A Twist Of Marvel || Infinity War

74. Hardest Choices

Naomi was, undoubtedly, confused by the Watchers comment. But the situation before her demanded her complete attention, and she had no time to analyze it.

"You know us?" Thanos asked.

"It is my curse to know all who journey here." The Red Skull said. Naomi stood still, holding the floating figure's gaze whenever it fell onto her.

"Where is the Soul Stone?" Thanos's voice tightened, patience wearing thin.

"You should know... it extracts a terrible price." Red Skull answered, a warning that Naomi knew would do little good. The price was Gamora, perhaps the only person Thanos loved. But it wasn't real love. Naomi was quite certain the Titan wasn't capable of it.

"I am prepared." He straightened, thinking himself worthy of retrieving the Stone. Naomi looked at his profile, eyes narrowed. She stood next to an arrogant fool, but a dangerous one at that. She had to tread lightly.

"We all think that at first. We are all wrong." 

Naomi stared harder at Thanos. She could see his expression shift at Red Skull's words, but not to caution. His eyes dared Red Skull to get in his way, and promised that he would crush any obstacle in his path to the Soul Stone. Including his daughter.

They were silent until they reached the structures edge, the steep drop off that served as the sacrificial point. When Thanos and Red Skull began to speak again, Naomi did not pay attention. She walked to the edge, though her movements were hesitant. The carvings on the stone under her feet were drawn with cold precision, the half circle stamped into the ground gave no hint of passion in its creation. Only desolate purpose. The center of the ring was cut out, leaving another half circle waiting to be completed, a sick puzzle only achieved by staring directly down the cliff side. Naomi obliged, and toed the edge as she stared down. The missing half of the circle was clear to her, though it seemed miles away. But it brought a small sense of comfort that the stone below was clean, without a trace of green blood spilt.

Naomi turned away, jet set tightly.

"What you seek lies in front of you." Red Skull explained, though Thanos was the sole amount them who did not understand the sacrifice needed. "As does what you fear."

"What's this?" Thanos asked. Naomi evaluated him, the gauntlet catching her eye. She had already known that Thanos only possessed the Space Stone thus far, but the reminder of his limited power was a small victory for Naomi. He did not have nearly the amount of power he had by this point in Infinity War, and it was guaranteed that he would not achieve the Soul Stone now.

"The price." Naomi answered. Thanos's gaze flickered to her, and held her there in scrutiny. Naomi folded her arms and stared back. She would be lying if she said she wasn't intimidated, but there wasn't a chance in hell she would let Thanos think she was afraid of him.

"Soul holds a special place among the Infinity Stones." Red Skull said.

"You might say it has a certain... wisdom." Naomi hissed. The pleasure she normally took from her 'prophetic' party tricks was absent now. The company here left no room for amusement or jest. The very planet was so strict and barren, it seemed to forbid her usual light-hearted nature.

"Tell me what it needs." Thanos demanded, speaking now to Naomi. She rose to the challenge, stepping toward him, head tilted up defiantly.

"The Stone demands a sacrifice." She seethed, "In order to take it, you must lose that which you love." Thanos looked down at her, then to the cliff. His expression darkened as realization dawned on him. He and Naomi shared a thought then, the same name appearing in their head.

"A soul-" The Red Skull began.

"For a Soul." Naomi finished.

Thanos fell silent. He walked to the edge, shoulders hunched. Naomi maintained her focus on him, as Red Skull would be no threat. It was a long time before anyone spoke.

"You knew of this." Thanos stated. He turned to Naomi, eyes narrowed in suspicion. She straightened, then mentally reprimanded herself for doing so. No signs of fear. She nodded. The Titan's face twisted into anger, he stalked away from the edge and toward her. Naomi rooted herself to the spot, and prepared to take a desperate leap of faith.

"It doesn't matter." She appealed, stopping Thanos in his tracks. "Because you don't love Gamora."

"Insolence does not suit you, Prophet." Thanos rumbled, eyes boring down upon her as he resumed his advance. Naomi hated herself for taking a step backwards.

"Don't you see?" She held out her hand, gesturing to the cliff behind him earnestly. "You already proven it to be true- your love for Gamora is a sick lie." Naomi's words were traced with passion, even as she fought to keep her voice monotone. Perhaps spending so much time with the trickster god had worn off on her, for the lies began to come easily.

"You know me as a prophet, do you not?" Naomi asked, breathing harder as she stared up at his towering figure.

"I know you as only a universal gossip." Thanos spat, impatience mixed with contempt on his face like paint on a canvas. Naomi hesitated for a moment, mind racing to find the best possible path to ensure her safety, and Gamora's. She looked to Red Skull, imploring him to answer her question.

"Her knowledge extends beyond that of the Watchers, though I know not of where it came." He revealed, only serving to muddle Naomi's thoughts. Information on the Watchers appeared in her brain, distracting her from the lie she was attempting to craft for Thanos. She forced herself to ignore the Red Skull's words, and cast her limited knowledge on the alien race that he spoke of to the back of her mind. "If Naomi Swanson is not a prophet," he continued, "then I know not what she is."

As confusing as the Red Skull's input was, it appeared to convince Thanos of Naomi's credibility, if only partially. He surveyed her with anger still, but she saw caution in the lines of his face. Thus, Naomi continued. "I have seen this before. I have watched you cast your favorite daughter over the cliffside." She revealed. Thanos's posture sunk slightly. "And it was all for naught." Naomi took a step toward him, then another. Thanos stood his ground, and watched her with a stormy gaze.

"Because the Stone did not present itself to you." Naomi lied. "How could it, when you did not fulfill its sacrifice?"

"Then what, Prophet, does it require of me?" Thanos fumed. Out the corner of her eye, Naomi could see his hands ball into fists.

"You do not understand me. You cannot fulfill the sacrifice, because you love nothing, no one." She whispered, her voice pitying as though she were explaining it to a child. Naomi stepped toward him once more, standing a mere few feet apart. She craned her neck back to meet his eyes. "How could you possibly love Gamora, if you would choose the Stone over her?" Naomi implored, a foreign sense of betrayal seeping into her words.

Thanos reeled backwards, gritting his teeth against the harsh sting of her silver tongue. His breath hissed between his teeth, the Space Stone glowing brighter in its socket for a millisecond. Naomi stilled. After a moment, Thanos did the same. "I do not expect you to understand, Prophet." He said. "The hardest choices-"

"Require the strongest wills." Naomi interrupted. "But sometimes the choices don't need to be made."

Thanos peered at her for several, tense seconds. He stalked toward her. Naomi didn't move. The Space Stone's light filled her vision as he extended the gauntlet toward her. She placed her hand on top of the gauntlet, accepting the Titan's silent invitation. 

"To Earth." Thanos said. Despite herself, Naomi smiled.

"To Earth." She nodded, and allowed the blue-and-black smoke of the Space Stone to overtake her.