Chapter 3

"You were completely ready to kill her!" Quill shouted, struggling against Drax and Mantis, who had a tight grip on him.

"She was completely ready to die!" Loki argued. He stood directly in front of Quill. Rocket was at his side, everyone staring at Quill. "I was trying to save the universe, what exactly were you doing?!"

"Trying to save my friend!" Quill snapped.

"Guys, this is stupid to argue about," Rocket protested, holding his arm out between the two. "Loki didn't kill her and Quill, you were ready to do the exact same thing."

"He wanted to kill her!" Quill rasped.

"No, I did not!" Loki snapped, clenching his fists. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing. Besides, that's not what's important. The plan didn't work and Thanos has Gamora. If you want her back, you need to stop taking your frustration out on me and actually do something to get her back!"

"Loki is right," Drax murmured, letting go of Quill. "We need to run a search on the scanners." Mantis nodded, following his lead.

"But we don't even have a vague idea of where they went," Rocket protested.

"...The soul stone," Loki muttered. The Guardians glanced at him. "She knows where it is."

"How do you know that?!" Quill asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's the only possible thing she can know that Thanos would be desperate to know as well," Loki explained. "He knows the other two Stones are on earth, I heard him say so himself, he already has the other three and the Soul Stone…" Loki paused to sigh. "If that is the information she has, it would explain why she couldn't tell Quill any of the details."

"I don't see how that helps our case," Rocket replied, crossing his arms. "None of us know where the Soul Stone is."

"We can make some educated guesses," Loki insisted. "It wouldn't be on a big, obvious planet or else more people would know where it is."

"So we have to search every single remote planet in the universe?" Rocket asked, sarcasm smothering his voice.

"We've gotta at least try," Quill sighed, his head hung low. "If there's any hope of finding Gamora, any at all, I'll take it." His gaze shifted toward his crew. "Start running a search." Drax and Rocket slipped into their seats, pulling up little screens. "Loki." Loki glanced at Quill. "Thanks." Loki nodded in response. Quill turned away, sitting in his seat. Letting out a sigh, Loki sat down on the floor of the ship, wrapping his arms around his knees. Why did I give him hope? Gamora is as good as dead in the clutches of Thanos, and searching for the Soul Stone is a lost cause.

"Loki, Loki, Loki," Mantis's voice sounded from above him. Loki didn't bother to meet her eye as she sat down beside him. "If I did not know any better, I would think you are starting to care about us." Loki's heart stopped. Am I? Aiming that gun at Gamora made him cringe and he did sympathize with her, Quill, and Drax. Had the former truly been for the good of the universe he felt so much hatred for? Or could it be…

"I…" Loki hesitated for a moment, before extending his arm to Mantis. Grabbing it, the tips of her antennae lit up.

"You do care!" she exclaimed, her face brightening as well. "You feel sympathy, attachment, and…" Her smile faded. "Worry."

"Alright, that's enough." Loki recoiled. "It's hard not to care about people that you fight alongside."

"But it can be more than that," Mantis replied, scooting closer to him. "We Guardians… we are like family to each other." Loki flinched at the word 'family.' Images of Thor's bulging eye, his mother's lifeless body, and his father fading into light seared into his brain like knives. "You can join that family."

Loki's eyes narrowed. "I am not replacing what I lost."

"It is not a replacement," Mantis insisted. "But you need someone in your life to care about."

"I shouldn't have gotten so attached," Loki muttered, looking away from her. "I'm going to outlive all of you one way or another. I am cursed with a life much longer than yours. Attachment is foolish."

"You cannot go through your life alone," Mantis argued.

"I wish I could," Loki sighed. "I wish I felt nothing at all. I wish Thanos had killed me instead of my innocent brother."

"Dude," Quill interjected. "You really need to see a therapist." Loki tilted his head in confusion. "They're people that help with mental stuff, like what you're going through right now."

"Where the hell are we gonna find a therapist out here?" Rocket asked, gesturing toward the window. "The closest we've got is Mantis and he won't take her advice."

"Well for now." Quill stood up, reaching into one of the compartments. "I've got a decent replacement." He approached Loki, revealing a small, rectangular device with some sort of cord coming off of it. "Music."

"You're giving me this?" Loki asked.

"Just for now," Quill replied, sitting down next to him. "It's a mixtape. Here, I'll show you how it works. You put the headphones on your ears." Quill placed the headphones on Loki's head, moving his hair behind his ears. "Make sure it's plugged in. Turn it on." Quill pressed a button, and the entire screen lit up. "Then pick a song." Loki glanced at the screen.

"I… don't know any of these…"

"Well do you have a preference?" Quill asked.

"Not particularly…?" Quill grabbed the mixtape, scrolling through the options.

"Here, this is a good one. Blue Swede's Hooked on a Feeling, nineteen seventy-three. Give it a listen." Loki took the mixtape, pressed the option, and placed it aside. He flinched as the sound blasted right in his ears. Quill chuckled. He adjusted something before going back to his seat, and the volume had decreased. After a while, Loki caught himself bobbing along to the music. This music… it wasn't anything like the music on Asgard. One might describe it as unrefined in comparison. However, Loki didn't care. It brought a smile to his face and at that moment, that was all he really cared about. Plus, he had to admit, it was fun music. It also blocked out all of the arguing between the Guardians. He could tell it was happening from how they all looked, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. It was honestly blissful. I wish I had this back on Asgard. I could've blocked out so many dumb arguments between Thor and Odin. The thought of his family pained him, so he dragged his attention back to the music.

"LOKI!" A voice called. Loki threw off the headphones. Quill and the others were staring at him from their seats.

"Yes?"

"Mantis is getting a message," Quill informed. "We were just about to listen." Placing the mixtape aside, Loki got up and stood just behind Mantis's seat. Mantis pressed a button, prompting a sudden voice.

"Mantis, listen very carefully." Loki leaned closer. It was a voice he had never heard before. "I need you to meet me on Titan. It's about Thanos." There was a buzzing sound before the sound disappeared completely.

"Who was that speaking?" Loki asked.

"Nebula," Drax answered. "Gamora's sister." Loki nodded in understanding.

"Well, I guess we're going to Titan now," Rocket replied, shrugging. "If we're all still up to saving the universe."

"Um, yes." Quill sat back down in his seat, pressing a few buttons. "I'd like to live, thanks."

"And if Thanos is on Titan, Gamora might be as well," Loki added.

"Yes." Quill pointed at Loki. "Exactly. Thank you, Loki. Who else is coming?"

"I will," Drax replied, taking a step forward. Mantis joined him. Groot sat across the ship, eyes fixed on the Midgardian device in his hands.

"I am Groot," he muttered, not taking his eyes off the device. Loki cast a glance at him, pain suddenly stabbing his heart. Thor would've known what he was saying...

"Yeah, I'm kinda with Groot here," Rocket replied, approaching him. "This feels like a wild goose chase at this point."

"We are not chasing a goose," Drax replied. "We are chasing Thanos." Loki's eyes narrowed.

"It feels pointless," Rocket explained.

"Getting Gamora back feels pointless?!" Quill demanded, standing up to glare down at him.

"That's just the thing, I don't think we are going to get Gamora back, and stopping Thanos seems impossible." Loki cast a glance at Rocket. He couldn't help but agree: Thanos had unlimited power with just one Infinity Stone, and now he had three, possibly even four. Hopelessness was completely understandable.

"Well if you're not gonna help us, you can leave!" Quill snapped, pointing down one of the hallways.

"Fine!" Rocket snarled, turning away. "Let's go, Groot." The tree stood up, not taking his eyes off his device as he followed Rocket down the corridor.

"Loki." Loki turned to Quill. "...If you wanna go with them, I won't take it personally. I know you have nothing left to fight for." Loki froze. A few hours ago, Loki would've accepted that offer faster than a bullet. Now… something pulled him toward these people… attachment. The thought of Thanos still made him uneasy. However, so did the idea of separating.

"I'm staying with you" Loki replied.

"What?"

"I… I want to make sure you don't get yourselves killed." The three stared at Loki, their eyes wide. None of them replied. "Um… let's get to Titan."

"Uh… yeah, let's." Quill sat in his seat. Mantis and Drax did the same while Loki leaned against a wall. Drax raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you at least put on a seatbelt?" he asked.

"Yeah, Loki, take Rocket or Groot's chair," Quill ordered, pointing at the chairs. "This ship is about to pick up speed." Loki rolled his eyes but obeyed. Sitting down, he extended the seatbelt across his chest. "Thank you." After a while, an orange circle faded into view: Titan. Loki fidgeted with his hands as the ship slowed to a landing.

"We're here," Quill announced, standing up. Loki nodded, undoing his seatbelt. "Loki? You alright?"

"I'm not looking forward to this," Loki admitted, struggling to meet Quill's gaze.

"None of us are," Mantis insisted.

"I am," Drax replied. Loki's eyes narrowed. "I've never been more excited about something in my life. I can't wait to-"

"Alright, alright I get it," Loki cut him off. "Can you all do me a favour and don't die?"

"Can't exactly promise that," Quill replied. "But we'll try."

"We will do this together," Mantis added, resting her hand on Loki's shoulder. "You have nothing to fear." Loki nodded, following the three out of the ship.

"What's that?" Quill asked, pointing to something. Loki glanced at it. A huge, circular ship laid in pieces on the ground, not far from where they had landed.

"One of Thanos's ships," Loki answered, his eyes narrowed. "He or his lackeys might still be in there."

"Then let's go kick their ass!" Quill replied, dashing off. Loki, Mantis, and Drax took off after him, pulling out their weapons. Loki summoned his daggers. Quill put on his mask, equipping his gun. Drax pulled out his knives. Mantis put on a mean face. Hopefully, all that was enough for what awaited them.

"Thanos!" Drax shouted, rushing into the ship. Quill and Mantis were right at his side, rushing into the broken ship. Loki skidded to a halt. The ship had already descended into utter chaos. Mantis was rushing toward a small man dressed in red. Quill was freaking flying. Orange magic was going everywhere and in the middle of it all, Drax was being smothered by a damn cloak.

"Die, blanket of death!" he shouted. Rushing toward him, Loki extended his hands. The cloak stopped moving. Then with a flick of his hand, the cloak was flung to the side. Loki extended his hand to Drax, who took it, struggling to stand. Loki turned around, slicing his daggers in front of him. Drax copied his pose.

"I've got the freaky magician guy." Drax pointed his knife at a bearded man, before dashing at him.

"No you don't, you fool." Loki dashed after him. Before he could reach them, something rammed into Loki's side. Struggling to stay on his feet, Loki whipped around. His eyes widened.

"You," the man muttered darkly.

"Stark?!" Loki gasped. Stark extended his hand, blue energy forming in his palm. Loki leaped to the side. The wall beside him exploded, bits of debris hitting Loki's helmet. "No, Stark, listen to me." Loki's daggers and helmet disappeared and his shaking hands raised in the air. "You're an Avenger. You're against Thanos, right? Well, so are we."

Stark showed no emotion through his metal mask. "Cut the lies, you son of a bitch."

Loki's jaw clenched. "Excuse me?!" Daggers reappearing, Loki hurled himself at Iron Man. Blue energy shot from his palm but Loki summoned a shield, blocking the blast. Loki grabbed the man's fist, slamming him against the ground. Pieces of asphalt flew into the air. Glaring at Stark with pure venom, Loki raised his dagger. Before he could do the deed, Loki was slammed against the wall. He jumped to his feet, turning to face the attacker. It was the same bearded man from earlier. Orange energy protruded from his hands, acting as shields.

"Loki," he growled.

"You," Loki growled in response. Summoning a longer knife, Loki launched himself at the man. His attack was blocked by one of the shields. Attacking with his other hand, Loki's next attack was blocked the same way. The two men pushed against each other, stuck in place. Frustrated, Loki leaped back, kicking the man away. As he fell to the ground, Loki slashed his knife against the man's face. Blood washed over his cheek. Loki loomed over the man, pointing the knife over his face. Before he could do the deed, orange energy slammed into Loki, knocking him away. Loki struggled to stay on his feet. His attacker bolted at him, orange energy flooding from his hands. Backing against a wall, Loki dropped his weapons and extended his hands. After a moment, the attacker stood still.

"Everybody, stay where you are," Quill called. "Chill the eff out." Loki glanced at the others. Quill had the small man from earlier in a choke hold as he removed his mask, and pointed his gun at Stark. "I'm gonna ask you this one time. Where is Gamora?"

"Yeah. I'll do you one better." Stark removed his mask. "Who's Gamora?"

"I'll do you one better." Drax was lying on the ground. "Why is Gamora?" Loki facepalmed. Footsteps echoed through the ship. Loki raised his hands in the air, eyes wide as he faced the bearded magician. However, he skidded to a halt, turning to face the others.

"Tell me where the girl is or I swear to you I'm gonna French fry this little freak." Quill pointed his gun at the small man in his arm.

"Let's do it!" Stark snapped. "You shoot my guy and I'll blast him. Let's go!" The man's fist morphed into a gun, which he pointed at Drax face.

"Don't you dare!" Loki snarled, conjuring a spear into his hand.

"Do it, Quill!" Drax panted under Iron Man's weapon. "I can take it."

"No!" Mantis shouted. Loki glanced over to see her wrapped in webbing. "He can't take it!"

"She's right," the magician commented. "You can't."

"Oh, yeah?" Quill snapped. "You don't wanna tell me where she is? That's fine. I'll kill all three of you and I'll beat it out of Thanos myself. Starting with you."

"Wait, what, Thano-" the magician glanced at Quill. "Alright, let me ask you this one time. What master do you serve?"

"What master do I serve?" Quill scoffed, rolling his eyes. "What am I supposed to say, "Jesus"?"

"You're from Earth," Stark stated.

"I'm not from Earth, I'm from Missouri."

"Yeah, that's on Earth, dipshit." Loki covered his mouth as he cracked a smile. "What are you hassling us for? And why have you got psycho sith lord with you?" Stark pointed at Loki. His smile faded.

"So you're not with Thanos?" The man in Quill's arm asked.

"With Thanos? No, I'm here to kill Thanos. He took my girl. Wait, who are you?" Quill exclaimed, removing the gun from the man's head.

The man's mask disappeared, revealing a young, almost childish face. "We're the Avengers, man." Quill removed his arm from the man, turning to Loki.

"Wait, these are the guys you told us about?" he asked.

"Yes… well," Loki pointed at Iron Man. "I knew Stark was one… I didn't know about these other two."

"You're really against Thanos?" Stark asked.

"Yes."

"Where's Thor?"

Loki's eyes widened. "...dead." he sighed.

Stark marched toward him, his palm lighting up. "You murdering son of a-"

"I didn't do it!" Loki gasped, backing away. "You think I would murder my own brother?! Thanos killed him… on the ship."

"Uh huh, and I'm supposed to believe you?" Stark demanded. "The man who attacked New York with plans of world conquest, killing thousands of people?! No, you're a murderer and a liar!"

"He does not lie!" Mantis exclaimed. "I sensed his feelings, he tells the truth… this time."

"I… I'm sorry, Stark." Loki murmured. Stark's eyebrow raised. "I… I wish it had been me, I really do. At least then the universe might have some hope. My brother was an idiot but… he had great power. If anyone could defeat Thanos, it's him… but now it's just us. There's no hope for the universe. Fighting against fate will only make the inevitable outcome more painful."

"We gotta at least try," the kid in red protested. He was helping Mantis pull the webbing off herself. Seriously, what is a child doing here?! Is he Stark's son or something?!

"Alright." Quill clasped his hands together. "Well, since y'all aren't with Thanos, we gotta find who is, let's go." He ambled off.

"Wait…" Stark pointed at Loki. Quill skidded to a halt, glancing at Stark. "You're really expecting me to trust him?" Loki hung his head down.

"Hey, Loki has done nothing but help us since we found him." Quill stepped in front of Loki. "So if you're against him, you're against all of us." Drax and Mantis joined him, all scowling at Stark.

"Guys, this really isn't necessary…" Loki murmured.

"Fine," Stark grunted. He stepped toward Loki, holding out his hand. The other Guardians stepped out of the way. Loki pulled his arms into his chest, waiting for Stark's hand to glow and shoot him.

"W-what are you doing?" Loki asked.

"It's called a handshake," Stark replied, rolling his eyes. "For friendship or whatever." Loki took Stark's metal hand in his. He cringed, waiting for it to blast him into pieces. However, Stark simply shook his hand. Then let go. Loki took a step back, staring at the ground.

"Alright, come on guys," Stark called, walking out of the ship. Loki followed, remaining a few paces behind everyone else.

"Sir," a voice murmured beside him. Loki glanced down to see the kid from earlier. "Are you really Loki? The one who attacked New York?"

Loki looked away. "Yes."

"But you're with us?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"It's not that strange," Loki replied, rolling his eyes. "What I find more strange is that a child like yourself is fighting in this war."

"I-I'm not a child," the kid protested.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"You're a child. So I reiterate. Why are you here?" Loki asked.

"M-Mr. Stark let me come," the kid explained. Okay so probably not Stark's son if he's referring to him like that. "I'm a hero too, I've got powers." The kid's voice kept cracking as he spoke.

"Show me," Loki ordered. The kid's eyes widened. He turned around, firing a white substance from his finger. "You can shoot webbing from your hand? I suppose that could be useful."

"I-it is, really. I mean, it's nothing compared to your powers, Mr. Loki."

Loki cracked a smile. "What's your name, kid?"

"P-Peter. Peter Parker," he answered, extending his hand. Loki accepted the handshake, unable to stop smiling. "Or, uh, Spider-Man… if you're asking for my made up name."

"You seem like a good kid, Peter." Loki patted the kid's back. "Keep that up, alright?" Peter stood stunned for a moment before rushing to catch up with Loki.

"I-I will, Mr. Loki." Finally, the two caught up with the rest of the group. Loki reverted to a straight face.

"The hell happened to this planet?" Quill asked, gazing at some sort of orange, glowing object in his hand. "It's eight degrees off its axis. Gravitational pull is all over the place."

"Yeah, we got one advantage," Stark replied. "He's coming to us. We'll use it. Alright, I have a plan, or at least the beginnings of one." Everyone began to crowd around Stark. "It's pretty simple. We draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Definitely, don't wanna dance with this guy. We just want the gauntlet." Behind him, Drax let out a yawn. "Are you yawning?" Stark asked. "In the middle of this, while I'm breaking it down? Huh? Did you hear what I said?"

"I stopped listening after you said, 'we need a plan.'" Drax replied. Loki rolled his eyes.

"Okay, Mr. Clean is on his own page."

"See, "not winging it" isn't really what they do," Quill replied.

"Uh, what exactly is it that they do?" Peter asked, pointing at Mantis and Drax.

Mantis replied, "Kick names, take ass." A smirk formed on Loki's face.

"Yeah, that's right," Drax replied.

"I mean, I suppose I do that second one," Loki muttered. Peter covered his mouth, attempting to stifle his obvious laughter. Meanwhile, Stark stared at the Guardians with the most 'dead inside' look ever. He let out a sigh.

"Alright, just get over here, please," he ordered. "Mr. Lord, can you get your folks to circle up?"

"'Mr. Lord,'" Quill repeated, scoffing. "Star-Lord is fine." He nodded to the group. Loki stood between Peter and Drax in the tiny circle they all formed.

"We gotta coalesce." Loki glanced back at Stark. "'Cause if all we come at him with a plucky attitude…"

"Dude," Quill interrupted. "Don't call us plucky. We don't know what it means. Alright, we're optimistic, yes. I like your plan. Except it sucks, so let me do the plan… and that way it might be really good."

"Tell him about the dance-off to save the universe," Drax replied. Loki glanced at Quill, raising an eyebrow.

"What dance-off?" Stark asked.

"It's nothing."

"Like in Footloose, the movie?" Peter asked.

"Exactly like Footloose." Peter pointed at the other Peter. "Is it still the greatest movie in history?"

"It never was." Loki cracked another smile. Suddenly, he caught a green flash out of the corner of his eye. Glancing up, Loki noticed the magician from earlier floating criss-cross above the ground, a green aura around his hands.

"Don't encourage this, all right?" Stark replied. Loki glanced back at the circle. "We're getting no help from Flash Gordon here."

"Guys," Loki murmured.

"Flash Gordon?" Quill asked. "By the way, that's a compliment. Don't forget, I'm half human. So that fifty percent of me that's stupid… that's one hundred percent you."

"Your math is blowing my mind," Stark replied, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"Excuse me." Loki raised his voice. All eyes were now on him. "Does your friend normally do that?" Loki asked, pointing to the magician.

"Strange," Stark called. Strange's head shook, blurring and bending in all sorts of weird angles. "You alright?" He didn't reply. Instead, the shaking continued. Stark rushed toward Strange, just as he fell to the ground with a gasp. The others followed.

"You're back. You're all right," Stark insisted.

"Hey, what was that?" Peter asked.

"I went forward in time to view alternate futures," Strange explained, panting as he spoke. "To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict."

"How many did you see?" Loki asked.

"Fourteen million, six hundred and five." Loki's eyes widened.

"How many did we win?" Stark asked.

There was a pause. "...One."

"Well that's just brilliant!" Loki snapped.