10 reviews = bonus chapter
500 gems = bonus chapter
Advanced chapters at:
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium
***
Pierce's unconscious body flew towards the ground, accelerating more and more. Rain's appearance, namely the severely dented rib cage, would have probably made any normal person immediately write him off as a dead man. But all the past events had managed to strengthen Pierce's body enough to keep him alive even in such a bad state. With only a little over ten seconds of flight left to the ground Pierce was able to regain consciousness. It took him half the time available to assess the situation and ignore the hellish pain throughout his body. Using his uninjured hands, he was able to quickly fumble for his suit pocket and pull out a double ring from there. He realised that the speed he had already gained would simply kill him if he opened the portal in this position. So despite the pain he opened his eyes fully and ignoring the new injuries he concentrated on a new point for the portal a few hundred metres above his current position. Falling into the new portal he flew straight out towards the horizon.
Reducing his speed as his body began to descend again Rain used the last remnants of magic in his body to open a portal to his lab and landed on the cold floor. His vision began to blur and realising that if he passed out now, he might not wake up again, he forced himself by sheer force of will to reach into the other pocket of his uniform and slipped his hand into the spatial bag and took out two syringes, which he immediately injected into his neck. After that his consciousness finally left Pierce and he passed out.
***
Oh, God, this is bad. What happened and where am I? I have to open my eyes...it didn't work...calm down, I have to try again...yeah, that's better, white ceiling. Hmm, so I'm in a hospital, but then why am I cold? Remember! Right! The Shield, Loki, the Hulk, the arsehole in the fighter jet. I've injected myself with double the dose of maximum regenerator, which means I should have stabilised by now and I'm not going to the new world. There's my arm moving, now let's get up.
-The whole body's stiff. - Pierce grumbled, turning on his side and standing up.
Now that's better. So we'll have to use the energiser as well. The new syringe injected into me, and all stiffness left my body instantly. When I got to my feet, I decided to see the results of the treatment, so I took off my top and looked at my chest and found no visible dents or reactions to the groping and tapping on my rib cage.
Checking my mobile phone, I logged onto the net and finding no information about the alien invasion I could breathe a sigh of relief. It would be too embarrassing to sleep through an enemy attack, and the Hulk's injuries would be a poor excuse. Calling the Shield, I realised that the Heliker was still cut off from communications and all its contact with the outside world had been cut off. Lighting my cigar to replenish my energy, I began to ponder.
So I'm between the moment of Avengers unity with Coulson's death and Stark's encounter with Loki. The Assgardian god is now just overseeing the installation of a portal system on the roof of Stark Tower. Hmm, I had a plan for that, but I wanted to get away from the Heliker in a much more comfortable way. Frank had been warned about the coming shit, and many basements around the city had been bought up and converted into isolated storage cells as soon as they were acquired. Still, it would literally be raining alien technology soon. I also warned Emma that I didn't know if she'd heed my advice to leave town or not, but I had a rough idea where her office was. So if anything, I can keep the alien beasts away from that part of town.
Now I'm healthy and full of energy again and I have everything I need to fulfil my plan, so it's time for me to get my first infinity stone.
***
As the scepter was placed at my side, I began to fall into darkness. The last thing I saw were scraps of a message from the system.
Warning! Excessive exposure of the user to mind energy. Shield breach...reboot...fail...reboot....
Opening my eyes, I found myself in darkness. I could see myself and feel the floor I was standing on, but there was an overpowering darkness all around me. Cursing my arrogance I tried to concentrate, after all in Kamartaj they teach you how to get in and out of your inner world. And though it didn't look like anything I'd seen before, where else but my inner world could I be?
-You're inside your mind. - There was a voice from the darkness.
Who the hell is that? That doesn't sound like Loki.
-I'm not Loki. - The voice sounded offended.I didn't even get a chance to ask it.
-And for me, I don't need to ask a question, I can hear your thoughts, -Rain‖. - The amount of sarcasm in the last word was literally drowning.
Since you know so much, at least let me see you.
-Please, I hope it will be easier for you to have a dialogue with me now? - Asked Pierce's exact replica that appeared out of the darkness.
-Who are you? -Rain asked dumbfounded.
-Don't you know? You're not stupid enough not to realise the obvious. - Pierce's copy said with a smile.
-The Mind Stone. - Shocked, Ryan said.
-Almost, I'm you, only with more experience, intelligence and knowledge. I do not have my own consciousness, but to take a copy of someone else's as a basis and temporarily use it, I can calmly. -The stone calmly answered.
-Am I Loki's puppet now? - Asked, shrinking inside Rain.
-No. Your so-called system is too quick to patch the gaps created by my power. In reality, you'll wake up in a couple of minutes, but here time is ephemeral, and we can talk to you for a couple of years. - The stone said with a frightening smile.
-And why would you do that? - Imagining a couple of years in such a place with only a copy of himself to talk to, Pierce asked with a gulp.
-Boredom and some interest in your person. You know, I'm rarely used for my intended purpose. Even Loki, who thinks he's got a great weapon in his hands, doesn't notice how every time he holds me in his hands, his lust for power and critical thinking are dulled. I've never liked races with such long lifespans. They're too slow to grow on themselves and change. And the funny thing is that with enough psychological bursts, their consciousness can change so much in just a dozen years that it would take a couple of millennia to change in their normal way of coexistence. Beings like you are beautiful. For some hundred years you create for yourselves a picture of the world, get your personal worldview and go through so many changes that many "higher" races have never even dreamed of. And how you love to deceive yourselves and put your moral satisfaction from the illusion of correct existence above logic. Amazingly mesmerising. You, by the way, are also interesting to me because of this.
-What do you mean?
-I have full access to your memory and your senses, so I can see the whole picture of your actions. -What do you mean? Tell me, why do you need the power, what is it for? To defeat Thanos, to survive? Lies! Do you want to be the hero of this world? No. Villain? That's not it either. Take control of the lives of everyone around you? No. You're just having fun. You like it all, you're absorbing new powers, new knowledge, new acquaintances, like some kind of junkie. You're euphoric about the craziness of this world, where an Assgardian god can stage an alien invasion, or an overzealous inventor can create a robot that can destroy humanity. This is all a wonderful adventure for you, coloured in such bright colours, which you lacked in ordinary life, and you will do everything to keep it going. Admit it and you'll feel better. - Said the stone, rendering Pierce speechless and immersing him in his thoughts.
***
At the same time, Pierce's inner world was in chaos. The entire castle was shaking, and parts of the walls, roof and ceiling on the living floors were collapsing. Almost all the inhabitants at that time were running around the castle in terror to AronChupa & Little Sis Nora - Hole in the Roof. At this time, no one noticed how the door that Pierce had welded shut on his first visit to the world began to heat up little by little in the places where Raine had walked his flames.
***
In Stark's tower, Loki looked at the unmoving Pierce and puzzled over his misguided reaction to the power of the sceptre.
-What's so special about you? - Loki asked, gazing into Rain's dark blue eye sockets after the staff had touched his heart twice.
After standing like that for a moment, he recognised the attempt at submission as a failure.
-Well, since it will not work to put you and your friends together, we should get rid of the problem at once. - Said the god of deceit and pierced Pierce's stomach with the blade of his sceptre. Rain's body shook and a clot of blood flew out of his mouth with a cough. A few seconds later, the darkness descended from his eyes.
-Fuck! - Pierce assessed his position and immediately saw Loki's smug face, clearly enjoying the life slowly leaving Pierce's body. Squeezing his right palm and feeling the hardness of the double ring, Rain immediately used the energy he had stored up and opened a portal beneath him, falling inside his lab.
After spitting out a few more blood and painting most of the floor beneath him, Rain slipped his hand into a pouch in one of the pockets on his belt. After rummaging around for a second, he pulled out a syringe filled with a strange liquid and immediately injected it into his heart.
-The bastard punctured his liver and cut through part of his intestine. - Pierce quickly identified the most serious wounds by ripping open his already torn suit.
-He went to get a fucking pebble. - Ryan said quietly, gasping for air as he lay on the floor.***
A dozen minutes later, in the same place, the God of Deception failed again.
-Again?! - Loki said irritably, looking at the scepter in his hands and wondering where he could have damaged it.
-So this isn't the first time? Then you should definitely see a doctor. - Stark didn't stop. And when his joke reached Loki he quickly left his tower in the most drastic way possible.
***
Don't forget to donate gems.
And subscribe at:
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium