Post by Drake on Jun 15, 2016 15:59:48 GMT -5
#20: Infinity - The Kree-Spartoi War Part 5
Finis Rei
By Drake
An empty moon glistened blue in a corner of the galaxy untouched by war. The sun’s golden light refracted through the moon’s atmosphere, darkening into an azure glow that gave the area an eerie quality.
Suddenly, an even brighter flash of blue burst into existence, and disappeared just as quickly as it came. It left in its wake three groups—the Space Stone-seeking Nebula, Drax, Gamora, Rocket, Groot, Heather, Korvac, and a squadron of Badoon troops; the death-defying Phyla Vell and Peter Quill, who sat in a floating Milago; and the all-powerful Thanos. Nearly each person emerged shocked, unsure of what had just happened. Even Thanos could not remain unfazed.
“Who dares abduct me?” Thanos growled.
“Thanos…” Korvac said, noticing the Titan, who merely raised an eyebrow inquisitively at the man-god, before seeing the Space Stone fall through his hand.
“Oh, hey, Quill. How’s it goin’, Phy? Milago looks like shit,” Rocket greeted, catching sight of the starship.
“Rocket!” Heather chided, immediately charging her hands with Nova Force. She aimed one at Thanos, and the other at Nebula.
“Listen, I know I’m one for exclamatory curse words in plot twist scenarios, but let’s be real here. This is not the weirdest thing that’s happened to us,” Rocket replied. Nonetheless he cocked his gun and aimed it at the Badoon. “But I hear ya, babe. Any ‘a these suckers move, and they’ll eat laser.”
The Badoon began to chatter to themselves, as the rest of the new arrivals grew restless. Korvac continued to glare at Thanos, as the Mad Titan casually eyed the rest of the party. Drax shifted uncomfortably beside Heather, muttering to himself. Gamora and Nebula stared at one another, and got into ready positions. Peter’s trigger finger itched as he struggled to absorb what had just happened.
“I am Groot,” the tree-man stated.
“Yes, you idiot, we know we can breathe,” Rocket spat back.
“I am Groot.”
“Who gives a d’ast if it’s a moon? The only science that makes sense anymore is me and guns got great chemistry,” Rocket retorted.
”Annihilators,” Thanos began, pointing at Korvac, ”Retrieve the Space Stone and give it to me.”
However, the second Nebula took a step, she froze, stopping the battle before it could begin. Drax, too, quieted and remained still. In fact, everyone except for the Guardians, Korvac, and Thanos, had their bodies frozen in place, a soft orange glow flickering in their irises.
Thanos and Korvac felt a surge of energy, and looked toward Milago.
Simultaneously, they whispered, ”The Time Stone.”
Inside Milago, Phyla collapsed beside Peter, the Gauntlet’s strain weighing on her. Peter glanced between his Kree co-pilot and the two powerful beings staring at him through the window. He silently swore to himself and helped Phyla into the pilot’s seat.
“Give me the Gauntlet,” he demanded. “That’s an order.”
“Psh. Your orders mean nothing. I led the Guardians in my time,” Phyla weakly quipped.
“But it isn’t your time, is it?” Peter shot back, before realizing what he’d said. “Phy, I’m sor—“
Phyla flickered, quieting him. She looked up at Peter, her eyes hazy. “No, you’re right. It isn’t my time, but that doesn’t mean I have to let you doom yourself, too.”
“Phyla…”
“Don’t make me freeze you,” she threatened.
Meanwhile, none of the other Guardians knew what to do or say as the two nearly omnipotent beings—Thanos and Korvac—faced off.
”I have the Stones. Those children—” Thanos pointed to Rocket, who growled back.
“Who you callin’ children?!”
“—are friends of the other Gauntlet’s wielder, but you—how are you unaffected by the Time Stone? Who are you?” Thanos fiercely asked.
“I am Korvac,” the man-god said, “and I am not of this time.”
“Time travel…why’s it always time travel?” Rocket bemoaned, as Korvac continued. Curious, Thanos listened on.
“I am from the future. One day, a man by the name of Michael Korvac will be caught in a conflict he cannot escape. An accident will connect Michael to the Reality Stone, creating from him a god. In his foolhardy effort to control the Time Stone, he will lose himself to the past,”
“You’re an abomination. That’s why the Space Stone reacted so toxically to your grasp; that’s why you cannot hold it,” Thanos realized.
“Abomination? How hypocritical, coming from you,” Korvac retorted.
Thanos tightened his hands into fists. ”Boy, you will regret that insult when I rip the Reality Stone from your lifeless husk.”
Korvac merely smirked. “I am not afraid of you; I am a god.”
Thanos’ hands ignited with cosmic energy, and he fired it at the man-god. “And I am a butcher of gods!”
Korvac flew as quickly as light behind Thanos and attempted to punch through his chest. However, the Mad Titan was prepared. He activated the Power Stone, blasting Korvac away.
”As I thought. Your weakness is your very connection to the Infinity Stones. This will not take long,” Thanos noted, marching toward the fallen man-god.
As the other Guardians remained frozen in shock and terror, Heather kicked herself into gear. She turned to the others.
“We have to get the Space Stone to Phyla!” she said.
Rocket took a moment to compose himself, and then nodded, “We’ll make sure the space juicers stay distracted. You get the stone.” He looked toward his best friend, “Groot, old buddy, let’s go.”
“I am Groot!” the tree-man agreed, placing Rocket on his shoulder.
“Don’t die,” Heather said.
Rocket looked back at her one last time, saying, “Please. Phyla said I grow up to go slargan-fragging evil. I got a few years left.”
The two headed off, leaving Rocket to shout one last thing: “Raccoons don’t have that long ‘a life-span anyway! …And don’t tell Quill I admitted I’m a raccoon!”
Meanwhile, Phyla was doing her best to leave the ship, but Peter wouldn’t have it.
“We both know you won’t force me to do anything. Just give me the gauntlet,” Peter demanded.
“What you just said could apply to me,” Phyla retorted. Her hand faded through the wall and she tripped. “Agh!”
“That’s not true,” Peter demurely whispered.
Before Phyla could stand back up, he drew the Element Gun and smacked her over the head with it. She immediately crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
“Sorry, Phy, but I’m a mean son of a bitch,” Peter said, moving the Kree warrior back to her seat.
He then slipped the Infinity Gauntlet off her hand and onto his. Immediately refreezing the Annihilators and the Badoon troops, Peter felt a wave of energy drain from his body. He shook his head, grit his teeth, and approached the back of Milago.
“Milago, open the ha—“
Suddenly, Korvac came crashing through Milago, tearing it in two. Both sides fell to the ground. The front engine exploded, but as Phyla remained at the back of the ship, she went unharmed.
“Milago!” Peter shouted. The auto-pilot did not respond.
“HAHAHAHA! That’s right, suckers! Run for your lives!” Rocket cheered, firing his blaster rifle after the two titans, as they soared away, ignoring the raccoon and his friend like they were bugs.
Out of the corner of his eye, Peter saw an orb of golden light moving toward him—quickly! He swerved around, ready to block whatever was incoming. It turned out Heather was the one rocketing toward him, carrying the Space Stone.
“Peter!! Take it!” She crashed to the ground beneath the tear in Milago. “The Stone’s draining me…”
Heather tossed the Infinity Stone up to Peter, who caught it with one hand and immediately placed it into the Gauntlet. Suddenly, he felt power surge through him. Each Stone magnified the others’ power. But then that meant Thanos…
“No…” Peter whispered.
Thanos grabbed Korvac and easily threw him at Peter. Star-Lord managed to deflect the energy being with the Infinity Gauntlet, but contact with Korvac caused the Gauntlet to burst with energy, unfreezing the Annihilators and their Badoon grunts.
“No no no,” Peter panicked. Thanos would soon beat Korvac. It was only a matter of ‘when.’ Now he had to waste his energy refreezing the enemy.
As if reading his mind, Heather said, “Forget the others, Peter. Focus on Thanos.”
“You heard the lady.” Rocket had turned his attention to the more immediate issue, and began to fire at the Badoon.
Peter hesitated, but nodded in agreement. He leaped to the ground, landing with a soft thump, and struggled to locate Thanos and Korvac. At that moment, they emerged from the ground, dozens of yards away, Thanos’ hand wrapped around Korvac’s neck. The man-god rained fire and energy upon the titan, but he was not phased. The Reality Stone could not harm him.
”I envy you. My lady awaits you,” Thanos said.
“DIE!” Korvac cried, panic rising inside him.
Meanwhile, Peter tried to reach them with the Space Stone, teleporting all across the moon, but he couldn’t match their pace. They were gods. He was but a man. So, he focused his attention on a battle he knew he could make a difference in, and ran toward Rocket and Groot.
Amidst the chaos, Gamora had managed to sneak up behind her adoptive sister, Nebula, who was making her way toward the mammalian cyborg-titanic tree duo.
“Sister, stop this,” Gamora pleaded. Nebula swiveled around and extended her sword so it hovered just inches from her turncoat sibling’s neck.
“Oh, let me guess? This is when you’ll repeat to me every cliché lie you’re taught in holovision soaps: how father is cruel, how he never truly loved us, how I could make a difference fighting alongside you,” Nebula venomously chided.
Gamora refused to so much as blink, staring into her sister’s eyes. “No, Nebula, it’s too late for that.”
Nebula smirked. “So you finally admit Father has won.”
Gamora shook her head, drawing a single bead of emerald blood on her sister’s blade. “I admit only that I have lost you.”
The Deadliest Woman in the Galaxy ducked under her sister’s sword as she swung it for a decapitating blow. Nebula let loose a frustrated roar, as Gamora drew her sword and attempted to bring it down upon her sister’s dominant arm. Nebula reacted instinctively, blocking the blow and using her second blade to strike Gamora, who managed to avoid most of the attack, but suffered a deep cut in her arm nonetheless.
Gamora leaped forward, unleashing a battle cry. Nebula thrust forward with both of her swords. Gamora swung down between both blades, deflecting them apart. She then grabbed her sister by her throat, and slammed her into the ground. However, Nebula managed to switch their positions, pulling Gamora down and rolling atop her.
“Die, traitor,” Nebula growled.
Gamora wasn’t finished yet. She kicked upward, knocking her sister away.
“That is why you always lose, Nebula. You talk far too much,” Gamora coaxed. “For that reason, I am and always will be Father’s favorite.”
“RRRAAA!!!” Nebula cried, charging forward.
Gamora took a deep breath, and flipped over her sister. Nebula tried to match the maneuver, jumping back off her lead foot. She then spiraled in mid-air, creating a cyclone of edged violence. However, Gamora was prepared for the attack. She feinted forward, causing Nebula to stop spinning and attempt for a two-pronged approach. She tried to block Gamora with one blade and stab her with the other. That was when Gamora won.
The Deadliest Woman in the Galaxy dropped her sword, and flipped backward, kicking it forward by the hilt. The sword’s blade deflected Nebula’s lunge, and continued forward, impaling the cyborg through her gut.
Rolling to a stop, Gamora pityingly watched her sister crumple to the ground. Nebula tried to stand, but failed. Gamora knew where to aim. She’d hit the metal joint that strengthened and tied together both of her legs. She was effectively crippled.
Slowly, Gamora walked over to her sister, who tried to stab her feet. She merely kicked one sword aside, and pulled the other from her grasp.
Rage left Nebula’s eyes and was replaced by sorrow. She let loose a metallic moan.
“Just once…I wanted to win just once,” Nebula whispered.
Gamora looked down at her sister, and raised her sword. Nebula wouldn’t break her gaze. Gamora took a deep breath, and…threw the weapon away.
She flipped Nebula over, and drew her own sword from her sister’s stomach, as the blue-skinned warrior cried, “No! No—ergh—what are you doing? End it!”
Gamora stepped back, and wiped her blade clean on her boot heels.
“If I live like this… Father will never…please, Gamora!” Nebula begged.
“I asked of you something earlier. You refused. Now, I refuse your request,” Gamora coolly said, before jeeringly adding, “I cannot say that I am not petty, Nebula. Sister.”
And with those words, Gamora left Nebula, ignoring her sister’s calls as she charged into battle against the Badoon.
…
Elsewhere, Heather blasted two Badoon troops from her father’s side. The man known as the Destroyer was in a berserker rage, lashing out at any who came near. Ironically, Heather had just saved the Badoons’ lives.
“Dad!” Heather called out, landing in front of her father.
Drax looked up, eyes bloodshot, and roared, “RRRAGGHH!!”
He charged Heather, who flew over him.
“Your name is Arthur Douglas! I am Heather, your daughter. Please!”
“False memories…your fault, witch!” Drax shouted, throwing one of his knives at Heather, who blasted it away.
“Dad…” Heather floated to the ground. She removed her helmet, deactivating her suit. “It’s me, Heather. I’m not lying to you. I don’t know what happened, what Thanos did to you, what Korvac did to you, but please, listen to me.”
Drax hesitated. Heather forced a smile.
“I love you, Dad. I became an astronaut just to find you. I’ve come so far. Dad, please, remember me. Remember Mom. Remember Isaac, our beagle, and our red brick house. Remember sunsets at grandpa Jon’s farm,” Heather calmly said. Tears began to fall from her eyes, but she refused to let her voice tighten.
Drax screamed in pain and grabbed his head. Heather ran to his side and wrapped her arm around him.
“Dad—“
SHNK!
Heather looked down, seeing the knife in her gut as soon as she felt it. She turned her gaze up to her father, who locked eyes with her.
“Witch,” he whispered.
Heather shook her head, and hugged him. “No. Your daughter. Heather.”
She collapsed, her Nova helmet falling beside her. Drax looked down, and suddenly the memories clicked. Realization dawned upon him.
“No…no! HEATHER!” Drax dropped to her side, and rested her head on his lap. “Heather, honey, no! No no no no! I know you! God, no…”
The slightest sound caught his attention. A garbled breath. She was alive! But what could he do?
“Heather…”
<Arthur Douglas, please remove your knife, and we will begin the healing process,> came a million overlapping voices in his head.
“Who…?”
<We are the Worldmind of Xandar, and we are your daughter’s only hope,> the voices explained.
“Xandar…the Nova Corps!” he realized, and removed the knife from his daughter’s gut.
<Now place your daughter’s helmet on her head.>
Drax did as he was told. Suddenly, a golden glow ignited over Heather’s body, and sparkled particularly brightly over her wound.
<The regeneration process has begun. Please, protect your daughter while she recovers,> the Worldmind said.
“Understood,” Drax grimaced, standing up.
A few Badoon troops finally noticed the injured Nova Corpswoman, and began to turn their attention to her. Drax licked his lips and flipped his bloodied knife around.
”Who’s feeling lucky?”
…
“HAHAHA! SUCK ON THIS, FRAGGERS!” Rocket maniacally chattered, blowing away Badoon troops.
Beside, Peter quite literally blew them away with air from his Element Gun, then burned them to a crisp with fire, drowned them in water, and buried them under mountains of earth.
“Rocket, whatever happens—“ Peter began, but the raccoon interrupted him.
He stopping firing for a moment and looked at the Terran. “Don’t give me that bullshit, Quill. We’re going to win. Just don’t give up. Use the bloody Gauntlet if you have to, and kick Thanos’ wrinkley purple ass—“
BLAM!
Rocket was shot off Groot’s shoulder.
“NO!” Peter screamed.
“I am Groot,” the tree-man worriedly muttered, protecting his friend from a hail of fire.
“Rocket. Rocky, buddy.” Peter ran to the raccoon’s side, and checked him over. He was bleeding out of his shoulder. It didn’t look fatal, but he wasn’t about to jump back into battle.
“I am Groot,” the tree-man warned.
“Not now, Groot,” Peter shouted back, ripping cloth from his shirt to make a bandage.
“Quill, you d’ast idiot, he’s tryin’ to tell ya—” Rocket pointed behind Peter.
The Star-Lord looked back. A Badoon fired a bazooka, aimed straight for Peter and Rocket. Before he could act, Groot jumped in front of the RPG, and was blasted into a million pieces.
Peter wasn’t about to make the same careless mistake again, ignoring the prevalent problem. He immediately took care of the enemy, lighting them on fire.
“Groot…take care of Groot…” Rocket muttered, fading out of consciousness.
“Damn it,” Peter whispered, looking between the splinters that were all that was left of Groot, and Rocket’s weak form. “DAMN IT!”
With a single thought, Peter froze everyone he could, leaving only Thanos and Korvac untouched by the Gauntlet’s power. He could literally feel the energy leaking from his body. So what if this drained him? It didn’t matter if he won if the rest of his friends died in the process.
CRASH!
Thanos smashed Korvac against the ground. For once, the man-god did not—could not fight back. As Thanos lifted him up off the ground by his throat, Korvac merely slumped back, defeated.
“No…” Peter said. He rushed forward, but it was too late.
Thanos punched through Korvac’s chest, and ripped from it the Reality Stone. The man-god looked at Peter as his body began to fade away in waves. He couldn’t speak, but his eyes said it all. Peter was doomed. Terrified, he stumbled back as Thanos placed the Stone in his Infinity Gauntlet.
The Mad Titan’s eyes glinted with power as he turned to Peter and calmly said, ”You’re next.”