Sif's eyes were narrowed, her hand gripping her sword tightly as the Collector's recorded voice faded. "Loki's working with Thanos," she growled, her voice low and angry. "And Amora's involved. This is worse than we thought."
Maria Hill, standing nearby with her arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. "Who is Thanos?"
Sif took a deep breath before explaining, "Thanos, the Mad Titan. From the desolate world of Titan, he watched his civilization fall to ruin. Since then, he's been on a rampage. We don't know why, not fully. He moves from the shadows, sending his fleets to wipe out half of all life on any world he targets. Entire planets burn quietly in his wake. He calls it peace. His army is the Chitauri, mindless, merciless, and endless. They're bred for war, bound to his will. Few have seen Thanos himself and lived to tell about it. The Allfather has kept watch, knowing that if Thanos ever turns his eyes to the Nine Realms, not even Asgard's might can stop him."
Kakashi listened, 'Why does this guy sound like the Madara Uchiha of this world?' he thought wryly. A power-hungry tyrant with a twisted sense of balance, commanding armies to reshape the universe. It was eerily familiar, and not in a comforting way.
Maria leaned forward. "And what about these Infinity Stones?"
An Asgardian mage stepped up to answer. "The Infinity Stones are six primordial crystals, forged at the dawn of creation. Each one controls a fundamental part of the universe—Space, Time, Reality, Power, Mind, and Soul. Alone, a stone gives its wielder godlike power over its domain. It is said that together, they make someone the master of all existence. They were scattered across the realms long ago to keep anyone from collecting them. Tyrants, gods, and madmen have chased them for centuries."
Natasha's flirty smirk was gone, replaced by a grim frown. She crossed her arms tighter. "Infinity Stones. Fury's gonna want a full briefing. And Thanos sounds like bad news. And we still have to find Loki."
Sif nodded, her grip on her sword loosening slightly. "The Nova Empire's a big place. Finding Loki there won't be easy."
Maria's voice was firm. "We'll have to search for him anyway. We can't let him seek vengeance on Earth again."
Before anyone could respond, Howard the Duck waddled forward, his cigar dangling from his beak. "Not to sound rude and cut your hunt for this Loki guy short, but I'm starving. Any chance I can get a fish around here?"
Naruto, bouncing nearby with his tails swishing, spun around and glared. "Shut up, duck! We're talking about something important!"
Howard puffed out his chest, undeterred. "Huh. You weren't even in the conversation, foxy! Last I checked, you were trying to steal my cigar and coughing up a lung!"
Naruto's ears flattened, his grin turning mischievous. "Oh yeah? At least I don't smell like a wet ashtray! You're a duck, shouldn't you be swimming in a pond, not begging for fish like a stray cat?"
Howard squawked, flapping his wings. "Stray cat?! Kid, I'm a legend! I've got more class in one feather than you've got in all nine of those fluffy tails! And ponds are for amateurs, I prefer a nice bar with a view!"
Pakkun, sitting near Cosmo, snorted. "Can you two shut it? Some of us are trying to listen to the grown-ups."
Cosmo's psychic voice chimed in, soft but amused. 'He's always like this. You get used to it.'
Kakashi's mind was elsewhere, turning over the Collector's words.
The Power Stone was in some Orb. Thanos had the Mind Stone. The Reality Stone was likely on Asgard. Loki was working for Thanos to deliver an infinity stone. But something clicked in Kakashi's head, a connection he hadn't seen before.
'The stones are tied to reality, power, mind… and space.' His eye widened slightly. The Tesseract, the glowing blue cube S.H.I.E.L.D. had been studying back on Earth gave him the same feeling as his Kamui, a space-time jutsu that warped dimensions.
'I bet the Tesseract is a container, like the Orb. It's holding the Space Stone.' Kakashi deduced.
His thoughts raced. 'So its location must be safe… right?'Then it hit him, a realization that sent a chill down his spine. 'Thanos is strong—why does he need Loki, Odin's son help? Unless he wants something in Odin's realm. Odin wouldn't hand over the Reality Stone. But Earth is one of the Nine Realms, under Odin's protection. What if Thanos wants the Tesseract or rather, the Space Stone inside it?'
Another thought followed, colder still. 'S.H.I.E.L.D. was tinkering with the Tesseract, poking at its energy. Did that wake it up? Did it let Thanos sense the stone's location?'
Sif's voice cut through the chatter, ignoring the bickering animals. "We'll ask the Nova Empire for help with the search. Asgard and the Nova Corps have a peaceful agreement. With their help, we can find Loki faster."
Kakashi chose the moment to speak up, "There's no need. I think I know where Loki is or at least where he's going."
------Author Notes---------
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Also you can also now read exclusive one shots on it.
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