United

Prologue

They'd been on the ship for two weeks before their first encounter with Thanos.

Thor, Loki, Hulk, Brunnhilde, Heimdall, Korg, and Miek all stayed in one wing of the massive spacecraft while the rest of the Asgardians had rooms on the other side. There wasn't much room to accommodate the massive amount of people, but they made do because it was necessary for survival.

The layout of the ship, which had been given the name "Refuge" by Heimdall, was similar to that of a Helicarrier. There were multiple levels and a large chamber at the heart of the ship, which had become a makeshift throne room. The journey to Midgard was slow, boring, and difficult. There were barely enough rations to feed an entire kingdom for the full month it would take to get there and there wasn't much to do for entertainment. Perhaps that's why Thor had called the ship a "floating prison" behind Heimdall's back. The first time the thunder god had used that affectionate little name in a conversation, the All Seeing One had given him a long lecture as to why he should be more positive and set a better example for the people. Apparently, calling the Refuge a "floating prison" was immature, inappropriate in their current situation, and a reason for the Asgardians to lose hope and rebel or grow frustrated. Regardless of that lengthy talk, he still used the name when talking privately to Brunnhilde, Loki, Korg, or Hulk.

Despite their unfortunate disposition, the two brothers spent lots of time discussing their plans for their arrival on Midgard and just the past few years in general, for they hadn't been the best years in terms of Thor and Loki's brotherly relationship. It was during one of these talks on the two week anniversary of being trapped on the Refuge that the attack had occurred.

Thor had been standing at one of the windows overlooking the cosmos when his brother brought up something they had been dancing around for a while.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to go back to Earth?" He questioned, his eyes avoiding Thor's.

Thor raised his eyebrows.

"Yes of course! The people of Earth love me! I'm quite popular."

Loki sighed, realizing he could put off the conversation no longer.

"Let me rephrase that. Do you really think it's a good idea to bring me back to Earth?"

Thor didn't even have to think about it before giving the god of mischief his answer.

"Probably not, to be honest. But I wouldn't worry, brother. I feel like everything's going to work out fine."

Loki smiled in relief that his brother had confidence that it would be okay, but almost immediately after the blonde had spoken, a rumbling filled their ears. It grew louder and louder as a great shadow loomed over the two Asgardians, revealing a massive ship. The grin vanished from Loki's face as his eyes landed on the familiar sight.

"Oh no..." He whispered.

Thor gazed at the ship with confusion.

"Loki?" He questioned, growing uncomfortable as he saw the look on his brother's face.

"I shouldn't have taken it, but I couldn't have left it in the hands of Surtur or Hela if something went wrong. I shouldn't have taken it. This is my fault. He's here. He found me."

Loki's whispered the words to himself quickly as fear filled his usually calm blue eyes.

"What is it, Loki? What did you take? Who is the pilot of this ship?"