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see a herd of people, about to battle against a battalion of Hela's soldiers. Alex hadn't had her suit this entire adventure, and was wishing she had it now.

"Let's get the civilians onto the craft, and then we'll deal with the pain in the ass that is my sister." Loki rubbed her shoulders.

He had transformed his attire into battle armor, with his infamous helmet on his head. Alex stifled a laugh when she saw it, earning a scowl from him.

"Now I understand 'Reindeer Games'." She laughed.

"Still unsure of what a reindeer is."

As the ship lowered toward the bridge, Loki stood on its bow.

"Your savior is here!" He announced.

Alex simply rubbed her forehead as Korg cheered. The creatures that were also on the aircraft were armed with gladiator-like weapons, prepared to fight.

Loki jumped onto the bridge, holding his hand out for Alex. She took it, and many of the civilians were delighted to see her.

"Did you miss me?" Loki grinned. "Everybody on that ship, now."

The civilians began to pour onto the ship, a bottleneck effect forming as the only way on was its narrow plank. Loki and Alex walked over to a man she had never met before, but seemed to be familiar with Loki.

"Welcome home. I saw you coming." He spoke.

"Of course you did." Loki simply said. "Heimdall, about you know, me compromising you and such--"

"We needn't talk of it."

"Right. I'm sure you've seen Alexandra."

Alex awkwardly waved.

"I've seen the great deal of power you possess. We'll need it now." Heimdall said.

Heimdall, Loki, Alex, and the creatures all faced forward, bracing for impact from Hela's minions.

Blasts were shot from the creatures' weapons, while Loki used his daggers to fight. Alex threw a hard punch at a minion, before kicking him right off the bridge. She was able to freeze a group of minions that came at her, allowing Loki to stab them all easily.

Some Asgardians joined the fight, using only their bare hands to fend off minions. Women and children were herded onto the aircraft first, but they weren't moving fast enough. Thor was still fighting Hela, leaving the others to their devices.

Suddenly, fighting ceased as the skies darkened and the castle lit up. White lightning pulsed around the entirety of the castle, and Alex and Loki shared a glance.

Thor had found his power again.

He came flying from the sky, diving right into the group of minions with their swords in the sky. Once he landed, they all fell to the ground, or off the bridge. The zombie-like minions charged at him, but he spun through them with ease.

142 had hopped off the other ship, setting off the Grandmaster's firework setting. Zombies were drawn to her like a moth to the flame, and she was ready. She swung her weapon with ease, taking out multiple minions at once. She nodded to Alex, who grinned at her success.

Bruce, now Hulk-ified again, fought Hela's monstrous wolf pet. Alex froze any minion that came too close to the civilians, who were still boarding the aircraft. Loki used his helmet to deliver an upper cut to a minion, smirking at Alex.

"Don't knock the antlers 'til you try them." He said, causing her to laugh mid-battle.

Once the minions had mostly been subdued, the four walked over to each other.

"You two are late," Thor spoke to Loki and Alex.

"You're missing an eye," Loki pointed out.

"This isn't over." 142 added, nodding to Hela, who was now approaching them.

She sashayed elegantly as the four heroes panted, awaiting her.

"God, if Tony saw her helmet," Alex commented.

"Hit her with a lightning blast." Loki simply said.

"I just hit her with the biggest lightning blast in the history of lightning. It did nothing."

"We need to hold her off until everybody's on board." Alex spoke, glancing back to see that civilians were still piling onto the craft.

"It won't end there. The longer Hela's on Asgard the more powerful she grows. She'll hunt us down--we need to stop her here and now." Thor spoke.

"What's our move?" 142 asked.

"I'm not doing 'get help'."

"I, for one, would love to see it again." Alex replied to Loki.

Thor thought for a moment, glancing at the half-destroyed palace behind her.

"Asgard's not a place, it's a people. This was never about stopping Ragnarok, it was about causing Ragnarok." He then turned to Loki. "Go to the vault. Surtur's crown."

"Bold move, brother. Even for me." Loki nodded, winking at Alex before running off.

"Shall we?" Thor said to the two women on both sides of him.

They ran at Hela, who instantly shot out daggers from her suit. Alex froze them mid-air, letting Thor get a clean shot at his sister. He lunged at her with lightning in his hands, but she ducked. Hela rolled back up, only to be met with a kick from 142.

Alex tried her best to freeze Hela, but it would only stick for a couple of moments. While she was frozen, Thor and 142 could deliver blows to her, but they did minimal damage. Finally, the civilians had boarded the ship, and it began to take off.

However, Hela tried to stop it by driving a massive blade through its side. Minions crawled up the blade toward the entrance of the ship, but were stopped by Skurge, Hela's former assistant. The ship resumed taking off, hovering slowly into the sky.

"Hela, enough." Thor boomed. "You want Asgard, it's yours."

"Whatever game you're playing at, it won't work. You can't defeat me." She seethed.

"I'm betting he can." Alex smirked, pointing to the monster that erupted from within the castle.

The bedrock of Asgard shook from the explosion, and the monster waved his flaming sword.

"No--"

Hela spoke before being pushed over by 142, frozen by Alex, and hit with a blast of lightning from Thor. The part of the Bifrost she was on collapsed into the water below.

The monster began to slowly destroy the city, while Alex, Thor and 142 watched.

"We're fulfilling the prophecy." Thor said.

"I hate this prophecy."

"So do I, but we have no other choice," Thor sighed. "We need to let him finish--"

Suddenly the Hulk flew up to the monster, attempting to stop him.

"Jesus Christ." Was all Alex said.

"Hulk, stop, you moron!"

Surtur, the monster, hurled Hulk away from him, sending him crashing down to the Bifrost.

"For once in your life, Hulk, don't smash!"

"But, big monster." Hulk threw his hands up.

"You'll get 'em next time, big guy." Alex gave a thumbs up.

Hulk walked over, scooping the trio into his arms. He broke into a run, sending them all flying up and into the aircraft. Alex stood near the entrance, watching the city she had come to know burn to ash.

The ship crushed away, with everyone watching their city die through the window of the aircraft.

"What have I done?" Thor spoke above a whisper.

"You saved us from extinction." Heimdall replied. "Asgard is not a place, it's a people."

Hours went by, and Alex sat comfortably in silence with Thor in a private suite of the ship. He fastened an eye-patch over his eye, and looked at himself in the mirror.

"It suits you." They heard, revealing Loki at the door.

Alex stood up to embrace him, smiling up at her hero.

Thor watched the pair. "Perhaps you're not so bad after all, brother."

"Maybe not."

The trio went back to the main area of the ship, where Heimdall, 142, Hulk and Korg awaited Thor at his throne. He walked through the people, who all watched him, still shaken.

He took a seat in the throne, and for once, it felt right to Thor. Loki smiled at his brother's success, which was a first.

"So, King of Asgard, where to?" Heimdall asked.

"I'm not sure. Any suggestions?" He looked around, while everyone shrugged.

"Earth it is."

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Alex and Loki sat in the private suite as the people tried to peacefully sleep.

"I'll miss that castle," Loki spoke.

"Many memories there," She replied. "Where you held me for ransom, where you trained me."

"Where you killed my vines."

"I'd say you deserved it."

His hand rested on her back, slowly rubbing it. "Do you think we'll catch a break?"

"I don't think you ever get a break if you're an Avenger." She laughed.

"You think of me as an Avenger?"

"You've helped defeat many villains. You'd be considered a hero."

Loki looked at Alex, whose eyes were closed. He frowned, still hating that she only saw good in him. He knew better.

Thor came in, exhausted from calming civilians and manning the ship.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to go back to Earth?" Loki asked.

"Of course, the people of Earth love me." Thor grinned, causing Alex to roll her eyes.

"Let me rephrase: do you really think it's a good idea to bring me back to Earth?"

Alex rubbed Loki's knee comfortingly. She knew he was apprehensive about returning to the place he'd terrorized before, but he truly had no other option. Tony would have to simply deal with it.

"Probably not. But don't worry, brother. I've got a feeling that everything's going to work."

Suddenly, movement was seen out of the window. They turned to see an enormous spaceship approaching. Alex furrowed her brows, looking to Loki, who looked like he'd seen a ghost. Thor ran out to the main room, with Alex at his heel.

It wasn't long until the first blast hit.

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Everything happened so fast, Alex had no time to process. Their ship had been attacked, that much she was sure of. What she wasn't sure of was by who, and how badly.

Flames and dead bodies littered the craft, and Alex was on the ground. The force had thrown her back, causing her to hit her head. Blood streamed down her face, but she didn't worry.

"Hear me, and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Titan. You may think this is suffering, no, it is salvation. Universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile. For even in death, you have become Children of Thanos." A voice spoke.

The voice belonged to a hideous creature that Alex thought looked like the alien from Lilo and Stitch.

Next to him, a large purple giant surveyed his damage. He turned slowly, and made eye contact with Alex. She slowly stood, seeing Loki about twenty feet from her. She also saw Heimdall laying injured on the ground.

"I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right...yet to fail, nonetheless." The giant, presumably Thanos, grabbed Thor by the head. "It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. I ask you, to what end? Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say...I am."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Quite the monologue."

"The Tesseract, or your brother's head." Thanos spoke to Loki, ignoring Alex.

"We don't have the Tesseract. It was destroyed on Asgard." Thor spoke, blood spurting out of his mouth.

"It actually wasn't." Loki then muttered, causing confused glances from both Thor and Alex.

"You really are the worst, brother." Thor grunted.

"I assure you, brother. The sun will shine on us again."

"Your optimism is misplaced, Loki." Thanos spoke, grinning at Loki who was empty-handed.

Alex wondered how the giant knew Loki's name, but assumed they'd met before. After all, Loki was over a thousand years old. Heimdall grunted from the ground, a determined look painted on his face. When all attention turned to him, he held his sword tightly in his grasp.

"Allfathers, let the dark magic flow through me, one last time."

He summoned the Bifrost, which swept Bruce away in an instant. Alex watched as Thanos angrily stalked over to Heimdall.

"That was a mistake."

Thanos swiftly stabbed Heimdall through the heart, no remorse evident.

"NO!" Thor growled, wrapped up in a restricting bond set by Thanos' soldiers. "You're going to die for that."

"There are two more stones on Earth. Find them, my children, and bring them to me on Titan." Thanos ordered his soldiers.

They bowed to him. "Father, we will not fail you."

"Now," Thanos turned away from them. He looked to Loki, dead in the eye, who turned stark white.

"The act is over. It is time. Return to the side you belong to."

______________________________

:𝙾

𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚍𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚠