Sacrificially Grim Triumph

1: 01

ASGARD

An Asgardian PA said, "This is the Asgardian refugee vessel Statesman. We are under assault, I repeat, we are under assault - The engines are dead, life support failing. Requesting aid from any vessel within rang. We are 22 jump points out of Asgard." The voice became more desperate and pleading. "Our crew is made up of Asgardian families, we have very few soldiers here. This is not a warcraft. I repeat, this is not a warcraft!" The ship was being hit by missiles.

Inside the ship, Ebony Maw walked among the bodies of dead Asgardians. Heimdall, badly wounded, reached out as if he would stop Maw if he passed, but lacked the strength. Maw stepped over them with no mind as he spoke, as though they were scattered pieces of dirty clothing on a bedroom floor.

"Hear me and rejoice," Maw said. "You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Titan... You may think this is suffering... no. It it salvation. Universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile..." Corvus Glaive stabbed one of the lingering Asgardians, "for even in death, you have become Children of Thanos."

Loki stood with the Black Order. He watched Thanos, shrouded in darkness and light, looking out the large window.

Thanos spoke. "I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right... yet to fail, nonetheless." He lifted Thor by the neck of his breastplate, the latter struggling feebly. "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."

Thanos held up his hand to reveal the Infinity Gauntlet, which already had the violet Power Stone.

Thor, being held by Thanos with one huge hand wrapping around his head as blood drooled from his mouth, said, "You talk too much."

Thanos said to Loki, "The Tesseract, or your brother's head. I assume you have a preference."

The Black order hefted their weapons and smirked.

"Oh, I do," Loki replied. "Kill away!"

Thanos' expression conveyed one of surprise for a moment before he pressed the Gauntlet to Thor's left temple. The Power Stone glowed brightly and Thor screamed hoarsely.

Loki began losing his cool demeanor almost immediately as Thor suffered, and broke after only a few moments. "All right, stop!"

"We don't have the Tesseract," Thor said. "It was destroyed on Asgard."

Loki glanced at Thor like he knew something his brother didn't. He lifted his right hand into the air and the Tesseract revealed itself.

"You... really are the worst brother," Thor told Loki.

While Loki held the Tesseract out to Thanos and advanced, he said, "I assure you, brother... the sun will shine on us again."

"Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian," Thanos retorted.

"Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian." The Mad Titan listened. "And for another... we have a Hulk."

Thanos looked to his right just as a green and very angry mass slammed into him. Loki dove for Thor, pulling both of them out of the way as the Tesseract skittered across the floor, and the Hulk charged Thanos.

Hulk let out a roar and pummeled Thanos, forcing him backwards and shoved him into the wall of the ship.

Maw stopped Cull Obsidian from interfering by saying, "Let him have his fun."

Thanos pried the Hulk's hands away; an expression of surprise and fear crossed his green face. Before he had the opportunity to throw more punches at him, The Mad Titan hit him in the neck, quickly turning the tide of the battle in his favor.

After several hard blows, and a knee to the face, Thanos picked up the Hulk and slammed him to the deck, defeated. Thor slammed a metal bar across Thanos' back to no avail. He was kicked across the deck by Thanos and was promptly bound in metal debris by Maw to keep him from interfering further.

Heimdall prayed. "Allfathers... let the dark magic flow through me one last... time." He summoned the Bifrost, which carried Hulk away and met Thor's eye.

"That was a mistake," Thanos told him, borrowing Corvus' glaive and stabbed Hemidall through the heart, twisting the blade in the wound.

"No!" Thor cried.

After Thanos had killed Heimdall, Thor added, "You're going to die for that!"

Maw shut Thor's mouth with his telekinesis. "Shh." He knelt before Thanos, offering up the Tesseract. "My humble personage... bows before your grandeur. No other being has ever had the might, nay the nobility, to wield not one, but two Infinity Stones. The universe lies within your grasp."

Thanos crushed the Tesseract, revealing the blue Space Stone. He blew some of the fractals away, fingering the Stone between his thumb and index before placing it on the Gauntlet and was momentarily rocked by the surge of energy that pulsed as the Stone set in place.

"There are two more Stones on Earth," Thanos informed. "Find them, my children, and bring them to me on Titan."

Proxima Midnight knelt and said, "Father, we will not fail you."

Loki emerged from behind the Black Order and spoke cheerfully. "If I might... inject... if you're going to Earth, you might want a guide. I do have a bit of... experience in that arena."

Thanos was unimpressed. "If you consider failure experience."

"I consider experience, experience. Almighty Thanos, I... Loki... Prince of Asgard..." he looked significantly at Thor, "Odinson... the rightful King of Jotunheim... God of Mischief... do hereby pledge to you..." Thor squinted and noticed a dagger materialize in Loki's hand, "...my undying fidelity."

Loki braced himself, thrusted upward with lightning speed and attempted to skewer The Mad Titan's neck, but was frozen in place by the Space Stone's power before the point could strike home.

""Undying?"" Thanos repeated. "You should choose your words more carefully."

Thanos twisted the dagger out of Loki's hand with his right hand, then took hold of Loki's neck with the Gauntlet and lifted him to eye level. Loki struggled, kicking, as his throat was squeezed. He made eye contact with Thor before he increased his force on Loki's neck.

Loki eventually gave on on trying to free himself and said, "You... will never be... a god."

Thanos crushed Loki's neck, killing him.

Thor's cry was muffled as he yelled, "No!"

Thanos walked over and dropped Loki's body in front of Thor before saying, "No resurrection's this time." He raised the Gauntlet, sending violet Power fire through the remains of the Statesman, and used the Space Stone to teleport away with the Black Order.

"No... Loki..." Thor said as he was released from his bonds. He crawled over to Loki's body -- which had not returned to its Jotun form -- and laid his head on Loki's chest, shedding tears for all he'd lost. The ship exploded.

The Bifrost continued its journey, bringing Hulk across space to Earth.