Chapter Two
1995 Words
Wind whipped passed her as she watched the ship crumble to pieces alongside the building that took its life away in the first place. Instinctively, she placed her hands in front of her chest, arms outstretched, palms glowing with a soft pink hue, feet anchored into the withered ground of Titan.
She was unsure of what to expect. The craft was many miles away from her, no doubt, but she'd encountered reckless flyers before. Even after demolishing buildings in the path of their inadequate handling of a spaceship, occupants filed out of the ships and always attempted to ravage through her home. Her fury lacked common sense, though. There had been multitudes of times where her bravery to fight almost made the complete extinction of Titan a reality.
A few minutes passed.
Nothing.
More minutes.
Nothing.
Silence.
Nothing.
Suddenly, silhouettes molded into her view. Three different bodies outlined themselves in front of her. Faintly, she could tell they were three different men. However, distant observations could make anyone look like a man or a woman. Even so, whoever they were, they'd gotten away from the ship rather quickly. Probably a good idea seeing as though fleeing from death was a common theme in Titan.
Taking a closer look at the distant silhouettes, she noticed they were walking sluggishly; almost as if they were tromping through the erosion. Small puffs of air made themselves evident in the dusty gusts of wind their ship had created. From what she could see, the creatures had been weakened by the crash thus standing as not a single obstacle.
Sighing, she stood straight again, watching the men as they continued to walk toward her, oblivious to the fact that the planet they crash-landed on was not extinct at all.
750,000 years old...
Her eyes fluttered shut. Wool pooled at her feet, a nap-sack she'd fastened across her chest tumbled just next to it. In one quick movement, she placed her hands behind her back, fingers clasped together. However, both index fingers remained free. Swiftly, she pulled her index fingers upward, as if trying to rip out the contents of the planet beneath her. A small, bright green glow illuminated both tips of her index fingers.
She would not stand unready in the wake of an enemy, no, but she would not stay either.
As the wind whipped passed her one final time, the top of her head transitioned into transparency with the rest of her body following closely behind. Soon, she was invisible. If anybody had been around, they'd have thought her a hallucination.
"What do we do now?"
Her ears perked up.
Earth?
"Yeah, Wizard, what do we do now?"
She stifled a laugh. Whoever was talking had quite the crude tone. "Wizard" fumbled out of the gentlemen's mouth in utter disgust.
Just beyond a small hill, not even a few miles away from her, she listened to a rather sharp inhale and a sound that resembled a snort.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," A younger boy's voice rang throughout the wasteland, "But Wizard here has to have a name."
A scoff erupted from the chest of another gentlemen, "You really did listen when I said the adults were talking, huh?"
(Y/N) felt her chest tighten, a smile pinched the creases of her lips, and she tried to disarm the laugh waiting to rupture her lungs.
What are creatures like this doing here? Titan is no place for them.
She tried to reason her reality as best as she could. The fact that three anonymous individuals walked her planet made her uneasy, but her childish characteristics made it seem like a game. Which would make the other scoff again? Which would crack another joke? The possibilities were endless.
A few more moments passed. The gentlemen had hushed after the previous comment, a stale atmospheric pressure blanketed the three men. To say the least, (Y/N) found herself quite disappointed. By this point, she'd normally be battling whomever invaded for scraps. But as the gentlemen finally came clearly into view, she realized that they were just lost.
Or were they?
"Why did we come here again?" The younger boy asked. (Y/N) took note that his face was shielded by some sort of mask.
"Thanos, Peter."
(Y/N) felt a small gasp escape her lips which followed with her hands clasping over her mouth.
Thanos?
Titan had not seen Thanos for hundreds of years. Ever since the mass destruction and the near extinction of every life-form on it, the planet had not known of him any longer. Destroying Titan had soon become fables parents would tell their children. The wasteland became a story.
For a few moments, (Y/N) considered her next moves very carefully. It would be in her best interest to interrogate the creatures that stood just a few feet away from her. If Thanos was their concern, it was hers, too.
"Thanos," She breathed out, her transparent energy deteriorated around her, leaving her being completely exposed to those that stood just before her, "You speak of the Destroyer?"
Boggled, the three men stared at her. Her sudden appearance left them confused. And, as anybody would do on a planet not their own, they stood in defense. The younger boy crouched slightly, readying himself for a fight. The middle man stood with his arms crossed against his chest, a smug expression lay waste on his face. As for the last man, he simply clasped his hands in front of him, just above the navel. A red cape whipped with the breeze that soon faltered after their meeting.
"Who are you?" The last man asked, genuine concern and curiosity laced his words, "And how do you know of Thanos?"
(Y/N) chuckled rather sarcastically. A small grin decorated her lips, eyes fluttered open with iridescent colors bursting from her pupils. She was full of rage at the sound of the name of the man who murdered her people and yet she was bemused by the fact the men would ask her such a question.
"You're on Titan, correct?" She asked, though she knew it was only a rhetoric question, "Anyone from Titan knows of Thanos."
"But why you?" The man asked.
She huffed, "Why anyone?"
Nodding, the man took a step forward. This action did not surprise (Y/N). Instead, it comforted her. His composure lacked aggression which she was incredibly thankful for. However, the other two men behind him muttered things like "Strange, don't" and "Be careful." These men did not know her and yet they found themselves afraid. Did her anonymity frighten them?
"I'm Doctor Stephen Strange," The man said quietly, standing just before her, "I have not come here to disrupt your peace."
She glanced over his shoulder and pointed at the other two, "And them?"
Pivoting only slightly, Strange pointed at the younger boy, "His name is Peter Parker– Spider-Man, in this case and," He pointed at the other man, "Tony Stark."
"We're the Avengers," Peter mumbled, gathering up the courage to stand beside Strange, "Earth's greatest defenders."
(Y/N) scoffed, "Why are you here then? What does Titan and Thanos have to do with Earth?"
"Have you ever heard of the Infinity Stones?"
She nodded, eyes widening.
"Thanos has embarked on a journey for many years to acquire all six of them."
"Does he have any now?"
"Three."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
She didn't want to hear which ones he had. Simply having one made Thanos stronger than any other creature for galaxies even far beyond their own. But with six... The snap of his fingers could obliterate half of the population on every thriving planet in the universe.
"And you're here?" She retorted, suddenly disgusted by their destructive invasion and their light-hearted moments of comedy, "You're here while Thanos is out there," She pointed toward the orange hue of Titan's skies. Her heartbeat faltered as she eyed the faded accumulation of clouds that could cease to exist at any moment and let out a long, heavy sigh.
"You came here unannounced." She mumbled.
"Yeah, sorry. Forgot to send a letter." Tony retorted, arms still tightly crossed against his chest.
She shook her head, and let weakness fall heavy against her body. Even with all the Wanderers, she'd never felt as weak as she had in that moment. Throughout the entirety of her existence, she fought to keep Titan alive. Her powers coursed through every living plant that still riddled their ways across bleak, orange dirt. But with Thanos' return and the Infinity Stones not far from his reach, her work seemed pointless.
"Miss..." Peter stepped forward, his eyes wandered across her face until their gazes locked. She was over hundreds of years old and yet a human towered over her. Metal clung to his young body and she wondered why someone so young would curse themselves with the responsibility of attempting to save the whole universe.
"(Y/N)," Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.
"Miss (Y/N), I understand that us being here may seem pointless. B-but we have a... uh..." He swallowed the lump that had begun to form in his throat and sighed, ridding the mask from his face, "We have a plan, (Y/N). Thanos will not murder again."
In amusement, she let out a huff of air.
"You use the word 'murder' so lightly," Her head fell slightly, eyes connecting with bits of rock on the ground as if she'd never seen such a thing before, "It must be common on Earth."
"More than you'd like to believe." Tony commented.
Sighing once more, (Y/N) looked up at the sky. Iridescence long rid her eyes after the conversation of Thanos' return yet, if anyone looked closely, the reflection of the galaxy made its home in her eyes.
"Do you know how this," She gestured toward their environment, "Happened?"
"Thanos?"
She nodded, "But it's so much more than that, isn't it?"
"He wanted to kill off an entire life form," Strange interjected, "Is it really more than that?"
Momentarily, offense filled (Y/N). The fact that the humans knew so little of the history of Titan irritated her. They destroyed more than they'd helped by being there for a mere few minutes than any Wanderer had done by ravaging. The history of the planet that seemingly began Thanos' path to destruction should've been highlighted more so.
"As a growing mutant," She began, "Thanos recognized the suffering and turmoil the people of Titan had been enduring, or so he thought. He recommended what is generally considered mass g******e," She turned to face the men, "After years of gathering his own army, he made his goal come to fruition. Slaughtering hundreds in his wake to prove that his violent form of mercy was the only way to generate balance and peace."
"Balance?" Strange asked, "Is that his whole goal? To achieve balance amongst worlds?"
"Yes."
A heavy sigh fell out of all three men. Had the theory of balance not come to them yet?
"He killed my parents," She said softly, "Right in front of me. Without real mercy, without any type of remorse," She felt a warmth gather up in her eyes, one that she would not try to halt, "Thanos only knows murder. He does not understand love or happiness. His concept of equilibrium dwindles with the lives he takes."
"You've survived," Tony spoke up, "How? How did you survive Titan's destruction?"
(Y/N) looked at him, tears filled her eyes and yet her voice remained composed, "My parents were experts in cowardice."
"So you ran."
"Of course I did," She said, "Why wouldn't I? A child had watched her entire home fall to ashes. What could I have done differently?"
"Nothing, I suppose."
"Of course not."
Sorrow and silence filled the air around the four beings. Even after being alone for most of her life, the seclusion had never hit her so hard.
It was evident the Avengers knew sorrow, loss, and suffering.
But they could never understand hers.
- Writer
