Tony decided to take Thor to Mars for a couple of reasons.
He had no clue which version of Thor this was and the last thing he needed was an unstable god on the loose in New York. With the hammer missing, Tony had no idea if this Thor still relied on Mjolnir or something else, and frankly, Tony wasn't in the mood to find out the hard way.
Then there was the fact that Thor's body was giving off those weird Necrosword vibes. He could feel the energy radiating off him, and that's kinda bad.
If Gorr or Knull traced that energy, they'd know exactly where Thor was. They'd show up, and Earth would be toast. Even with his Infinity Stones and cosmic power, he simply didn't want to fight or mess with that freak of nature, Knull. As for Gorr, he gets stronger with each kill thanks to that Necrosword, and right now, he could be as strong as the present Tony or stronger.
Tony didn't want to risk that, not with the entire planet possibly in danger.
Can he kill Gorr? Yes. With the Infinity Gems, he can simply erase Gorr's existence. But always relying on the Infinity Gems isn't that good, not when there's a chance that Knull or other insane beings are watching from the shadows, waiting for the gods to fall.
So, Mars. He didn't know how the hell Thor would react once he woke up, but it was far enough from Earth to buy them some time to figure things out.
'Well, I want to read his memories, but I don't think that's a good idea. What if he has some kind of defense mechanism? Nah! Not worth the risk. But to think one problem pops after the other so fast... Seesh! Wait! Can my new 0X power upgrade nullify the Necrosword without using the Gems?' Tony thought.
Thor's eyes shot open, his breath ragged as if he had just pulled himself from the depths of a nightmare. He sat up quickly, a flare of panic in his chest, only to find himself… not where he expected to be. The landscape around him was alien: a red expanse stretched out under a faint, distant sun, the air thick with an odd sort of stillness and on his right was a lush forest with deer running just on the edge and birds flying around.
His heart slowed as his gaze shifted. There, standing a few feet away, was a man in a red and gold suit, arms crossed, staring at him with a raised eyebrow. The suit was strange, but he could sense the energy signature radiating from it or the man in it. It felt… oddly familiar. He couldn't place it, but something about it tugged at his memory.
Thor's voice rumbled as he spoke. "What is this place? Where am I?" He looked a bit disoriented.
"Ah, you're awake," the man replied, his tone dry, almost amused. "Mars. And you are?"
Thor blinked, trying to clear his head. Mars? He had never even heard of Mars being habitable. His mind felt clouded, like he'd been lost for far too long. His hand instinctively reached for Mjolnir, but... nothing. The hammer was gone. He frowned. His powers… he felt very weak and empty.
"Thor," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "Thor Odinson, son of Odin, God of Thunder."
The man nodded, as if he'd heard the name before, though Thor couldn't place the recognition in his eyes. The look on the man's face, though, was strangely… distant. As if he were calculating something.
"Right. The Thor. Got it," the man said. His tone was casual, bordering on sarcastic. "And the whole god-of-thunder thing... that's not something I'm supposed to ignore, right?"
Thor narrowed his eyes, studying him. "Who are you?" he asked.
The man replied. "Tony Stark. You can call me Iron Man, I guess, but we don't need to go through all that."
Thor pushed himself to his feet, his legs shaky, but his injuries were healing a bit more slowly than usual. 'This is the power of the Necrosword.' He thought as he tried to call Mjolnir again, but he couldn't feel the connection anymore.
"Well, that was an interesting nap," Tony quipped, his voice dry. "So, you got your ass kicked by Gorr or Knull?"
Thor glared at him, his chest rising and falling with frustration.
The name "Gorr" filled him with anger, and hearing "Knull" made him feel cold. He didn't respond immediately, but he did want to punch the man in front of him. He clenched his fists, stepped forward, and growled, "Watch your mouth, human. You are speaking to the God of Thunder. You will show me respect."
Tony didn't flinch. In fact, he actually seemed mildly entertained by the threat.
"Respect my ass," he shot back, his tone more casual than the situation probably called for. "You brought that dark energy with you to my world, and pretty soon, whoever kicked your ass will come sniffing around. So, why don't you call home and kindly leave before you get everyone killed?"
Thor's jaw clenched, his muscles tensing as he fought the urge to lash out. The man wasn't wrong, and that made him angry. But as much as he wanted to unleash his rage, there was no hammer, no storm to call down. Just… nothing.
He turned his head away for a moment, trying to center himself. "The Bifrost is destroyed," he said, his voice heavy with a weight he'd never expected to carry. "I cannot return to Asgard for the time being."
Tony chuckled, the sound surprisingly light despite the tense atmosphere. "Great. Just when everything was going great." He looked up at the sky, almost as if asking the heavens themselves for an answer. "It just had to be a ticking time bomb right on my lap, didn't it?"
Thor couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration, a sense of helplessness settling into his chest. He wasn't used to feeling this… small. This vulnerable. Without Mjolnir, without the Bifrost, he was just a god stranded on a foreign world. And the man in front of him wasn't wrong—if Gorr or Knull traced the energy he'd left behind, the storm wouldn't just come for him. It would come for everyone.
"So," Tony said. "What's the plan, big guy? Wanna tell me more about your situation?"
"It was Gorr, and he has the Necrosword. He has annihilated the Olympians and evolved way beyond my imagination," Thor explained with a heavy sigh. "I wasn't strong enough to defeat him. He toyed with me from the start till the end."
"Okay... and the plan?" Tony raised an eyebrow.
"If anyone stands a chance against Gorr, it's my father, Odin," Thor said. "But he's in a deep slumber. So, we just need to survive for 24 hours."
"Well, alright. I'll lend you a helping hand when that creep comes looking for you. Can't let you die here on my watch," Tony said as he sat down on the ground, retracting his nanite armor back to his bracelet. "Who knows what that godly dad of yours might do if you die here?"
"Gorr is only after the gods. You don't need to risk your life for me," Thor said, looking down at Tony. "Too many lives have already been lost. I don't want to see any more unnecessary deaths."
"Deaths? Who is dying? I got a family to return to, and I'm going to be a dad soon. I ain't planning on dying today. So, here's the plan. We'll wait here. If Gorr comes, I'll fight him. If he turns out to be stronger than me, I'll call my team and beat the shit out of him," Tony said, casually as he lay on his back and looked at the sky.
"You can't possibly think of facing him," Thor said. 'What is this human talking about? He wants to fight Gorr? This is insanity. Did he not listen to a single word I just said?'
"Haaa..." Tony sighed. "Just sit and take a breather. I hate to repeat myself. As I've already said, I don't do anything, you die, and your dad will destroy Earth. I do something and buy enough time, your dad will come and save us. Besides, I'm pretty strong myself and so is my team."
Thor sat down. He decided not to argue.
"How are you so calm?" He asked.
"Will being afraid help me in this situation?" Tony asked as he looked at Thor.
---
----
..[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS]...
If you want to read early advance chapters, you can join>: www.patr eon.com/XcaliburXc
[I have > 14 advance chapters] [No double billing]
