him to just cheerfully swallow the very real possibility of his own upcoming demise.
The Mad Titan looked at the dying human and, although he was glad that they had found a way to travel into the Void at long last, he felt no remorse at the price.
Mar-Vell had gone with the others over to the ships. He felt quieter than he had in a long time, a balance of some inner harmony – and the horrible silence left in his painful remains of cosmic awareness, a silence left within him by the silence out there. The majority of the Universe was already gone. There was no one left to hear.
The Kree reached out to Peter, catching his attention before the young man could get into the Milano as well. As he touched Peter, it struck Mar-Vell that none of them had asked how are we getting home? Nobody had complained about it. They didn’t ask how they’d be traveling back out through a wormhole that they were going to the source of to destroy. They didn’t ask for hope. They were just focused, they wanted to get the job done. They were heroes, and they were ready, however terrified some of them might be, to make the final heroic sacrifice.
That hurt almost as much as the silence, but in a far kinder way.
“Peter,” Mar said, voice soft, calm sounding. “To answer your question about Thanos – he may well betray us. I suspect he seeks to control the Foesitians’ power for himself, offended at the notion of any being possessing more destructive potential than himself – and if that proves to be the case? There is a contingency plan. There is one last shield that will be between you and him, until it is no longer possible. If it is not enough to best him, perhaps it will be enough to buy time for those who can.” The look in Mar’s eyes was a bit sad, but certainly accepting. He knew his purpose in all of this, he knew that he had been sent back from the dead to help them all to the best of his ability – and, very likely, to die for them in a final fight against Thanos. It hurt, of course, the thought of leaving life again when he’d only so recently regained it, as life was Mar-Vell’s one true love, but he could not change fat and he would not try. Whatever would be, when it came to Thanos, would be; Mar would give his last breath to protect any life from him.
When the ship shuddered, Mar nodded to Peter. “Better get inside.” He saw Groot standing just outside the hatch, apparently intending to assist Strange if need be. Meeting Groot’s eyes, Mar saw a vision of something red and white and gold flourishing under Groot’s care, and he smiled softly. Thank you, Groot.
The walking tree must have heard him, for he nodded solemnly to the Kree.
Mar-Vell crouched between the two small ships, one knee and both his hands on the deck. It would have been more comfortable to hover, but perhaps also more dangerous. He let out a long, slow, soft exhalation and closed his eyes. Below them, the Void was blossoming fully into its more violent, deadly half. The Blood Star. Monstrous constructs would pour out, hand-in-hand with their Foesitian commanders, and the world would be wounded. Heroes and soldiers would fight and dream and, all to buy them time…
Mar’s blue eyes shifted, gleaming a flat and luminous silver, the way his eyes had only done a few times before – the way Tyler Brandt’s eyes had done when all of this began, when the Kree warship crashed near Greenland. The galaxies and nebulas that had so often shone within them when he used his cosmic awareness were gone, now, and so reflected nothing in his eyes.
Don’t burn out yet, Steve. We’ll stop them for you.
With a jolt, the massive ship dropped, plummeting straight down towards the Blood Star.
From the outside, it was a strangely beautiful sight, not that anyone below would likely have had time to appreciate it. The blocky Sanctuary II was nt a graceful or attractive ship by any means, but as it suddenly streaked down towards the Blood Star, whose thick red light pulsed and flared, the ship was engulfed in a brilliant golden light. Thick, red tendrils of deadly light and energy reached up from the Blood Star to wrap around the golden comet hurtling towards it – but the arms were too slow, and the ship struck the star.
Red and gold light exploded high into the sky and, for just an instant, the world had that one last glimpse of sunlight, light as pure and bright as a summer sunset –
But then the ship was gone and the Blood Star, renewed in its fury, began to fight.
Holly Thorne’s consciousness was one with the ship, and yet part of her mind still wandered the Alaskan wilderness with her husband. Although her body screamed aloud at the sheer agony of the hull burning and freezing, although her hands still worked to control the ship, to guide it through everything she, the ship, could see, she was still walking through a beautiful meadow on one of their last perfect days.
“It’s beautiful, Sophie,” he said, holding her hand in his and kissing it.
“You know we’re not supposed to use our old names anymore,” she reminded him, but she smiled and added, in a whisper, “Michael.” The sunlight flickered red, though, and as she walked she turned to look over her shoulder at it. “Did you just… I thought I heard.. someone scream?”
Focus, Holly Thorne. You are pain and clarity – they go together.
She looked ahead again, back at the beautiful place they’d call home. She’d never wanted to come out here, had never wanted to be anything other than a kindergarten teacher, but Holly was starting to see the potential. Life was still life, after all; what regret could there ever be in living it, especially in so tranquil a place? There would be so much to learn, so many things to adapt to, but she and Michael would meet those challenges together. Michael and Sophie Danvers.
“Ty and Holly Thorne,” she corrected herself, aloud. She smiled.
In the back of her mind, something felt wrong. Her body seemed weak, as if she was rapidly losing blood, and yet nothing was wrong with her. How could it be? She held his hand tighter, but when she closed her eyes, she saw an inferno. A tunnel of blood-red fire with hateful arms reaching out. Beasts and monsters moving past her, looking at her but making no effort to fight. She felt her skin – metal skin, what was this? – burning, heating, cooling, twisting, distorting. She felt her systems failing, felt –
Do not return to us. Stay with him.
It was worse than Thanos had expected, but he remained focused. While the air around them rippled and burned, while hallucinations pushed at his own mind, he stayed focused on the human pilot. If she fell out of her paradise now, if her consciousness slammed fully into the ship’s – she would falter, just enough, and they would fail.
Covering her shoulders with his hands, he whispered into her ear, manipulating her dream, her vision, whatever it truly was.
“Sophie, I love you. Don’t worry about the sunlight. You’re fine. You’re just hungry.” Human words. Weak words. Reasonable words. He kept his voice soft. She would hear it, even above the din of the dying ship. “Come back with me, now. We’ll get something to eat. There’s nothing to worry about. There’s nothing to fear.”
Tears streaked down her face and she was no longer moving, piloting the ship through the seemingly endless vortex through her mind alone, hands useless now. “I am afraid,” she said, and Thanos knew the words weren’t consciously chosen. She had little to no cognitive power left that wasn’t being spent on the ship’s piloting; he might as well have been speaking to a sleepwalking child.
“Sophie, who are you talking to?”
“Sophie,” Michael said with a laugh. “Who are you talking to?” His smile was the sunlight of her world, although she thought she saw red reflecting in his eyes.
“What?” She looked at him.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. We’ll be fine, here. Together. We’ll be together forever.” He took her hands and leaned down, then kissed her. She closed her eyes and let him, and she saw stars racing past them in her mind – captive stars, captive worlds, brilliant gleaming points of life and light that were trapped inside some terrible place, trapped but not gone, sudden hope. She felt as if some part of her was moving faster, racing, pushing itself to its limits, spurred on to greater effort by the unexpected glimpse of those stars.
“I love you, Holly Thorne,” Michael whispered, smiling against her lips.
Am the stars. The planets. I am movement. I am hope. I am hearing all of those screams. I am defying them. I am Sanctuary.
Sophie Danvers smiled, too, her lips against his.
We have hope. The Blood Star – we’re making it. We’re making it through.
“I love you, too, Ty Thorne. It’s going to be tough, remembering the new names…”
He laughed, a warm, low, reassuring rumble, and he wrapped his arms around her. “What’s in a name? I told you, we should have used my surname, not yours. But no, nontraditional…. Mm, but that’s why I love you.”
Ruptured. Air rushing out into nothing. Ice inside.
Torn metal. Pressure too intense – no, keep going.
“You’ll forget me, one day,” she whispered, feeling a sudden chill. “You’ll lose your mind… and forget…”
Can’t stop. We’ll die if we slow down.
“But I won’t. We’re here. Together. There’ll never be a One Day… We’re here together, forever.”
“Trapped in the Valley of the Blue Moon… Shangri-La…”
–the most glorious ship in all the Universe. I come bearing Death. We will destroy you. We defy you. You can’t stop me. You can’t stop me.
“Don’t stop now, Holly. Don’t stop. You’re almost there.”
Sanctuary hurtled through the twisting throat of the Blood Star, moving faster and faster as it shot through the Foesitian soldiers traveling through on the road to Earth, as the captive, murdered souls of planets and stars flared and screamed at them, brilliant points of light and sound that they couldn’t stop to help. Air rushed out of the ship. Pieces of her tore off and fell away. Alarms sounded as airtight doors slammed, cutting off those sections. The engines faltered but did not fail, held together with the will and power of the two beings at the helm station. Ice shot through the air itself, bulkheads melted and began to burn.
And still they were not through.
Peter headphones around his neck, turned on his music, just loud enough so Loki could hear. He threw the Trickster a look, something a long the lines of, “Don’t you dare pull anything out there-” But he wasn’t sure if he looked intimidating or just angry. He knew it wasn’t smart to anger the god, but they really didn’t have anything to lose. And if there was any chance they were going to get out of this alive, all of them, he was going to take it. And that would require them to work as a team. Which meant as little fighting and backstabbing as possible.
He nodded to the pilot before hopping into the Milano. He had respect for everyone on this ship, even, maybe, for Thanos. The titan seemed different in a way. Maybe it was because of Eros. Maybe it was because he’d finally found a power he could not control. Maybe he was just an ok guy. Well, there was no flarking way of that, but Peter could dream.
“Some turn to dust or to gold-”
When Mar-Vell put his hand on his shoulder, Peter stopped. He could see the look in the mans eyes and it terrified him. Mar-Vell was supposed to be the leader. They were totally screwed. “No-” Peter said to himself, “No, we’ll make it. We’re getting out of this- alive.” He listened to Mar-Vell, not fully comprehending what he was saying. “Did the Kree know something? Did he already have a plan for how this all played out? Was he going to-?” “We’re going to take care of the Foesitians. That’s all that matters right now,” He paused, “But don’t think I won’t kick Thanos’ big purple ass across the ‘verse if he tries anything. We’re going to make it out of this, Mar-”
“But you will remember me-”
He tried to believe his own words. This was how this was supposed to work, right? Bad guys dead, good guys on top, Earth saved. People saved. Galaxies saved. Safe and sound in the stars, ever enduring and moving, changing, fuelled by dreams and ambitions and strength. “But not today. Not this time.”
“And just one mistake, is all it will take-”
“Okay- here’s the plan. Gamora- you and I will man the Milano. We aim, we shoot, we score. Easy, right? Nothing we haven’t done before, yeah? Don’t answer that. Groot, I want Rocket and you in the shuttles for mobility. Shoot anything that moves, obviously. Rocket, blow shit up. I’m going to try and get her close enough to detonate a bomb- but I don’t plan on anyone dying. I have a plan. And don’t worry, this time, it’s like, 13% of a plan-” he added, looking at Rocket. “Stephen-” He turned to the doctor, “You’re now an honorary Guardian. So, uh… do your thing.”
Were the others seeing what he was seeing?
The flashes of red and gold on black, like those desktop screen savers that gave him a headache. Everything was moving, swirling, pulsing like the heart beat of some gigantic beast- and in the centre- a crimson star, so bright it should have been blinding, but instead, it was infectious, spreading it’s eerie glow to all corners of the universe.
The Milano’s controls shook in his hands. Something was happening to Sanctuary. He could feel the ship shudder. He wished he was flying the Milano right now. He knew it was impossible, but it didn’t stop him from hoping. He wanted to be out of this god-forsaken ship and be free of the tension that hung in the air. He knew the Milano. It was his home. His sanctuary. He felt safe there. But this wasn’t safe. It was sickening. He looked over at his team mates, although he couldn’t tell quite what they were thinking, because the shadows obscured the faces he found so familiar.
“We’ll go down in history-”
“Guys…” Peter spoke quietly. His voice was shaking, for the first time in his life. “I want you to know- I appreciate you standing by me all of these years. I know I’m not the easiest person to work with, but… I would not be here without you. And for everything you’ve done for me, I hope to return the favour. We’re going to make it out of this. I won’t let any of you die in this hell, I promise.” Peter was rambling to keep his nerves controlled, but he was completely genuine. “We’re going to beat this. We may be out gunned, but we have hope. And awesome music and a raccoon with a rocket launcher. And we’re not going to let some aliens who sound like they were named by a sleepy toddler* destroy our planet!”
He tried to joke, just to lighten the mood, but the void seemed to suck every good feeling out of him. He couldn’t feel anything but pain and loss and regret. Everything reminded him of all of the times he’d screwed up, all of the times he’d made mistakes or said something stupid and the usual humour he had to laugh it off was not longer present. He felt like a failure, like all of the weight of his losses was going to crush him and the ship.
He reached out, punching the button on the tape player. A slow, pop-y tune played, sounding just as foreboding as the oncoming storm, like the music that played in action movies when something shitty happens to the hero. Yet, it reminded Peter of home. His mother. His old house. The times when they’d go out and sit on the front porch and watch the stars. And he’d see one fall and his mother would tell him to make a wish and he always wished the same thing. He wished that now, as Sanctuary was sucked through the darkness.
“Remember me for centuries-”
[OOC: *No offence to Shiv or Koi]
It was easier than she expected to turn around and head to the Milano. Gamora looked at her father, giving a slight thank you for everything he had done for her, he was the reason she was here and the reason she had a possibility of surviving this.
She passed Peter as he was stopped, she continued on to the ship, waiting for the rest to get on. Although she only had to wait for a few seconds, n one wanted to be out there when they began to move into the Void. The mood darkened as they moved closer, Gamora was unsure if she would be able to handle this. Not just moving through the void, but fighting the Foestetiens, and the aftermath if she survived.
Gamora nodded, of course she would help Peter in whatever was needed of her, she had a steady hand at flying ships, it was quite possible that it would be needed. She smiled a bit sadly at her team, this would be harder than anything else they had faced, but if anyone could do this it would be them.
She strapped herself in,better to be in a place where she would not be moving around continuously.
She began to focus just before things began to change, she closed her eyes, working on trying to focus on the rest of the Guardians. Her memories did not want to stay though, flashes of memories seemed to stick. Like a picture, she stuck on those, snipets of her memory, she bit her lip to keep from screaming as they were pulled through the void.
It hurt, there was no denying that, she wondered vaguely how everyone else was doing, especially those that were not used to pain. Her memories went to her childhood, memories that she did not remember completely. Playing in a meadow on the world that was destroyed, that she was taken from. Smiling faces of he family, peace, complete peace.
She focused on that, it seemed to help the pain dissipate. A peaceful famiy on a peaceful world, something she had for such a short time in her life.
The void seemed to continue on forever, her whole life seemed to pass by in the time that they went through, but it seemed to be a millisecond. Focusing on so many memories, some she did not know if they were real, but they were keeping her alive and alert.
When it seemed to stop she felli back in her chair, exhausted, she could only allow herself a few seconds of rest. She knew she had to be ready for the next part of the fight.
Rocket got into position in the Milano and prepared for his part of the mission. It wasn’t often that he got given permission to blow lots of things up, but then again it wasn’t often that he was a part of a mission that was either going to save the galaxy or condemn it to death. Although he had been a part of those missions more often since he became a part of the Guardians. But you know what? Rocket wouldn’t change a damn thing. If he was going to go down, he was going to go down with a grin on his face and bomb in his paw.
However there were no happy thoughts allowed as they got sucked into the Void. Everything became black with no hope of any light ever again. Rocket had to repeatedly remind himself that this was the Void’s influence and it was only temporary. Everything was only temporary, nothing lasted forever.
Finally they were through and Rocket shook his head to dispel the lasting effect of travelling through the Void. He got out of his chair and prepared to launch any number of hand-made explosives at the bad guys.
“Quill, when you’ve stopped being a soppy, sappy, son of a gun, I’m in position and ready to explode some nasty looking alien-ass when you are.” Rocket grinned, or he forced himself to grin. There was no way he was going to let the Foesitian threat get the better of him. “All I ask is you keep the Milano steady so I can aim easier. I ain’t wanting to waste a single bomb on nothing. Every one I send out needs to get to its target for maximum explosive fun. You hear me, Quill?”
Rocket looked at the rest of the crew, the people he could potentially be spending his last few moments with. For the first time ever, he found himself missing Drax but at the same time, Rocket was glad he wasn’t here. At least one Guardian had the chance to live on after all of this mess.
“Whaddya say, team? Ready to show the Foesitians who’s the boss of the galaxy? ‘Coz I know I am! Guardians, plus Strange dude! Let’s blow ‘em to flarkin’ hell!”
{Next up: strange-sorcerer}
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