Child of Mischief (part 1)

Chapter 1

The refugee vessel rocked as another blast exploded outside. I ran down the hall, sword in hand, trying to get as many Asgardians as I could off the ship and to the escape pods before it fell apart. The vessel tipped to the side again as something exploded, throwing me off my feet and hitting the back of my head on the wall. Stars exploded in the corner of my vision, but I brushed it off and guided a large crowd of Asgardians down the hall to the pods. "Everyone, this way!" I shouted, pointing down another corridor. They ran down and began boarding, and the sound of the pods departing was probably the most relieving thing I had ever heard! Loki joined my side a moment later, and I turned to face him. "(Y/n), let me take over, you go and board with the rest of the people!"

"No, I'm not leaving you!" I protested.

"Please! I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you. I've set the coordinates to Midguard, so you'll be safe."

"I've made my decision, and I'm not leaving you!" Loki opened his mouth to argue further, but one last explosion rocked the ship, and moments later, three aliens came barreling down the hall, weapons ready. Loki pushed me to the ground and hovered over me as protection while they attacked the rest of the Asgardians! He helped me up as they lowered their weapons, and I cried out in horror as I stared at the carnage around us. Overcome with anger and guilt that I failed to protect them, I raised my sword and moved to attack, but Loki pulled me back before I could do anything.

"Lower your weapon," the woman-like creature said, and Loki gently forced my sword out of my grip. "Loki," another one said, grinning evilly, "How good it is to see you again!"

"Corvus Glaive," my husband said, there was a slight, almost unnoticeable tremor in his voice. "Who's this lovely lady?" Corvus asked, tracing a claw down the length of my jaw. If Loki hadn't stepped in front of me and grabbed his hand when he did, I likely would have torn it off. "You will not lay a hand on her," Loki hissed dangerously.

"A bit protective are we?" Corvus sneered, and yanked his hand out of Loki's grip. The female alien prodded me in the side with her weapon and commanded us to move. We did, and they guided us upstairs to the main deck where we had watched Ragnarok not one day ago. That is Corvus Glaive, his wife Proxima Midnight, and Cull Obsidian, Loki's voice said in my head.

How do you know them?

They, and another one named Ebony Maw, are members of a group called the Black Order. They work for a titan named Thanos. Corvus and I, Loki swallowed hard, Corvus and I lead the attack on New York. My eyes widened, and I must have slowed for a minute because the female alien, Proxima Midnight, jabbed me in the side with her weapon again. As we came to the top of the stairs and onto the deck, I stifled a scream and Loki held my hand tightly. There were more bodies up here, and the deck lay in ruins. Some of the people were still alive, but barely, and Corvus busied himself with killing off the ones who were alive. As we neared the center of the room, I spotted Heimdall among the bodies, and he was badly wounded but still alive! I went to go help him, but Loki held me tight to his side. You mustn't help him, they will kill both of you if you do, Loki's voice warned in my head. I bit my lip and obeyed, shooting my old friend an apologetic look. He nodded at me, seeming to understand.

Another alien, one I assumed to be Ebony Maw, was walking around the deck and stepping over bodies as if they were merely dirty clothes strewn about the floor. "Hear me, and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Titan... You may think this is suffering... No. it is salvation. Universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile... For even in death, you have become Children of Thanos."

As he stepped aside, another figure came into view. He was about the size of Hulk, and stood by the large window at the front, shrouded in darkness as he stared out into space. That, is Thanos, Loki said. This was the most terrified he had ever sounded, and I wondered if there was something he wasn't telling me about when he worked for the titan. " I know what it's like to lose. To feelso desperately that you're right... yet to fail, nonetheless," Thanos said. He bent down slightly and picked someone by his feet up by the neck of their breastplate. Thor. Loki held me back again as I tensed up, ready to run to my brother in law's aid as he struggled feebly to free himself. "Remember what I told you," Loki warned in my ear, and I surrendered back to his side.