203 Vormir.

As I opened the portal to Vormir, I silently summoned the Soul Stone's altar back and covered it in a forcefield to keep in the atmosphere it had in it. Then, portals opened up at the edge of the exosphere of Vormir and my nano swarm covered it, the pitch black sky glittering with a golden sheen now, enforcing a lockdown to make sure Thanos didn't escape again.

This time, if he tried using the Bifrost, the swarm would tear him apart and consume him, atom by atom.

That is also why I spared him.

He was more useful to me here as a threat entity to push up the stress level on Pietro.

He has no escape and there is one clear path ahead of him. Take the Soul Stone.

Or at least prevent me from getting it.

And so he would come, playing right into my hand.

We exited the portal at the bottom of the mountain and I pointed at the cracked and crumbling path up the side just as Thanos came into view in the distance.

"He's here. Go! Up the mountain. Get the Soul Stone no matter what! I'll hold him back!" I said and raised my hand to my chest.

With a thought the watch on my wrist began to unfold like an origami masterpiece, the nanites running up my arm, covering my body in power armor.

I looked at the two siblings and they nodded tunning up the path.

I smiled.

Let's play!

I phased through the forcefield covering the mountain and entered the frozen, radioactive surface of Vormir and walked over towards Thanos at a leisurely pace.

"You know Thanos, I admire you." I said, and he looked up at me incredulously.

"Really. I do. What you have achieved...your willpower, that resolve... I respect that. But you really went about this whole thing the wrong way." I spoke as we came closer.

He stumbled forward, his bruised, bleeding form looked terrifying under the ultraviolet glaze and the atmospheric, ashen haze.

Like a monster from Silent Hill, dragging his axe along, his back hunched and arms leering by the sides.

He looked....tired.

Well, I suppose overusing the Power Stone did a number on his body. It's already a miracle he survive all those other attacks. He shouldn't be even half as powerful and yet here he was.

In some ways you gotta admire that tenacity. The will to stand up over and over in the face of an unassailable cliff wall stretching up to infinities beyond his comprehension.

I doubt I could have done better in his situation.

Though, I would have never been in his situation in the first place.

Because I'm not stupid.

I chuckled.

"I mean putting aside the fact that you were utterly stupid about that Malthusian plan of yours, you had so many better way to deal with the life problem than wiping out half of all life. Forced or voluntary sterilization for one.

Get them while they are young and by the time they realize their mistakes, it will be too late to reverse their fertility.

Boom. Problem solved.

Lot's of people don't want kids, like ever anyways.

Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia was another option.

The rates of suicidal ideation in sentient species are unsettling.

In fact most people live not from a love of life but a fear of death.

Give them proper indoctrination when young and then a safe painless way put and I wouldn't be surprised if more than half of all sentient species would just choose a peaceful death over a life of struggle and misery!

And that's just off the top of my head.

Technological advancements and sustainable growth was another alternative. There. Three fresh new options and you wouldn't even need bloodshed in most cases. The problem will solve itself, if left alone.

So here's an olive branch.

End your nonsensical crusade here, hand me the Power Stone and walk away. You might just live to see tomorrow.

You saw me kill Arishem. You can't fight me and as you might have already figured it out, the Bifrost won't take you out of here. You are trapped here, like a rat in a cage. You know it and so do I.

There is no point fighting a battle you have already lost."

"A cornered rat will bite back at even the cat. And the battle isn't lost...." He coughed blood, and it sizzled away in the nonexistent atmosphere of Vormir.

"...Until I say so." Thanos rumbled, raising his axe as purple energy coiled around him.

"Forgive me. I don't think I was quite clear about our positions in that metaphor. This is not a cat and mouse game, Thanos."

I gave him a deadpan look and swiped my hand across the air before him.

His body split, and four deep gashes opened up in his chest.

"You are a rat and I am a black hole. That is the difference between us. Thete is not scenario in which you survive this without my express permission.

"How?!" He asked in shock, before his body seized, bringing him to his knees.

"Nanomachines son." I smiled.

"You are already dead. Actually, you were already dead the moment my daughter made it to your little group. There never was any escape, Thanos. And now, comes your end. Die, here. Like a nobody." I snapped my fingers and his nose began to bleed, his internal organs liquefied and his bones crumbled to dust.

I flung out my wrist and activated the telekinetic module.

The axe, Stormbreaker flew into my hands.

"Shame you didn't choose life. But then again, what was I expecting from a man as fatalistic as you." I shook my head as the light drained away from his eyes.

Truly. A shame.

I gripped Stormbreaker and felt a surge of power rush through me, the weapon assessing my worthiness before it gave me a tacit nod of approval in the form of a pulse of the power cosmic.

Heh!

Nice, I guess.

Never hurts to have a new weapon.

I looked at Thanos again, his lifeless eyes slowly freezing over.

He was dead.

But I still need some threat and it would be a shame to just leave Thanos's body to waste away here.

I smiled evilly as my nanomachines got to work patching his corpse up for a little puppetry.

.

After orchestrating a short skirmish and a surprise attack on me from a downed Thanos, I returned to the mountain, battered and cut, making my way to the two siblings who stood at the edge of the cliff debating what to do.

As soon as I arrived however, their bickering stopped and they fell silent.

"So, did you get the Stone? We need to get out of here!" I asked impatiently, hobbling over acting injured.

"No we-" Wanda said but Pietro cut her off.

"The stone required a sacrifice. A soul for a soul. And Wanda won't let me sacrifice myself."

"I'm not going to let you kill yourself over a stupid stone! I don't want to lose you again!" Wanda corrected.

"Boss will just revive me again." He replied.

"No. He won't." Came a voice from a crag above.

Red Skull floated down onto the altar.

"The one who is sacrificed for the Soul Stone cannot be recovered. Not even by the Stone itself." He added.

I scoffed.

"Red Skull. Nazi officer and Hydra elite. Fancy seeing you here."

"Somehow I doubt that. You knew it all from the beginning." He said.

"Oh I knew alright. I also know that I can revive him once he does it."

"Are you sure?" Wanda asked.

Before I could answer though, Pietro spoke up.

"Wanda! It doesn't matter! I....I want to do this! Make my life mean something! Even if Boss can't revive me. I don't want to die at eighty years old, filled with regret, knowing that I stood here today, with a worthy cause in my heart but I did nothing! This way, here, at least I'll be happy!" He cried in frustration.

"But I won't be happy! Did you ever think of that?! Who you're leaving behind, you stinking idiot!" She slapped him.

But he didn't waver.

"You...why don't you understand? You have a dream.... someone you-"

"Alright. Shut it." I stopped them, turning to Red Skull and blowing his head open with a laser.

His body fell to the floor with a thud, raiding dust as all eyes turned to him.

"First things first." I looked at Wanda in disappointment.

"You were seriously going to believe a damn Nazi over me.

And look, maybe he's right. Maybe you do die permanently. In which case, sucks to suck I guess. Life isn't fair. The world is a dark forest. Can't do anything about it." I sighed.

"And secondly. If you are too afraid to...." I snapped my fingers and Riley walked out from the portal.

"I can just sacrifice myself."

"Papa?" Riley asked, confused as she realized what I was doing.

She had been given the script and shown it's many options.

Or so I hoped.

Hoped that Ace had shared what he had asked of her with the rest.

If not, well.... there's always the father and daughter.

No way I'm sacrificing myself.

Activating my geass, I scoured the possible futures for the exact right words and began to speak in a jilted pattern like Morty on Death Crystal.

I turned to Riley and kneeled down to her level.

"Riley, I have a very important job for you. I want you to take the Soul Stone and go home. Follow the plan. Revive Mama Offee. Okay? And if....I don't come back... Tell her I love her. Tell Star I love him." I said and she muttered a small 'no', playing her act up very convincingly.

I just leaned forward and kissed her forehead, "Never forget that I love all of you."

"No!" She cried, "Papa, please!"

Damn. Those tears look pretty fucking real.

She could win an Oscar for those.

I chuckled internally and silently threw stasis beacons all around her, trapping her in.

"Papa!" She cried.

But I didn't stop. I walked to the edge as Wanda came forward.

"Let's not be hasty-"

Boom!

Crackle!

The forcefield flickered as Thanos slammed his axe into it, sending a surge of purple energy washing over it like a tidal wave.

"I'm afraid there's no time. Don't worry. I don't blame you. I understand." I said, looking at her with a profound disappointment, "Maybe I was expecting too much from you. Not everyone has the resolution to do what needs to be done. And well, as they say..." I smiled, as I crossed the edge.

"Can't see heaven without dying yourself."

Then, I fell.

_____________________

The extra chapter for 400 powerstones!

Phew!

That took a while.

Sorry for the delay.

Was forced to go to a wedding.

It was horrible. I hate people and socializing and that place was a matchbox sized room of torture.

Why do people like to go to these things?

They are loud, annoying and sweaty affairs especially in the summer and I can't imagine it being fun for anyone.

Extroverts in the audience, care to explain?

The food was at least good so silver linings!

Anyways, back home!

So chapters will be regular again!

Next extra chapter at 600 powerstones.

Thanks for reading!

You guys are awesome for sticking around!

See ya later with another chapter!