“Thanos of Titan! We call upon you to surrender the Infinity Gems!” Master Order ordered.
“Honor this request, or face power beyond your wildest dreams!” Lord Chaos warned.
“I believe you will discover the horizons of my imaginings far wider than you would suspect, Lord Chaos!” Thanos responded as he held up the Infinity Gauntlet. “That what you challenge is beyond even your mystic understanding! Begone, foolish godlings, or suffer my celestial wrath!”
“The outcome of this battle is uncertain.” Mephisto declared. “However, I doubt either of us will last more than a few microseconds into the conflict.”
“We’re gonna die pretty quickly.” Spinel commented.
“Yeah, that’s what I sai–”
“Still, knowing Thanos, he’ll probably just bring us back after it is all done, and force us to keep on praising him.” Spinel commented. “Regardless… may the end begin.”
Thanos leaped towards his enemies, who were quick to charge towards the Titan. Spinel and Mephisto couldn’t see a thing, an engagement of this magnitude was simply a massive flash of light from their perspective. The initial clash surpassed anything words could describe, as it all collapsed along the entire spectrum of reality. Were they witnessing the end of the universe? Planets, solar systems, entire galaxy clusters, all reduced to ash in a moment. Spinel and Mephisto slowly opened their eyes, surprised to see both of them, alongside Nebula, were completely unharmed. Standing before them was their savior, who had created a forcefield around them.
“Mistress Death!” The two declared in unison, before they looked up to see Thanos, the Infinity Gauntlet still in his hands, as he defended his divinity. The Titan looked up, to see a Celestial hovering above him.
“I have existed since the mysterious emptiness before creation, and I will be here once creation disappears back into Oblivion.” One Above All declared. “To me you are but an insect crawling in the mud.”
With a wave of One Above All’s hand a seemingly endless chain of planets came flying from the other side of the universe. The fact that some of those worlds inhabited sentient life was not considered, as the Celestial fired the planets at Thanos at the speed of thought, but it did no good, as the Mad Titan simply snapped his fingers, and all of the countless planets exploded into massive planet sized fireballs.
“Your time as God has ended, Thanos.” Eternity declared, as Thanos felt his own body being swallowed by time, and being stretched into the past, present, and future simultaneously. Eternity was trying to bury Thanos deep into the layers of a dying and forgotten timeline. It was a futile hope, as one of the Infinity Gems granted Thanos mastery of what tried to overwhelm him, and with a mere thought the Mad Titan opened his way through the endless seas of time and walked out of his time prison.
“I am everything for I am nothing.” Master Order declared as he approached the Mad Titan.
“All these things do I know and affect but never do they touch me.” Lord Chaos declared as he joined his brother.
Thanos felt his body being struck by duality, as half of his body was forced into absolute order, discipline, law, and structure, while the other half was forced into absolute chaos, disorder, randomness, and formlessness. They hoped to dichotomize the Titan, but Thanos refused to surrender his individuality, quickly breaking out of the forced duality.
The battle continued to rage without pause, as forces combined to add more than the sum of their parts. The temporal was abandoned for pure force and energy, as Thanos was engulfed by the combined force of Galactus, Odin, and the Beyonder, managing to make the Mad Titan lose his balance. It was but a minor setback for Thanos, one which he overcame with a mere wish.
“By heavens… what am I doing?” Thanos asked.
“I am giving those wretches exactly what they deserved!” Thanos responded.
“But they are my heavenly brothers…” Thanos whispered in sadness.
“And I will kill them all!” Thanos declared in rage.
“N-no… I should honor and cherish them…” Thanos whispered.
“What madness is this?” Thanos asked furiously, before he looked up to see the one responsible for his duality.
“That was a pretty light show you provided us, Mad titan, but it is pointless. After all I'm every color of the light.” White Diamond declared as she floated over Thanos. “Once I am done with you, you will be brilliant, you will be perfect, you will be me.”
“You dare to try invading my mind?” Thanos declared furiously, before he quickly blasted White Diamond. “Be away, bothersome manipulator!”
Thanos charged another blast, when he suddenly felt a strange heat, and looked around to see himself surrounded by hellfire. Thanos prepared to quickly dispel it, when his mind was suddenly flooded by strange memories of himself as a baby in Titan, and felt as if he was back to the moment he had been born. Thanos screamed in anger, as he turned to see who had attacked him.
“Mephisto! Spinel!” Thanos declared in fury, as Mephisto tried to pull the Infinity Gauntlet away from Thanos’ hand, while Spinel struck his arm with the rejuvenator in an attempt to slice Thanos’ hand off. “You dare to betray me?”
“We’ve come to relieve you of the burden of supremacy!” Mephisto declared in a sarcastic tone.
“You might think you are invincible, Thanos!” Spinel declared. “But you still have a body! Anything that has a body can be hurt!”
“You reverted to type prematurely, traitors!” Thanos asked angrily, and he pushed both of them away from his arm, before grabbing them both by the neck. “This is an error you will pay for dearly!”
A massive wave of energy suddenly struck Thanos, tossing him to the ground as Mephisto and Spinel ran off. Thanos got back up and looked around in fury, and his eyes widened as he saw who had been the one to attack him.
“Mistress Death…” Thanos declared, his voice showing a mixture of rage and sadness, as Death prepared to strike him once again. “I offered you the universe… and you betrayed me…”
All of the entities came together and attacked in a large blast. Thanos screamed in terror, as he was struck by the combined power of Spinel, Mephisto, One Above All, Lord Chaos, Master Order, Odin, Eternity, Galactus, White Diamond, Beyonder, and Mistress Death, and a massive blast of light engulfed the Titan’s body. Suddenly the light began spinning like a hurricane, and all of the cosmic beings found themselves paralyzed, stuck inside a large cage of light and at Thanos’ mercy.
“Divinity calls for clear thinking, unburdened with chaotic emotion. Let me be rid of all illusions…” The imprisioned divinities heard, before they looked up and saw Thanos standing above them, having taken Eternity’s place. Thanos no longer needed a body, having gotten rid of the flesh that limited his omnipotence. Thanos was everywhere and everywhen, everyone and everything, for he had become one with the universe. “For I am Thanos! I alone am supreme!”
“You’ve made… a grave mistake…” Thanos heard, as his cosmic eyes widened, and he looked back at the body he had just abandoned. The left hand of that body no longer wielded the Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos felt his senses shatter, as his consciousness flooded back into his physical body in an instant. “In abandoning your corporeal form… you left the Gauntlet up for the taken!”
Thanos turned in terror, as he saw the face of the new wielder of the Infinity Gauntlet, realizing the reversal of the dire fortunes.
“I, Nebula, step away from the edge of oblivion!” Nebula declared, as she used the gauntlet in her hands to heal her body, reverting to what she was before the torture she suffered in the hands of Thanos. “The mantle of providence rests now on new shoulders! Every wish is but an urge away! You more than anyone know what I yearn for, father! Revenge!”
Before Thanos could react, the Infinity Gems glowed on Nebula’s glove, and the Mad Titan disappeared without a trace.
===============================================
“We are back?” Lapis asked, as they all sat around a large table in the middle of Avengers Tower.
“The reins of power have changed hands. I can sense it.” Doctor Strange declared as he held onto his Eye of Agamotto. “Nebula wields the Infinity Gauntlet. She must have subconsciously revived us using its power.”
“That is good, isn’t it?” Steven asked. “Thanos is defeated.”
“The situation has gone from bad to worse.” Nova declared. “I’ve delt with Nebula before. She is deranged from a life of pain and anguish. She must be using the Infinity Gems to torture Thanos right now.”
“That is very humane… something a human would want…” Cyclops declared. “The power of the Infinity Gauntlet belongs to no man. The Infinity Gauntlet must be destroyed.”
“Cyclops is right.” Captain America declared. “No matter how enlightened or benevolent, freedom to do only what a single person allows is not freedom.”
“The very first thing Nebula did with her power was punish Thanos. Who else might she want to punish in the future?” Garnet declared. “We must stop her before it is too late. Everyone should be free to make their own mind and have their own thoughts, no matter how corrupt those thoughts are.”
“Very well.” Pearl declared as she got up from the table. “Nebula must be stopped.”
“Aye, Pearl.” Thor declared as he too got up.
“Let’s go for it!” Drax declared.
“I’m with you, Drax.” Nova added.
“Teaming up with a bunch of heroes to fight a space blue lady?” Amethyst commented. “That brings back memories.”
“Oh, shut up!” Lapis added.
“Show me the heads, man.” Tony Stark declared. “Iron Man will crack them.”
“It is an honor to fight with you all.” Steven declared.
“I’m in.” Spider-Man commented. “I’m not about to argue against Captain America, Cyclops, and Garnet.”
“Nobody knows better than me how dangerous too much power can be.” Bruce Banner commented. “I will help you, and I believe the Hulk will agree.”
“The temptation of power is insidious.” Storm declared. “If someone looks down upon us and tells us that they know what is best, that’s when we should fight the hardest.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Wolverine commented.
“I agree.” Nightcrawler declared. “Nobody can be trusted with such power.”
“Resisting is our only choice.” Namor declared.
“I would be lying if I said that I am not scared…” Colossus added. “But I have never let that stop me before. I say we fight.”
“Very well.” Captain America declared. “We’ll fight!”
===============================================
Thanos floated through spaces unknown. He was trapped in a vacuum, a pocket dimension outside of the universe, where there was nothing but him. How long had he been there? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Decades? Centuries? Millenia? Thanos could not tell. He felt trapped, trapped and alone.
Nebula would not let him die, nor would she ever let him escape. His body would endure long after his spirit succumbs to the endless exile his daughter had banished him to. An eternity of nothingness, his personal infinity to null on his sins and follies.
It was then Thanos saw it. A light, which quickly took the shape of a portal, before sucking him in.
===============================================
“Welcome to mother Earth, Titan.” Lapis Lazuli greeted as Thanos fell onto the ground of the meeting room in Avengers Tower, before Doctor Strange closed the portal. Thanos looked up, to see all of the heroes he had previously killed standing around him.
“Why have you brought me here?” Thanos asked as he began getting back to his feet, onto to be struck on the face by a water fist from Lapis Lazuli, once again dropping to the ground.
“Not so strong without the Gauntlet, hm?” Amethyst commented.
“He’s probably been weakened due to Nebula’s punishment.” Lapis declared in anger as she crossed her arms. “Even without the Infinity Gems, he’d normally be stronger than most of us.”
“Now if you all are quite through, you might be interested in discussing how we might yet save the universe from total annihilation.” Strange commented.
“Which is exactly where it is headed with Nebula in control of the Gauntlet!” Thanos declared as he got up and took a few steps towards Lapis, only for Hulk and Thor to block his way. Thanos stared at the two in anger, before taking a few steps back. “My daughter’s intellect is not worthy of godhood! Sudden omnipotence would corrupt even the finest mind!”
“First we need to come up with a plan of attack.” Garnet commented. “This will be risky, but Nebula does not still comprehend the full scale of the power she holds. We might have a chance if we act quickly.”
“There is only one way we can win.” Lapis Lazuli declared. “But first, I’ll need to have a word alone with Thanos.”
“So that you can scheme up some new deviltry against us?” They heard, before they turned to see Doctor Doom walking in through the door, pointing at Lapis. “I tell you this Gem is Thanos’ secret partner!”
“Well, look who it is. Mister ‘Give me the Infinity Gauntlet’ himself!” Lapis declared in annoyance. “Someone get him out of my face before I rip his head off!”
“You heard her, Doom.” Thor declared, as he put his hand on Doom’s shoulder. Thor stared at Doom with an angry expression, before signing towards the door with his head.
“You fool!” Doom declared, before he turned around and walked away from the room. “You will regret not hearing the word of Doom!”
The other heroes were quick to follow after, until the only figures in the room were Lapis Lazuli and Thanos. Lapis made her way towards the door, carefully closing it.
“I would be happy in letting you suffer.” Lapis declared before she turned towards the Mad Titan. “But we would never defeat Nebula without your help.”
“What if I withhold this aid?” Thanos asked. “What benefits do I reap on Nebula’s defeat?”
“The truth.” Lapis declared, as Thanos stared at her with slight confusion. “About yourself.”
“You have some special insight into this matter?” Thanos asked.
“Right after Steven returned from his trial on Homeworld, I was convinced that the Diamonds would come after him. I ran away from Earth and tried to flee the galaxy, but I felt lonely and came back. I stationed myself on the moon, in Pink Diamond’s base, and there I found something quite interesting…” Lapis declared, staring at Thanos with a serious expression. “The Soul Gem.”
“For months I was linked with that stone! I used it to spy into the souls of the Gems on Earth, to know what was happening without being physically present! The link between me and the Soul Gem became stronger with every second I held it! Even now we are still linked! That is why Blue Diamond could not affect me with her powers! That is how I knew that you had completed the Infinity Gauntlet! Whenever you used the Soul Gem, I had access to your inner heart! I could see everything!” Lapis declared as she took several steps towards Thanos, just as Thanos took a few steps back. “I know you better than anyone else in the universe! I know you better than you know yourself!”
Thanos continued to take a few steps back, trying to stay as far away from Lapis as he could, before his back touched the wall.
“Look back into your life, Thanos of Titan, and what do you see?” Lapis asked. “A man seeking ultimate power, and losing it the moment he attains it! Because deep in his soul he knows he is not worthy of it!”
“Shut your mouth!” Thanos yelled, before he pushed Lapis away and walked to the other side of the room, looking away from Lapis. “It’s not true… I just made a mistake… I…”
“You subconsciously supply means of you own defeat.” Lapis declared. “This is not the first time this has happened. You let Nebula take the Infinity Gauntlet from you, just as in the past you had let Captain Marvel shatter the Cosmic Cube.”
“Very well!” Thanos yelled in aguish. “I will aid you… just… stop talking…”
===============================================
“Is all in the readiness?” Lapis asked as she walked out of the room, Thanos closely following her.
“Everyone is set to go.” Strange declared as he opened a large portal. “Except for Doctor Doom. He just left.”
“Fight well, Asgardian.” Drax declared.
“We shall give it our all.” Thor answered, before the heroes all nodded and leaped through the portal.
“They haven’t one chance in a million for victory.” Thanos commented.
“They are well aware of that fact.” Lapis declared. “But we do have said chance.”
“Yes…” Thanos whispered. “One in a million.”
===============================================
“Already the mist begins to part. The future clears for me and so does my destiny.” Nebula declared, as she sat on a large throne, the Gods still frozen inside the light prison Thanos had created. “In exactly five seconds from now, I’ll be receiving some visitors.”
The portal opened and the heroes flew out. As fast as they could, they struck as one, in a combined struck that shook the heavens, but against the power of the Infinity Gauntlet, they are nothing. Nebula thought for a moment, and the heroes found themselves frozen in place, their bodies paralyzed in time, while their minds could still see the world around them.
“A momentary diversion. You are children sent to pester, just a means of attracting my attention.” Nebula declared, before she got up from the throne and turned. “Two more will appear to challenge my might.”
Another portal opened, and three figures walked out. Doctor Strange, Lapis Lazuli, and Thanos of Titan.
