My Awakening (4)

Chapter 22

(Avengers' Tower, Y/n's POV)

"This Mind Stone is not the first appearance of a stone like this in the last few years. This is no coincidence and we need to find the others."

We're all sat around the table, and I find that my eyes keep drifting to the red man. I've been told his name is Vision, and he's a robot. Of sorts. But also kinda human. And he's got a jewel in his forehead. 

I'm trying so hard not to stare.

Thor is explaining about these stones, apparently they're called Infinity Stones.

"We can find out the last place they were sighted, and then we track them down. When I had the vision, I saw a man. Named Thanos. He was wearing a golden gauntlet, holding the stones, and then....."

"Then what?" Rogers folds his arms.

"Then the end of Midguard."

"Alright," Tin Man clasps his hands together and rests his elbows on the table. "How do we get the stones and how do we stop this?"

"We already have one," Thor indicates to Vision. "That's already an advantage against Thanos. The rest we have to find."

"I assume they're not just here on Earth?"

"Unfortunately not."

"In your vision, did you see where any of them are?" I ask.

"I did. There is one that a few here are rather familiar with," he looks at me and Wanda, before his eyes finally settle on his brother.

"What have I got to do with this?" Loki asks indignantly.

"The Tesseract, brother."

"What about it?"

"Oh my god, of course," Wanda says. "That's why the cube is so powerful. It holds an Infinity Stone."

"Exactly. However, the cube itself was destroyed when Asgard fell. It was being held in our father's vaults and the whole place was ruined. As for the Stone, it may still be there."

I notice Loki is avoiding eye contact with his brother.

"Is it possible to go back to the ruins of Asgard? We could look for the Stone," Rogers says.

"Yes," Thor folds his arms, "it is possible, but it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Only much worse. The Stone might also be destroyed."

"The Infinity Stones hold much power," says Vision from beside Wanda. "It is unlikely that Ragnarok would have even dented it."

I try to peek into his head, but I'm met with darkness. My eyebrows furrow in confusion but I try not to dwell on it.

"What about the rest of them?" I ask. "Would they be any easier to find?"

"Turns out, we had another Stone in our possession. The Aether was an Infinity Stone."

"That thing that was in Baby Jane? Well what did you do with it?"

"We gave it to the collector."

"What collector?"

"The Collector. Taneleer Tivan."

"I've heard that name," Romanoff pipes up. "He's the biggest collector of relics and foreign species in the whole galaxy."

"Exactly. We thought it would be safe with him. Whether or not he has handed it over to Thanos, I do not know. I didn't see it in the vision."

"Should we go there? Try and get it back?"

"It is a dangerous place in which he resides. Many people who go to Knowhere end up not returning."

"Where?" I'm very confused.

"Knowhere. It's his little corner of the galaxy, and he doesn't take kindly to uninvited guests."

"I'm sure we'll convince him to make an exception," Rogers says and stands up.

"You can't. You have no way of getting there. You need a ship that can jump through Blips in the galaxy. Have you one?"

"No."

"No. I can go, but you cannot. If we had the Tesseract then we'd be able to create a portal, however this is now not possible."

Loki still won't look at Thor.

Hmm.

"We're not just gonna sit back and wait," Tin Man says, also standing up to help prove his point.

"I'm not suggesting that you do. There is another stone that you can retrieve whilst I'm gone. You'll find it in Manhattan with Doctor Stephen Strange."

"The witchy guy?"

"He prefers the term sorcerer, but yes. That man. He holds on of the stones. You need to get it from him."

"How do you suggest we do that?" Wanda asks with her thick Sokovian accent.

"With some extremely good powers of persuasion."

"Alright," Rogers claps his hands together. "Thor, you will go to the remains of Asgard and try and get the stone from the Tesseract. Stark, Romanoff and Barton, I want you with me in Manhattan."

"May I suggest that I come too?" Vision says. "It may comfort him to see another stone being used in a safe way. He will be more likely to hand it over that way."

"I also should come. I have witch powers like this sorcerer, it might feel familiar for him," Wanda suggests. 

"Fine. You two can come too."

"Let me guess," I sigh. "I'm staying here with Loki and Banner?"

"You got it. Don't cause trouble, don't get kidnapped, don't die."

"But-"

"No arguments. I'm not gonna change my mind so I don't wanna hear it. You're not ready to be back out in the field, you're staying here, end of story. Everyone else, go suit up."

The room empties out until it's just the three of us left.

Fantastic.