POV Thanos
I stare at the empty room that I was almost certain once carried the Power Stone until recently. I crush the stasis device in anger, let the metal fragments fall to the ground, and return to my ship in anger over the failure of this expedition.
Things have gone from bad to worse. My plan to get the Time Stone died with Belasco. The only thing I gained from that failed plan was that the Sorcerer Supreme is now dead, but that doesn't mean anything unless I can get someone to find where the Time Stone is now. And that might not be possible given Asgard's position, causing things to become more... delicate. I could defeat the Allfather, but it would be a risky battle that I might not survive, and if I do, I would likely be crippled.
'Perhaps I could send Gamora.'
It was an idea, but one that I didn't care that much for. Nebula was also a consideration, but I didn't want to risk either in such an unknown situation. My information on Earth as a whole was not as strong as I would like; it seemed to make sense to hire someone I didn't care about.
'The Ravagers should do. They will do just about anything for the right price.'
I also had to consider the Eternals present on Earth, though I didn't believe it likely for them to interfere unless I purposely antagonised them; it was still a problem that could interfere if I wasn't careful.
Other things I had to consider were attempting to find any other Infinity Stones, or if that failed, then something else that could empower me. Especially since the Shi'ar had started to become annoying as of late. Especially those damn Strontians. I really didn't want to fight them, as it would just reduce the amount of time I could spend on things I actually cared about. It also didn't help that they were not easy foes to fight or kill, especially Gladiator.
I had fought him once before, and it was a stalemate back then, but they likely would come at me in a group this time, making things far less likely to end in a victory for me.
"Lord Thanos, I bring you news," my aide reports.
"What is it?" I say in a very displeased tone.
"I have discovered a record of a planet thought lost by all; legend says it contains a power beyond anything seen before," my aide reports.
At first, I was going to dismiss them, but when I spotted the scans of the legend in question, I decided to take a closer look. It didn't take me long to decipher parts that my aide hadn't managed, and it looked very promising.
'The Walking Star, huh? This could be what I need.'
"Set course for this... Kagrumez," I order.
"Yes, Lord Thanos," my aide replies before activating the ship's navigation.
POV Shift Rio
'Hmm, not sure what I can use this for.'
I had just finished a small trip to Limbo to check on a few things, and the pocket dimension was a mess. Supposedly, Belasco and Satina were both dead, leading to a massive power vacuum with just about every demon and their mother trying to claim territory and conquer their neighbours. It was chaotic enough that even I didn't want to wade into that mess. I might do something about it later, but for now, I will let them continue to fight each other.
Part of the reason I went there was to check on the Heart of Limbo, which is a very potent source of magical energy and was the only reason Limbo existed in the first place, according to what I could find. Now, despite its power, nobody could use it unless they became the undisputed ruler of Limbo. Thus, the whole battle for supremacy between Belasco and Satina, and the constant warfare between the new warlords of Limbo.
I wanted the Heart, but I would be patient. There was no need to start fighting now when I could come in later when the various demons and dark creatures of Limbo had exhausted themselves. It also helped that I didn't intend to keep the Heart there. Limbo was unnecessary, so I would take the Heart for my own needs.
It also helped that I was fairly busy with other projects. Case in point, it was time to test out a new portal to see where I get sent.
Woosh
The drone feed starts to transmit back to me, and I look around. The world I had landed in seemed fairly normal. A modern world with a breathable atmosphere and moderate levels of pollution. It was also Earth-based on the various signals the drone found.
We had gotten a somewhat usable inter-universal communicator working a while back. It had some limitations, such as not being able to go too far from the point of insertion. Or the inability to work in extremely mana-deprived environments. The device is also easy to jam if you use anything above basic jamming technology. Opening other portals can also degrade the signal quality, which basically means that if there are large spatial fluctuations within a few kilometres of the drone, it will cause signal degradation. It can still work depending on the quantity and quality of spatial fluctuations, but it's generally not that hard to cause the signal to become so degraded that it can't be relied upon. But all things considered, those were minor downsides when you consider the sheer value of being able to send signals between universes that use math and science that can only be described as sci-fi nonsense. At least that is what I like to joke about.
'Hmm, seems like a fairly normal world. Nothing really of much value from a basic world like this.'
I was a tad bit disappointed, but only barely. Sure, it was an ordinary world and thus likely didn't have tech of any value, but that didn't mean I couldn't use it at all. If I were desperate, I could use it to sell things between the worlds, but honestly, that wouldn't be worth it. Any resources I could get could be obtained from outer space instead of another universe. Not to mention, I was filthy rich. Like rich enough that I will never have to worry about money.
As I was about to recall the drone, I noticed something of slight interest.
"The Syndicate? Oh? Does this world have DC Comics?" I mutter.
I pull it up, but the longer I read, the more concerned I become.
'This looks like a news report about real events, not a movie or comic book.'
"Oh... Oh no..." I say with a grim look.
I recall the drone right away and then store it to make sure that nothing was done to my drone. I also shut down the portal and contemplated what I had just stumbled upon.
'Earth 3. Home of the Syndicate, or basically the evil Justice League. And the genocidal depressed Owlman, who, depending on the version, wants to wipe out his entire multiverse.'
This was such a can of worms that I really didn't want to open. Not to mention, I was hopelessly underpowered to deal with such a universe. Sure, some of the tech might be interesting or even useful, but I wasn't going to take a risk of dealing with people on the power of the Justice League without any moral constraints.
I pace around the lab for a long time before eventually stopping and taking a deep breath.
'Okay, calm down. That universe is dangerous, but I don't have to fight them. Or even engage with them. In fact, I don't have to deal with that world at all. While some of the tech might be useful, I can't say for certain how valuable it truly is. So why worry?'
Once I really thought about it, I moved on with my life and just marked the coordinates down as unusable. When I was stronger, I might go in and search for something of value, but for now, it would remain unused. I wasn't even going to use it for a backup garbage world to dumb those I couldn't kill otherwise. That was reserved for the Tentacle World or the Deer World. Both of which are places I really wouldn't want to be trapped in.
'Hmm, now that I think about it, I should go deal with Hive.'
Hive was the sort of founder or god of Hydra. Or at least kind of. It is more accurate to say that in the MCU, he was an Inhuman who controlled people as a sort of hivemind, thus his name Hive. He was banished to the planet Maveth, but left behind a secret society that eventually evolved into Hydra, but only a branch of Hydra. Most of Hydra didn't even know about Hive; they were just flat our Fascists who wanted to conquer the world. But I digress. I couldn't confirm much beyond the existence of Hive from Hydra's files, so I wasn't fully sure what he was and how strong he was. But I would find out soon enough.
I teleport to the Watchtower and then head to the teleporter room. I could use the Millennium Falcon, and I would once I got there, as I didn't want to waste several weeks trying to track down Hive on the massive planet of Maveth. But teleporting would get me there quickly.
Once I arrive, I remove the Falcon and take off into orbit to begin the scanning. Given that the planet was devoid of life, it wasn't that hard to track down the only life sign on the planet. I kept my distance in orbit and only spied on the creature I had found. It looked like the person I was here for. It looked like a Nautolan, but a greyish blue, though that could also be due to the incredibly intense blue light that pervades the entire world. The entire planet was shaded blue. The planet wasn't technically blue; it was just that the only light that could be seen was blue light and shades of blue.
Regardless of the strange properties of the planet, I aimed carefully and then dropped a Tessaract Bomb from orbit onto Hive. Was it overkill? Maybe? But I wasn't going to complain. It also allowed me to test the capabilities of the restored warhead. And maybe you could consider this poetic justice of sorts. Hive was killed by a weapon his cult made.
I waited patiently and read over the scans to make sure Hive was dead and gone. Technically, I didn't really have to do this, as there was no obelisk to teleport someone to Maveth anymore. Well, okay, technically there is. But it is in Guardian possession, as we wanted to study it and see if there was anything to learn from it.
As I did another scan of the planet, I spotted a surprise. Hive survived. Not physically, no, the bomb erased him, but he seems to have transferred to another body on another part of the planet. This time, he was in a clearly much weaker and decayed body. Possibly his original body.
'Bombs away.'
This time, for fun, I created a magic clone and had it ride the bomb as it fell.
"Yaaaaaaaahoooooo!" my clone screamed as he waved his hat in the air.
POV Shift Hive
I barely start moving my ancient backup body when I hear some strange, loud screaming. I look up and, to my horror, see some madman riding a massive weapon as it falls to the planet.
[Image Of Hive Looking Up A Rio In Horror]
"You've yee'd your last haw, buster!" screams the madman.
I struggle and try to flee the enemy, but it seems it was pointless.
(AN: Insert Nuclear Explosion Video of your choice here if you want.)
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Author's Note:
Adding this here to notify those that care that I added an Auxiliary Chapter with what Templates appear in what chapters, as well as their source material. And in case people don't know what that means, go to the chapter selection and scroll to the Auxiliary Volume section; it should be called Templates Info Chapter. And yes, I have to add those instructions, as some people don't know what the Auxiliary Volume is or where to find it.