Crimson Storm

Chapter 20

Thanos arrives, finding only fresh debris from Ebony Maw's ship. All of us where hiding around the debris waiting for the signal to attack. Strange decided to stay out in the open and be the first one to confront Thanos. 

"Oh, yeah, you're much more of a "Thanos"." 

"I take it the Maw is dead. This day extracts a heavy toll. Still, he accomplished his mission." 

"You may regret that. He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts." '

He's just as full of him self as Tony.' I thought to myself still listening. 

"And where do you think he brought you?" Quill was crouched behind some wreckage with his weapon ready, behind Thanos and to his left; Peter peeked from above and behind Doctor Strange. While Tony and I stayed hidden to Thanos's right. The rest of the team was hiding behind some rocks. 

"Let me guess. Your home?" Strange said. 

"It was. And it was beautiful." Thanos curls his fist and activated the Reality Stone to show Strange The planet before it was destroyed - green lawns, intact buildings, water-filled ponds, strolling citizens, the jack-like structures hovering and connected to the ground-based buildings with beams of energy. It truly use to be a beautiful planet. 

"Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths, and not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution." Thanos said taking the planet back to what it really looked like. 

"Genocide." 

"But at random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike. They called me a madman. And what I predicted came to pass." I was really getting tired of hearing this guy talk about how he was a supposed savior. He had murdered his own people thinking it was the right thing to do. Which it's not. There could have been better solutions. And now he wants to do the same thing to earth. 

"Congratulations. You're a prophet." Strange said with a lot of sarcasm. 

"I'm a survivor." 

"Who wants to murder trillions." 

"With all six stones, I could simply snap my fingers, and they would all cease to exist. I call that...mercy." 

"And then what?" Strange said standing up and walking towards Thanos. 

"I finally rest... and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills." 

"I think... you'll find... our will... equal to yours." Strange said getting into fighting stance. That was the que to go. 

"Ours?" Thanos said with confusion on his face. I guess he thought Strange was there alone. Thanos looks up to a see a chunk of wreckage descending rapidly on him, too rapidly to react, it was being pushed by Tony and I to give it enough power to hopefully knock out Thanks. He is subsequently crushed by it. 

"Piece of cake, Quill." Tony said flying to stand next to me. 

"Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off!" Quill said putting in his mask and running to attack Thanos closely followed by Tony and I. The wreckage on top of Thanos erupts in purple, as he bellows in rage. He turns the hovering fragments into a flock of bats with the Reality Stone and swarms Tony with them, driving him back through the ruins. I followed to help Tony out. Peter webs his eyes, and swings in to kick him in the face at the same time that Drax leaps from cover, blades in both hands, to knee-slide behind Thanos and try for a tendon slide across the back of the Titan's knee. I pulled the titans legs to the ground with as much force as I could. Strange jumps through a portal and summons a sword of golden energy, duelling with Thanos while Drax attacks similarly on his other side.