II
He had been staring at the ceiling of his cell for quite a while before the sound of the railings retracting down snapped him up into a sitting position.
“Come, my child.” Thanos extended his left hand where the fried gauntlet still lays, embedded into his skin.
Tony hesitated slightly and gave Nebula a worried glance which wasn’t reciprocated as he made his way out.
They came to the throne room in the ship and Thanos stopped in his steps, meters before the throne. Tony wasn’t sure where he should stop, settling to stand slightly to the left behind the titan.
“What do you see me as, my child?” He was staring at the throne.
“A maniac, a gorilla that destroys worlds? Or just a big purple grape, whichever you think sounds better.” Tony’s heart was beating hard but he stood defiantly.
“You see, I don’t destroy worlds. I bring balance. I showed mercy.” He turned around to look at the mortal.
“You call massacre mercy? Coming from the merchant of death, that is not cool.”
As Thanos stepped forward, Tony backed up like a scared animal.
“You see, all the planets I have conquered are in desperate need of evolution. I gave them just that, I gave them hope and prosperity. Let’s take Earth as an example. War, poverty and famine littered your planet, bringing chaos and destruction. Wouldn’t it be better if a solution is given?” Thanos’ left hand was planted on Tony’s head, fingers playing with the brunette locks.
Tony’s breathe quickened as he snapped his head to the side to escape from the Titan’s hand.
“You are killing half of the population! It doesn’t mean chaos will not arise again. People change, people evolve! Rather than genocide, we should be given a chance to learn.”
“Oh Stark, stop being innocent. As a futurist, you should see as I do.”
“Tell me, are you going to kill again when the problem persists? When the next generation arrives, and it is still not peaceful?”
Thanos laughed heartily before using lifting Tony by the neck to his eye level.
“I will show you my vision, child.” And with that, he gripped Tony’s head with his gauntlet hand and the mind stone glowed.
“You intrigue me, little one.”
The last thing Tony knew was the pain in his head and the screams from his throat before blacking out completely.
-PAGE BREAK-
Nebula was sure the mortal must have angered Thanos. The last thing she heard from the mortal was the painful scream and that was a few days ago. She sat on her bed, thinking about her sister. Gamora. She had told Thanos the location of the Soul Stone to save her. And now she’s dead.
It was her fault.
When Thanos said she now had a brother, the mortal, she was both elevated and devastated.
She was glad to have someone in this world. Not as a replacement for Gamora but as someone she could hold onto. During the days Thanos had leave them alone, they did not talk but his mere presence was comforting. Knowing that there was still life in the universe.
Then what she dreaded happened. Thanos was a strict father. Failure and punishments were his favourite teacher. Anthony was a mortal, an earthling. He would not last the torments Thanos could administer. But he had shown great strength in the battle on Titan. Maybe, just maybe he would last, although she would not get her hopes up.
She saw the fear in his eyes when Thanos came to get him. She didn’t want to feel the pain of loosing another sibling, so she steeled her gaze, not betraying any emotions.
Then she heard the scream. The painful scream that will haunt her for a while. And she hadn’t seen him since then. Her head dropped as she grieved, no tears fell. What more after all that she had lost?
She thought of how Gamora was when she was younger. How feisty she was, yet strong and good. She knew what Thanos was teaching them was wrong. She despised herself for it. As for Nebula, she had always admired her sister. She had always lived under her shadows but she did not care, all she wanted was a sister.
She was snapped back into reality when the railings in her cell retracted and Thanos was standing right there. So close. She could attempt to kill him again but she knew it would be in vain and thus she followed him out.
She knew where they were going. She had travelled through these hallways too many times.
They came to a halt in a chamber. Its ceiling high, and in the huge space, the all too familiar sparring cage was sitting right in the middle.
Assessment Room. This was what they called it. This was where she lost to Gamora so many times and received punishments over and over again.
The smell of fresh blood and sweat finally came to her senses as she calmed herself down. Stopped thinking of the past.
As she slowly walked towards the cage, she noticed a figure slumped in the centre, breathing heavily, frame trembling. Next to it, the body of one of their scrappers laid unmoving.
Anthony. He’s alive, but… is he really?
“Well done, my son.” Thanos stood high, expecting the mortal to get up and face him but he didn’t. Fighting with the scrapper without any weapons had wounded him. Scratch marks and bruises can be seen all over the body and his clothes had been torn to pieces.
The smile on Thanos’ face fell as he watched the man struggled to get up on his feet as his limbs trembled.
He fisted his hand and the power stone flashed purple, sending Anthony into the other side of the cage.
“Another chance, boy. Get up.”
Nebula wanted to help but she knew better. Her heart broke, watching Anthony finally got his legs under him, all the while with blood dripping from his lips.
As he finally stood up, Thanos sent him flying into the cage railing again, earning only a painful grunt.
“Too slow.”
Thanos did not say anything more and left her with the unmoving body of her supposed brother.
-PAGE BREAK-
She flipped the body down onto the bed with a thud and gently turned him onto his back.
She tore the remnants of his clothings and balled them up to wipe the blood off his body, making sure to be gentle around the angrier wounds.
As she came back with medical supplies from the inventory, he had regained consciousness. He was still motionless on the bed, but his eyes were opened.
Something is wrong.
Nebula was silent as she kneeled down and continued her work on the human. He made no sounds even when she cleaned the massive tear on his side.
He was being too quiet and submissive. What happened?
“How are you feeling?” She tried to probe but the only reply she got was silence.
“Anthony.” Still nothing.
Chill ran down her spine when she noticed the faint blue glow in his eyes. As far as she could recall, his irises were brown. Thanos must have done something.
“Please, Anthony.”
She gently caressed his face, pushing strands of his hair back. If she was capable of crying, tears would have fallen. He was hollow and obedient. That was never good. She was devastated, worried even. Her body was numb, and she just gave up, sitting there with him.
“Sister.”
Nebula perked up at the rough voice, sliding her hands onto his. But that was it. He was now sitting, with his hands limply at his sides. Anthony spoke no more and he just stared at her face. His features a blank but she could tell the war that was going on in his mind. The real Anthony, fighting against the control Thanos wanted.
A single tear slipped from his right eye and onto her palm. The sudden flash of pure brown irises, Anthony’s real irises, disappeared.
I’m sorry.