Work Text:
The sunrise had been beautiful and the serenity of this new world brought Thanos a sense of peace he hadn't felt for a very long time. He breathed in the clean air and walked through the green fields that surrounded his hut, pleased to find no other signs of civilization. A nearby stream trickled with clear water and the fluid sounds widened the smile already on his face. He knelt down to have a drink when he saw his haggard reflection. He took in his tired appearance and looked at his left arm, which was burnt and fused with the Gauntlet. The Stones were still intact and he could feel their power emanating, waiting to be used.
He shrugged this off and instead washed his face and arms in the stream, drinking the sweet water with grateful refreshment. He sat back to listen to the music of the running water when he saw the surface reflecting the face of a young girl next to his. She had green skin, magenta hair and questioning eyes that broke his heart with their gaze.
"Gamora," he whispered, turning to see her but finding nobody there. Only the verdant landscape and distant twittering of birds. He looked at the Soul Stone and back at the world around him.
"You would have loved it here, little one," he said aloud, absentmindedly caressing the Soul Stone. His face pinched with grief and he began openly weeping. He had not shed tears for her since the irreparable act and until now, gave himself no time to properly mourn. Here alone, he could do as he liked and let all the emotion out, his moans breaking his voice as his body shuddered with catharsis.
After a time, he leaned towards the brook to wash the tears from his face and upon doing so, saw reflected another figure standing by him. This figure was dark, tall and skeletal, with the faintest glow in its eyes. Thanos splashed the water to see if this was another hallucination but the figure remained. Behind him was a cold sensation that chilled every nerve in his body. He composed himself and stood to his full height, deliberately keeping his back to the one he had been waiting for.
"Mistress," he said with a deepened voice.
NOT QUITE, came the sombre reply. The voice entered into his mind with the moribund echo of a tomb slamming shut, as heard from the poor soul who was to be encased for eternity inside. Thanos spun to discover the origin of this voice was a skeleton robed in a cloak of midnight black, as tall as him and with faint pinpricks of blue like distant stars in its eye sockets. One hand held a scythe that glowed with menacing promise and in the other, an hourglass with a gilded frame and purple sands within. The time was almost out and Thanos could see his name engraved at the base. He couldn't help but notice however that the sands were not moving, or if they were, they were incredibly slow.
"Who are you?" he asked suspiciously. "You are not what I was expecting."
NO, I AM NOT. THE DEATH YOU COURTED WILL NOT BE JOINING US TODAY. I AM HER SUBSTITUTE.
"Substitute? What is this?"
A GRANTED REQUEST. I WISHED TO MEET THE ONE WHO WIELDED THE POWER TO CREATE AND DESTROY WITH ONE STROKE, YET WAS NOT A GOD. AND THE DEATH OF THE UNIVERSE SAID YES.
"I don't understand. There is only one Death."
A NAÏVE BUT COMMON MISCONCEPTION. THERE IS ONE DEATH FOR ALL THE UNIVERSE AND ITS VARIOUS EMISSARIES, SUCH AS MYSELF AND THE MISTRESS, WHO ARE DELEGATED TO DIFFERENT WORLDS AND EVEN GALAXIES THROUGHOUT EXISTENCE. I MYSELF AM RESPONSIBLE FOR A VERY UNIQUE WORLD FAR FROM THIS PLACE.
"So why are you here?" asked Thanos, his nerves on edge and ready to activate the Gauntlet. "Why not send the one that is responsible for me and others in this galaxy?"
I ASKED. OTHER DEATHS HAVE NOTICED YOUR ACTIONS BUT ONLY I HAVE PUT FORWARD MY INTEREST. WHEN THE MISTRESS HEARD MY TALE, SHE AGREED.
"I see. And I assume you've come to claim me, perhaps tell me my time has run out judging by that hourglass. Subtle."
YOUR USE OF THE STONES HAS ACTUALLY PREVENTED THAT. FOR NOW. I AM HERE BECAUSE YOU HAVE ACHIEVED SOMETHING NO ENTITY I HAVE EVER COME ACROSS HAS SUCCESSFULLY PULLED OFF BEFORE. AND I HAD TO SEE YOU FOR MYSELF.
Death put the life-timer back in his robe and planted his scythe into the ground. He then crossed his arms and put a hand below his chin, striking a pensive pose as if sizing Thanos up. All that missing was a beard for him to stroke. For his part, Thanos was wondering where this supposed Death had come from, musing that in every culture he had found and eventually dominated that the figure of Death was practically the same when described. Funny how that worked, to say nothing of humanoid evolution.
I AM CURIOUS, Death said finally, WHY DID YOU TAKE IT UPON YOURSELF TO EXTERMINATE HALF THE LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE? AND I HOPE IT WAS A BETTER REASON THAN TO FEEL POWERFUL.
"Some would accuse me of that," said Thanos, "but this was not a power play for dominance. I could do that without the either Gauntlet or the Stones if I wanted. In fact I have, though it ultimately brought no satisfaction. There are despots and tyrants all over the universe, all seeking the same validation of their narcissism and psychopathy from the people they subject to their rule. I can be cruel and oppressive when I deem it necessary, but I really do not care for the persecutors who make it their sole mission without a true cause behind it, except to advance their own pathetic egos.
"No, what I have done is taught the inhabitants of the universe a lesson. To be thankful for their time alive and the worlds they are born into. Now that only half their populations exist, they will treat every precious moment with more respect than they ever would have formerly conceived, along with the resources their respective worlds have to offer. They will thoroughly know the value of life is not something to take for granted."
INTRIGUING. WHY NOT GIVE THEM MORE LIFE, MORE PROVISIONS? CREATE NEW WORLDS FOR THEM TO POPULATE IF THAT IS A PROBLEM?
"Simple. The more there is to use, the more junk piles up. I'm sure you and the other Deaths you mentioned know that life should not be eternal, unless of course said eternal being serves a very specific and elemental purpose, such as yourself."
Death shrugged coyly.
"It is something I witnessed on my home world and several others besides," continued Thanos, "the ignorant and selfish who refuse to see the warnings and only consume, exploit and spawn. Meanwhile their resources die out, ecosystems become graveyards for garbage and before a solution can be found, societies collapse and nothing is left but contaminated desolation. And yet, it is allowed to happen. Right before the very eyes of those who have doomed themselves, who don't care until reality claws back that last shred of denial, and even then they flounder and bargain with wilful ignorance.
"Let's say I did create new worlds, or resources that would renew and replace themselves automatically, utopias where nothing runs out and everybody gets what they want. I could create new planets so that the inevitably unmanageable propagation of various peoples can move themselves when their old ones run out of room. You give infinity to those who are born to be finite and I guarantee they will run wild without consequence, because that's exactly what they do even with limited supplies and space. I could do that and perhaps make half infertile, yet to do so would be tantamount to genocide in its own way. Demanding population control would be the work of a dictator and the entitled would never give up their opportunities unless they personally wanted to, and many of them as you can imagine do not.
"This is why I admire the relationship of predator and prey. A certain species that breeds out of proportion invites a balancing force of nature to keep them in check, feeding itself in the process and ensuring its own species' survival. There's no greed involved, only taking what is needed and earned from the hunt. Civilized beings fail to understand this, no matter how educated or studied they are. In the end, they fall under the same trappings of taking too much and being grossly disappointed when things don't turn their way. It is that lack of gratitude which has invited me to be their predator. There's nothing quite like death to remind someone to cherish and preserve what they have rather than overstep their boundaries."
AND IF THEY DON'T LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES? asked Death.
"Then I guess I'll need to refresh their memory," said Thanos with an icy smile.
YOU REMIND ME OF BEINGS FROM MY END OF THE UNIVERSE. I ALLUDED TO THEM BEFORE. THEY ARE KNOWN AS AUDITORS OF REALITY. LIKE YOU, THEY HAVE PROBLEMS WITH SENTIENT AND CIVILIZED BEINGS, FINDING FREE WILL AND EVEN LIFE ITSELF TO BE A BLIGHT ON AN ORDERLY UNIVERSE. UNLIKE YOU HOWEVER, THIS IS BECAUSE THEY DO NOT POSSES THE INHERENT INSTINCTS TO UNDERSTAND THE INTRICACIES OF LIFE AND SO THEY RESENT IT, FUNCTIONING ONLY BY LOGIC AND HIVE MENTALITY.
Death paused for effect. YOU ARE OBSESSED WITH DEATH AND IT THE WAY IT UNDERLINES LIFE. THE AUDITORS HAVE MADE ATTEMPTS BEFORE TO DESTROY ON A COSMIC SCALE BUT HAVE ALWAYS FAILED BECAUSE OF THEIR ARROGANCE AND UNDERESTIMATION OF THOSE WHO WOULD FIGHT FOR WHAT IS THEIRS. BUT IN YOU I SEE A CONVICTION GATHERED FROM YEARS OF INFLICTED SUFFERING, BOTH FROM AND UPON YOU. IT SEEMS YOUR BIGGEST FLAW IS YOUR MESSIAH COMPLEX.
Thanos laughed bitterly. "I've heard that before, too."
I SUPPOSE BETTER THAT THAN A CALCULATING DRONE. YOU HAVE CERTAINLY MADE AN IMPRESSION.
Death extended his left hand as if in friendship, the glow in his eyes warming. Thanos backed away a step, his foot splashing into the stream and making him jump a little. Death glided forward with his arm still lifted, as if he were not here to take Thanos away but to shake the hand of one admired. The grin across his face indicated this but Thanos could not be sure.
"How do I know this isn't a trick?" ashed Thanos, his eyebrow raised. "You might be who you say you are, but I still find it difficult to believe that one Death would yield to another simply on a whim."
AND I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD BE SO ANXIOUS TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF A CERTAIN DEATH. AFTER ALL, YOU DON'T SEEM SUICIDAL.
"That's the funny thing about destiny. It takes you places where most would rather not tread, nor should they. This is my path and my desire. You can even say the same about love."
CAN'T ARGUE WITH THAT LOGIC, I SUPPOSE.
There was something in the tone of the response that seemed facetious but also genuine. And the idea of a legion of Deaths did sound plausible. It occurred to Thanos that even though this wasn't the Death he sought out, it was the reaction he was looking for in the Mistress. And it was possible the two would still meet in time. He lifted his right hand just in case.
I WOULDN'T DO THAT. NOT UNLESS YOU WISH TO DIE IMMEDIATELY. THE GAUNTLET WILL PROVIDE SOME PROTECTION, HENCE THE LEFT HAND.
"Or you could be trying to steal it," said Thanos flatly.
A SILLY PRESUMPTION. I'D HAVE TO LOP YOUR HAND OFF AND DISSOLVE THE MEAT INSIDE, FOR WHICH I HAVE NO DESIRE. BESIDES, I CARRY POWER ENOUGH WITHOUT NEEDING THE STONES. YOU CAN KEEP THEM.
The frank reply was not what Thanos anticipated. And since Death's face remained friendly, or what passed for it, he raised his gloved hand with slight trepidation, taking Death's own and finding the handshake surprisingly light. As Thanos began to relax, the blue stars in the Reaper's eyes flashed and his grip without warning became stronger than a vice. In that moment Thanos knew he made a mistake but before he could wrench the gauntlet free, Death's right hand scraped the crook of his left elbow, the sensation like ice from the coldest reaches of space. The skeletal left then grabbed Thanos's right shoulder, squeezing and delivering chills hitherto unimaginable down his limb and into his back. Death tossed him to the ground and both hands grabbed his ankles and lifted him with no effort, the freezing pain so overwhelming that the Titan could do little more than utter a breathy warble. Death somehow raised Thanos above his head before viciously slamming him down, his mouth filling with mud and grass, and the smallest amount of blood as his lips broke. Thanos rolled over and saw the grin had not changed but was decidedly more sinister.
"Why...what are doing?" he whimpered, spitting grass away and trying to inch backwards with his bottom. He couldn't feel his arms, nor his legs from below the knees. He tried to activate the Gauntlet but his hand would not move. It was as if the Infinity Stones were not even there. "What have you done to me?"
I'VE DISABLED YOU SO YOU CANNOT FIGHT BACK. I WASN'T LYING WHEN I SAID MY TOUCH CAN KILL YOU. BUT I NEVER MENTIONED I CAN CONTROL IT TO BE EITHER HARMLESS OR SIMPLY PARALYZING. AND I'M JUST GETTING STARTED.
"'Fight back.' You mean use the Gauntlet against you. A dirty trickster if I've ever seen one."
PERHAPS. IT IS UNLIKELY THE STONES WOULD WORK BUT I'M TAKING NO CHANCES.
"Showing me how weak you are," snarled Thanos defiantly. A second hadn't passed before he rued this decision. Death's hand reached for his left shoulder and squeezed tight, freezing and destroying any sensation he had left in his arm and leaving only a fading ache.
"What have I ever done to you?" he screamed, hating the words as they were uttered.
WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS DONE, YOU ATROCIOUS BRUTE. YOU'VE BROUGHT SLAUGHTER AND TRIBULATION TO A PLACE THAT DID NOT REQUIRE YOUR INFLUENCE AND IN SO DOING, MADE YOURSELF ANOTHER ENEMY.
"I should have known, but I didn't think Death of all beings would be so sentimental. What do you care if half a world dies?"
IT'S MY DUTY TO CARE. I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DYING, NOT YOU. IF IT IS THEIR FATE TO RAVAGE THEMSELVES INTO OBLIVION THEN SO BE IT. I MAY NOT LIKE THEIR ACTIONS BUT I ALLOW THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN THE CONSEQUENCES. YOU HAVE DENIED THEM THAT, AND NO AMOUNT OF CONTRADICTORY RHETORIC WILL RATIONALIZE YOUR ACTIONS.
"I brought balance to your world and to all others! I have given a second chance to worlds that don't deserve it rather than simply kill them all and be done. This was their only chance for salvation–"
SELF-DECEPTION OF THE WORST ORDER. YOU TRULY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE OTHER TYRANTS YOU PROFESS TO LOATHE TO JUSTIFY GENOCIDE. PERHAPS IN YOUR MIND YOU DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND THIS. ALLOW ME TO ILLUMINATE YOU.
Death grabbed Thanos by the throat and lifted him off the ground, his blue eyes now glinting a bloody, horrifying red. Thanos was immediately entranced and lost all feeling as the fiery eyes of the Reaper needled into his mind and brought visions of a dying world. The weight of all the universe was felt with the torment of just this one, as it suffered among countless others. A world whose magic barriers could only delay the inevitable for so long and it was not long at all. This was nothing new for Thanos to see except for the way half all its life was eradicated, lives and souls converted to meaningless dust and ashes, leaving only silence to be filled with the harrowing wails of those who survived. It seemed the only good thing to come from the destruction (other than being total omnicide) was that the giant elephants that bore the world upon their backs were not affected, nor was the the turtle they rode upon. Thanos had little time to process this oddity before he could sense there was something else. The reason Death was sharing his memories.
Through the eyes of Death he witnessed the passing of many, even those who appeared to know the Reaper personally, yet Thanos perceived that Death felt little emotion beyond the stoicism he had practiced for centuries; perhaps more for a select few but even that was only hopelessness quickly repressed. As the visions guided him through city streets and the calamitous decimation of the people who lived there, Death mainly seemed concerned that there were no souls to harvest, no Duty to perform. It was when he appeared before a school that a sense of genuine fear began growing. Thanos knew something terrible was about to happen and the dread reached its peak when the visions brought him before a beautiful young woman sitting in the middle of an ash-coated classroom. One look at her was all he needed to make the connection before words were even spoken, for Death's feelings spoke loud enough. He could almost see Gamora's petrified face in hers, the girl who was two-thirds human and had inherited the powers beyond that of mere mortals.
SUSAN, came the melancholic voice, MY GRANDDAUGHTER. THE ONLY FAMILY I HAD LEFT IN THIS DREARY EXISTENCE. AND YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!
As the Reaper's grip tightened, a tear fell from Thanos's eye as he felt Death's anguish unfold. The power of the eternal ran in her veins but that was not enough to stave off the arbitrary destiny that had come for her. He watched her struggle to keep it at bay but like trillions before her, she succumbed to her mortality as her grandfather too late realized the meaning of her words, leaving him forlorn and filled with indescribable rage. The visions moved away from the Discworld and to a being the size of the universe itself. And like the other memories, Thanos knew this to be the Death of the Universe he'd heard tell about.
AZRAEL. MY MASTER AND BY EXTENSION, THE MASTER OF YOUR MISTRESS.
Thanos witnessed the plea of Death to take his revenge, not only for Susan but the denial of the Duty for him and countless Deaths across all corners of the cosmos. A single word, GRANTED, was heard and almost shattered Thanos's brain. And so now he was at the mercy of this other Death, for the Mistress had given her blessing and even a ghastly smile. Thanos may have eliminated trillions of lives but it was almost unheard of to influence an otherwise impartial entity into a vendetta. Then again, until today he never heard of an Auditor.
Death at last released him and Thanos again fell into the mud, gagging to breathe and curling into a ball. Death grabbed his scythe and violently prodded its base into Thanos's midsection, causing him to roll on his back and convulse like an insect that was unable to do more than kick with its legs. If only I could, he thought. Death again grabbed him by the throat and forced him into a kneeling position he could barely sustain, as he was numb from the shins down, his feet pointing in crooked angles.
"What are you going to do to me?" he asked pitifully. He tried to clench his fist again but it was no use; he now only felt phantom sensations of his limbs, despite the fact they were still attached to him. The eyes of Death had returned to their blue pinpricks but were still terrible to behold.
I AM GOING TO ADMINISTER PUNISHMENT AS I SEE FIT, came the grave reply, AND BEFORE I AM DONE, YOU WILL BEG TO BE NO MORE THAN THE DUST OF BONES AND BLOOD.
The scythe was raised and shone wickedly, the blade practically singing its desire to penetrate flesh and beyond. Death swung and stopped it short of penetrating his victim's throat, instead letting the blade hover right on the skin. He then moved the blade down, lightly scraping across until it met the groin. A small amount of pressure heralded what was to follow and Thanos shut his eyes, bracing himself for the affliction. He then felt his body grow light and surrender to gravity. Before he lost consciousness, he chastised himself internally for fainting like a coward.
* * *
When he awoke, the sky had grown darker and there was a tingling sensation in his arms and legs like pins. He stretched out his limbs in the shape of a starfish, waiting for his circulation to return to normal. Slowly, he pulled himself up and stood carefully, shaking his head and hoping it had all just been a terrible nightmare. He looked around and could see no sign of the Reaper.
"Thanos, you fool," he laughed to himself, "you're letting guilt get the better of you." He smacked his lips and decided to take a quick drink from the stream, watching the water first to make sure he saw only his face and no one else's. Satisfied, he kneeled down and scooped a handful of water in his mouth when suddenly he noticed a dark figure and a pair of blue lights in the water's surface. He quickly turned and saw Death looming above him, the skeletal grin hungry with anticipation.
ARE WE READY NOW?
The dreadful screams echoed for miles.