As Alex was going through a therapeutic experience in the time- accelerated Gaia Federation, the rest of the cluster was moving at the same speed of time as usual. Which was all still incomprehensibly shuffled up.
In the Asgardian Earth.
Not a lot of time had passed since Jane's adventure to Earth-Z where she got her ass handed to herself by the two Eldrich Leader Class> Abominations in quick succession.
At this point, as repayment to Alex for saving her at that time from that particular situation, she decided to help him locate the planet that he told her about. Morag.
"This place doesn't exist in any Asgardian databases," Jane told him after a thorough search. He had been standing right beside her through the process, so he knew.
"Which means that it's most likely inaccessible by the Bifrost as well. If the planet's data isn't there then it is most likely beyond Odin's domain," Alex said with a thoughtful frown.
"Anything else I can do to help?" She asked him.
"Help me locate Xandar," He said, "That's the home planet of the Nova Corps. It should be an easy find."
"It is," Jane nodded, "I've dealt with them before. They are one of the nicer intergalactic empires, very nice policies for their mixed- race citizens despite one race being a majority."
"That's cool, He said, "But we just need to get to their planet. I can get the rest of the information on my own and we can be gone within minutes. Sightseeing can come later."
"If you say so," Jane said before pressing her palm on the terminal once again. She then started searching for the relevant data before displaying it on a holographic screen.
"Do you need to make any preparations before we leave?" Alex asked her.
"Not in particular," She said, "I've left most of the things in Fury's hands along with the rest of the World Council. As for Loki and Hela ... Those two are like problem children who can't be helped. My being here or not isn't going to matter if they truly decide to start another world war."
"Good enough, let's get going then," Alex said with a shrug. Jane nodded and grabbed Hofund's handle before pulling it out of its sheath. She held it with both hands and stabbed it into the ground before the rainbow bridge surrounded her and Alex. They both disappeared, leaving the Celtic Knot that represented Eternity in the place where they were previously standing.
Alex narrowed his eyes as he felt himself traveling through the Bifrost, "This is such an interesting design..." He said.
"It's one of the greatest inventions stemming from the culmination of Asgard's knowledge, Jane said with a mesmerized tone, "It's much more than interesting."
"If I had an empire that spanned multiple galaxies, I would try to make travel efficient too, He said, "It's a pity that it's only usable within the region of influence of the Odinforce. Because of that, a large chunk of the universe is inaccessible."
"You know an awful lot about Asgard's core knowledge," Jane looked at him, "I'm sure you didn't find this information in the database that we have on Earth. Knowledge of the Odinforce was never stored anywhere digitally."
"Good question," Alex couldn't exactly tell Jane the truth about the source of his information.
She didn't push him further and they waited for a few seconds as the Bifrost delivered them to the home planet of the Nova Corps, Xandar.
"Hm?" Jane frowned and within seconds, she and Alex felt a huge turbulence within the bridge that rocked them both around. Just as they were about to be yanked out of the Bifrost, the bridge disappeared and both of them collided with a hard floor. Jane groaned out before quickly standing up and wielding both her hammer and sword. Alex followed suit with an impassive expression.
"We're in trouble," Alex said as he faced a troop of a hundred guards, all decked out in some kind of modified Nova Corps battle armor that was filled with gold accents. They were all looking at the duo with hostility.
"Guess so," Jane said before twirling Mjolnir in her hand. She was planning to slam it onto the ground to let out a blast of electricity. It would have a nice intimidation factor. Unfortunately for her, before she could even completely raise the divine weapon, she groaned in pain before falling down on one knee.
Alex frowned as he looked at the platform that they had both appeared on. It was marked with the usual Eternity Celtic Knot of the Bifrost, but under that, he felt some sort of foreign power affecting both him and Jane. He couldn't yet recognize it, but he felt that it was an absolute suppressive force that he couldn't contend against. Just to test it out, he attempted to pull Chaos Energy from his reservoir so that he could cast a spell, but he felt a painful sensation run all across his soul that made him cease his
actions.
"Halt, Asgardians." Soon, a gold-skinned woman, adorned in gold robes approached them, the soldiers parting to make way for her, "I am Nova Prime and you are trespassing on our planet."
Alex and Jane both shared a confused look, "You are the leader of the Sovereign," Jane spoke, her authority leaking out in her tone, "Why are you acting as the Nova Prime? And where is Irani Rael?"
"You seem to be under the assumption that you are the one in control here, Asgardian," The gold-skinned woman had a haughty expression on her face, "Your powers are useless here."
Alex looked at her and asked, "Answer her question. Xandar is an intergalactic trade planet. Entry and exit to and from the planet should have no restrictions, Asgardian or not."
[She's not going-] Jane's telepathic thought was interrupted.
"I am Ayesha, the Golden High Priestess of the Sovereign, I am also serving as the Nova Prime for the Nova Empire. The Sovereign has taken control of the Nova Empire" She answered, "As for Irani Rael, the previous Nova Prime, she has moved on to a better place."
At her words, Alex frowned, not even bothering to gloat to Jane about her not knowing his capabilities. It wasn't because of the contents of the woman's words, it was because of the amount of power he had been forced to channel from the Mind Stone to get her to speak in the first place.
[EP-2678]
«ΕΡ: 23746 -> 21068»
[We are being suppressed by an Infinity Stone.] Alex told Jane solemnly, [Most likely the Soul Stone from what I've been able to gather.]
It wasn't that Ayesha had impeccable mental defenses. The Mind Stone could steamroll through any mortal mind no matter how strong. What took most of his EP was fighting against the She didn't respond but showed a frown, waiting for the leader of the Sovereign to speak. Ayesha didn't feel anything wrong with her previous words and continued, "After the continuous mayhem caused by the multiple variants of Thor Odinson running around, we have decided to implement precautionary policies against all Asgardians and enhanced individuals that approach Xandar," She spoke, "For now, you are going to be sent to the containment unit until we can decide the further actions to be undertaken." Moments later, two guards approached Alex and Jane. They had two pairs of metal cuffs in their hands that had multiple glowing green lines going across them, presumably a circuit that would suppress Asgardians. Alex didn't really care about being imprisoned for now. He was more concerned about how he was going to snatch the Soul Stone from these people. He was going to play nice until he could get a viable plan going for him. As for Jane, she showed a hostile expression as the two guards approached. Just as they entered the range of her movement, she swung both her hammer and sword with reckless abandon. A repeat of the previous events occurred as she groaned out in pain while falling down on one knee. The guards didn't react, acting as if they had expected the scene. They separated and one of them went to cuff Alex while the other went to cuff Jane. As the guard approached Alex, the armored humanoid roughly grabbed his arms and held them behind his back before cuffing his wrists with the suppressing cuffs. Alex didn't miss the opportunity to send a sliver of himself into that guard so that he would be able to take control and put his plans in motion. It was the same with Jane. The painful suppression, mixed with the guard's forceful actions forced her to drop both her weapons as she was also cuffed. Alex had half expected her to lose her Asgardian physique in this state, but surprisingly, it persisted even as the suppressing cuffs made their way onto her wrists. That was a testament to the true power that Mjolnir held and how Jane had barely accessed a fraction of it. Unless she willed it herself, she wouldn't turn back. [Why are you just accepting this?] Jane asked Alex with a pained tone as she constantly felt the suppression of the Soul Stone. [Patience.] Alex told her, [We are at a disadvantage right now. Let things settle before we do something.] [We won't be able to escape if we let them capture us. If, as you say, they do have an Infinity Stone, then we'll be like sitting ducks once they put us in a cell.] She protested while trying her best to push back the guard who had a tight grip on her arm. [Be my guest, keep trying.] Alex shook his head at his battle freak of a host. The guards, meanwhile, led both him and Jane through the hall as Ayesha, alongside the soldiers who were filling the hall, all departed. 'Oh, these guards are the Sovereign's remote control troops, Alex thought to himself as he infiltrated the guard's gold armor, 'I can work with this too... Unlike explicit powers like Chaos Magic and Lightning Manipulation, Alex's passive abilities weren't affected by the suppression of the Soul Stone. One of which was the ability to naturally traverse cyberspaces. -x-X-x- Flickering green hues illuminated the gold cell. Green lines were spread across the walls and floor like an encompassing circuit that radiated an unfathomable, suppressive energy. The translucent green energy shield at the entrance didn't hide the inside of the cell from the eyes of the two guards stationed outside. Inside the cell, were Alex and Jane. Alex was free to walk around with just his hands cuffed in front of him they had changed to a different set of cuffs when putting him and Jane in the cell. Jane, on the other hand, was cuffed to the wall with her arms held above her head, forced to stay on her toes. "Why are you free?" She asked while struggling against the suppressive cuffs, unwilling to give up. She had already attempted to summon Mjolnir to herself, but without a response, she couldn't do anything. [This entire cell is made of a circuit that is harnessing the Soul Stone's power, Jane. They don't need to restrain us because the circuit is doing the suppression for us. You are tied up like that because you annoyed them.] Alex said helpfully, [I, on the other hand, am a model prisoner. No resistance, no punching the guard in the face, nothing. These things matter.] Jane's response was cut short by a deep growl that resounded through the hall, "Unhand me, metal fiends!" Thor's booming voice reached Jane's ears, making her sigh. "How many Thors does that make?" She asked Alex rhetorically. They had already passed by a few occupied cells, telling them that it wasn't just them who were in this situation. "Three," He said, "Four if I include you. Someone's probably luring them here." She didn't respond to his words, [So what's your plan?] She asked instead, [You're not one to just act like a sitting duck while someone keeps you imprisoned.] [I'm working on it.] He said, [I want the Soul Stone that these people are using to suppress us.] [You make it sound like there are more Soul Stones.] She said, [There's only supposed to be one of each Infinity Stone in a universe.] [Under normal circumstances, you would be correct. But this universe is not normal, is it?] Alex's question stumped Jane. She didn't say anything and started brooding while sending a piercing glare at the green-hued barrier. After a few minutes of silence, [I think that it's been long enough that you delayed accepting me don't you think?] Alex asked her. [Was that your master plan? Getting us trapped in a helpless situation where I would have no way to escape without accepting your help.] Jane said. [I think you know the answer to that question.] Alex said uncaringly while taking a seat on the floor and leaning against the wall beside Jane. She glanced at him, sitting there calmly as if he didn't care about what happened here, and felt fury bubbling up inside her, [What is wrong with you?] She snapped, [We are here stuck in what could possibly be a deathly situation for us and you are nonchalant as if it is of no consequence. Not to mention, how these people are literally capturing Thor's variants as if they are some kind of zoo animal with the use of the Soul Stone. Do you really feel nothing about all this?] What greeted Jane's outburst was the inexpressive unreadable blank face of Alex as he looked up at her. It needed her to crane her neck, but the apathy-filled expression sent a chill down her spine. He finally gave her his answer, [It's because I truly, genuinely, do not feel anything close to remorse for anything here, Jane. To me, this planet, the Sovereign, Xandarians, none of it matters. This planet can burn and explode and I couldn't give two shits about it. Hell, if I'm given an ultimatum where I have to choose between snatching the Soul Stone and destroying this planet then I will, without a second of thought, choose to take the Soul Stone at the expense of this planet and all the lives on it.] Jane had complicated feelings toward Alex's words and didn't know how to respond to him, growing quiet with a contemplative expression, [Then why haven't you dissolved our bond and left? I know you have multiple copies of yourself scattered all across the forty converged Earths. You can leave me here with no consequence to yourself.] Alex took a while to give her a reply, (Truth be told, I would rather not destroy the possible bond that we may develop eventually. As you have most likely realized, I not only have multiple copies in the cluster but also multiple hosts. Dissolving this bond would be, at worst, a minor inconvenience.] [Then why?] She asked, her voice trembled as she spoke. [I'm getting to it. I like you. Plain and simple. Think of it as some kind of appreciation toward your headstrong personality that's a breath of fresh air in front of my other hosts. Maybe it's just that you are very strong and can help me get much stronger as we deepen our biological bond. There are many factors to it. Ultimately, I don't want to dissolve our bond, so I'm not going to, plain and simple.] Alex confessed. She didn't know how many of his words she could blindly trust, but she understood that he wasn't planning on letting go, [Can you ... Can you tell me what your endgame is here? What do you, really, expect from our bond?] Alex returned a crooked smile, turning his face back up, [Are you sure that you can handle my answer?] His lips curled up into a menacing grin. [Tell me...] Jane didn't like the expression that she was seeing on Alex's face but she was too deep in to give up like that. [I want to conquer both your body and soul, Jane. I want to make sure that you are fully aware that you belong to me for all of eternity. You will be my general of war. My wife. My confidante. And when we free ourselves from this sick joke of a multiversal prank, we will have all of existence at our fingertips.] His words sent a shiver down Jane's spine, giving rise to an image in her mind. Countless beings, spread across entire universes, acknowledging Alex's rule, bowing respectfully. Behind him, at the side, she, with her weapons drawn, stood by like the general of his multiversal army. Beside her, stood six faceless figures, undoubtedly female, each with their own respective roles and responsibilities that she was unaware of. She felt a faint, seventh figure, still illusory and unclear, standing alongside the six to make a total of eight. In front of him, an army, comprised of some formless mist, yet with unmistakable grandeur, covered the expanse as far as her eyes could see. They stretched even further beyond, every single one of them, silently awaiting his orders. She noticed some of the foremost beings within the army standing at the front, like commanders, similar to the previous six faceless feminine figures that stood at his sides. The sound of Alex's fingers snapping brought her out of the lucid dream that had felt ever so real. She shook, her eyelids trembling as they fluttered open, only to see Alex's face right in front of her, the usual infuriating smirk on his lips. What she had experienced in that faint illusory yet realistic feeling vision had left her shaken. At this moment, meeting Alex's eyes, she felt the walls that she had so desperately clung to for so long crumbling to dust. 'Look away.' She berated herself, but her body betrayed her mind, continuing to gaze into Alex's gentle yet bright emerald green eyes, unable to extricate herself from the spell that seemed to have been cast on her. Powerless, suppressed, restrained, her quivering eyes felt naked in front of him, vulnerable, unable to resist, her gaze fixed at her emerald green orbs. "I see now that you just needed to feel my sincerity," Alex gently cupped Jane's face with a light smile, calming her tense, shivering figure. 'I was shivering?' 'When did he get free of those cuffs?' As Alex's palm graced her cheek, the warmth calmed the tumultuous waves in her heart. Her questions, unable to escape her lips, dissipated into nonexistence. "Alex..." Jane spoke as Alex merely shushed her. "I know," He said as Jane felt herself falling further and further down the spiral. "But -" This time, it was Alex's lips meeting hers that shut her up. It was a momentary, fleeting kiss, but it left a lasting impression. The faint sense of warmth on her lips and the fleeting breath that had just graced her cheek left her longing and wanting more. "Describe to me what you saw, Jane," Alex said, the distance between their faces still negligible as he continued cupping her cheek. She finally had the presence of mind to realize that it wasn't just their faces, but their bodies were also sticking to each other. Jane felt her breasts being lightly compressed due to being pushed by Alex's sturdy build, her thighs brushing against his as his other hand held her by the waist, pulling her close. "Didn't... Didn't you show me that scene?" She spoke with a glazed tone, the amplified beating of her heart felt like drums in her ears that made her stomach churn. "I prompted the hallucination biologically. I couldn't control its contents," Alex said, "It was all you. I merely guided you when I said that you were going to be my general. Everything else, your own interpretation of our future." This was the reason that she had been so shaken up when Alex snapped his fingers. That hallucination was the amalgamation of what she knew to be true alongside her deepest desires, leaving her vulnerable and wanting in front of Alex. It was also the result of Alex having spent almost two months convincing her, helping her in the tiniest ways, and slowly breaking her defenses. All of those efforts finally broke through like a dam that finally made Jane accept him. The fleeting kiss had been the sign that marked the complete destruction of her walls and Jane leaned forward, capturing Alex's lips in a passionate kiss. She gave into her desires and poured her passion into that kiss, unwilling to let go of Alex. Deep down, she knew, she was afraid of him giving up on her. That was why she kept trying to push him away. Like a patient with depression who refuses to accept the help that they are given and lashes out, she was the same. Broken, unwilling to be in a similar situation again. But she was lonely and wanting. Alex felt a sense of surprise as Jane pressed her lips against his, even going as far as to push her tongue into his mouth to convey her passion. He wasn't one to passively accept a kiss and quickly responded to her with equal and even greater passion. *** The two pairs of lips separated, breathless, greedily sucking the air as Alex and Jane gazed into each other's eyes. "No turning back after this," Alex spoke with an overbearingly obsessive look in his eyes, "You'll be mine. From now until all of eternity." Jane wordlessly responded with her trembling eyes that continued meeting his gaze, gaining a sheen of liquid as she closed them, expectant, yet not sure what she was expecting. [You've finally accepted me, Jane...] Alex smiled and spoke in her head, meeting Jane's lips in another brief yet fleeting kiss, [I will deepen the bond with you. But I won't be able to pamper you like I want to.] She whimpered at the feeling of loss that assaulted her when Alex pulled himself away from her. She tried to move her body forward to maintain their previous contact but the restraints sapped her strength and she could only limply hang in her place. [Don't worry. Once we get out of here, I will properly pamper you. I will make sure that you can't walk for the next week no matter what healing measures you use. For now, however, I will take absolute control over your physique and get rid of the cancer plaguing you.] "Uu~" She wasn't in a state to form coherent thoughts, let alone speak clearly. All she knew was that she wanted Alex's warmth back. Her watery, desolate, and forlorn eyes made Alex's heart melt as he said with a light smile, [I won't be able to continue without the guards noticing.] At his words, Jane whimpered again, but the sound didn't escape her pouty lips and was only transmitted as a thought to Alex. He spoke to her again, [Try not to fall too deep into the pleasure...] As Jane tried to respond, it only came out as a telepathic whine, not even the slightest sound escaping her lips. It was then that she felt something wiggling inside her clothes. She felt something that she thought to be cilia lightly moving along the skin of her stomach. They were wet and constantly rubbed some kind of oil on her skin that left a burning sensation in its wake. She tried to respond, but all that escaped her lips was a weak breath. Mentally, however, she was whimpering to Alex, unable to form coherent telepathic words to say anything more than a weak plea. As the cilia started spreading all along her skin, a sense of helplessness started creeping along the sides of her vision in the form of darkness. She closed her watery eyes one of the only things that she could actually physically do since the rest of her body seemed to be completely out of her control. Previously suppressed by the Soul Stone, she was already feeling helpless, but this was a sense of suppression that she'd never experienced. Shutting her eyes didn't do her any good. If anything, the sensations only got amplified as the cilia under her clothes extended all around her waist, forming a sort of thick belt around her stomach that made her feel unique sensations as a result of Alex massaging her skin with the EP-rich oil. Trying to move her arms, and legs, even trying to wiggle her fingers or toes was of no use. She could only helplessly hang from her bound wrists as the feeling of pleasure building up within her core got even stronger. She wanted to move, to moan, to wiggle, and to respond, but her mind was trapped in her own body, unable to express itself. The cilia continued expanding under her clothes, continuing to massage her as her entire back was being stimulated by the gentle caresses of the hair-like material that left an arousing heat wherever they rubbed her. Soon, the cilia expanded even further, extending to her arms as she felt a ticklish sensation followed by even more pleasure that the oil gave her. Even her hands weren't spared since she had been wearing gloves that went up to her elbows. The sense of helplessness started to dominate her mind alongside the arousal, and other feelings and thoughts slowly disappeared. It gave her a contrasting sense of pleasure that she couldn't quite understand. She was never turned on by feeling helpless. The only feelings she had associated with helplessness were negative. The helplessness of her battles against cancer. The helplessness of her miscarriage. She had never even considered that being helpless would ever bring her pleasure. But here she was. The increasing arousal and proportionally increasing sense of being trapped and helpless in her own body only fueled the gratifying heat in her core. Soon, the cilia extended up her torso, finally reaching her breasts, causing her mind to react with a jerk. She expected to feel a familiar pain when the cilia spread that aphrodisiac all over her tumor-infested breast. Her cancer had completely destroyed any sense of pleasure that she had ever associated with her breasts, making her expect nothing but a piercing pain that she would have to helplessly endure. To her surprise, that piercing pain never came and she only released a mental moan as the cilia traced around her mounds gently stimulating the boundary while extending toward her nipples. All she felt from the oil that was being massaged around her breasts was heat and arousal, not even the slightest trace of pain affecting her when it started assaulting her chest. Her reaction to the stimulation was just as pronounced - that is, her mental reaction. Her body was restrained, not in her control, her closed yet trembling eyes being the only thing that betrayed her thoughts. [Such sensitive breasts... You've left them unattended for so long. Don't worry. I won't leave even any part of your body unattended to. Promise...] Alex's words sent a shiver through Jane's aroused body, her mind imagining various scenarios, all of them revolving around her being put in increasingly helpless states as she was forced to endure relentless pleasure. The cilia slowed down their assault on Jane's breasts, mostly massaging around the mounds instead of really covering all of the area. They started extending to her shoulders instead, meeting the cilia that were stimulating her back so that her entire torso was covered in cilia that continued massaging her with EP-rich oil that kept increasing her arousal. Continuing to tease her breasts, the area of her most sensitive skin that the cilia covered was increasing at a snail's pace, making her feel frustrated even as the excitement of being able to feel pleasure from her breasts aroused her to no end. Eventually, the cilia started moving down from her torso, reaching her long, smooth legs that were covered in leather pants. They started moving along the outsides of her thighs, continuing the frustrating massage that was assaulting her mind with numbing arousal but was still not doing what she needed to climax. The insides of her leather pants were already drenched in the liquids that were escaping her core, but Alex was taking his sweet time, letting her stew in the feelings of arousal and frustration that she could only helplessly endure without any real resistance. Ignoring her inner thighs and her core, the cilia extended from the outside down to her knees before reaching her calves and massaging them with the oil. The moment the cilia reached her feet, her mind jerked again, this time even more than when she felt the cilia creeping toward her breasts. This time, her reaction came because of the incredible ticklishness that came from her sole that started to be massaged by the fine cilia. The cilia extended from her soles, uncaring of her ticklishness and forcing another prominent feeling into her numb mind that was already addled with the frustrating pleasure and helplessness. As her toes were covered by the same, her mind only fell deeper and deeper into the unique pleasure. [Time for the main course, my Jane. I've warmed you up enough. I'm going to start bonding with you now.] Before she could express her disbelief about the previous experience only being considered as warming up, the cilia started covering her well-endowed breasts at a much faster pace, sending multiple jolts all along her body as her breasts, neglected for years, finally received the love that they deserved. Moments before the cilia reached her nipples, a jolt of pleasure passed through her body that made her mind go completely blank. Her juices burst out of her crotch as she squirted with an orgasm just as Alex initiated the process of the level two bond. Just as her orgasm started to die down, the cilia finally reached her nipples. The massage was somewhat different for her nipples, but she wasn't in the mind to notice the more forceful massage of her nubs as her body was rocked with another orgasm before the first completely died down. With the process initiated and her body being completely helpless putty in Alex's hands, he continued focusing on her breasts for the next few minutes, continuously making her climax without letting her trapped yet overwhelmed with pleasure mind rest for even a moment. Eventually, the cilia that had been teasing her thighs without affecting the most important areas also joined in, making sure that it was completely impossible for her to be freed from the pleasure unless Alex deemed fit. The bonding process lasted for the next few hours as Alex made sure to completely engrave himself on Jane's mind. All of that without truly being intimate with her. At least not in the way that she considers intimate. *** {«Status- Host #7>>> < <<< < < Bifrost Summon (Hofund)- Cosmic Energy Manipulation (???)>>> } Since Jane was already much further beyond the level of Alex's other hosts in terms of her power, the level two bond didn't truly affect her that much. Except for the most important parts. Her cancer was no longer a thing that she would ever need to worry about. The Asgardian physique that gave her all of the physical boosts had now become permanent. It was no longer dependent on Mjolnir, which meant that she no longer needed the hammer to sustain her and the divine weapon could now show its true potential without being limited by her physique. Another important thing was that now she could truly improve her physique. Previously, her physical attributes had been completely dependent on the hammer and even if she tried to train to get stronger, once she reverted back to her original form, all of those gains were gone. Even when turning back into Thor, the hammer used the original template, which meant that her training and improvements were all for naught. Still, she didn't have a major problem with the situation since the template that the hammer used was Thor's. It gave her a physique much stronger than most Asgardians, comparable to the strongest of them. As for Alex, nothing much had changed. His physique creation skill was still at Low Cosmic the threshold between Low Cosmic and Cosmic was like a vast chasm that Alex would have to spend a lot of effort traversing and his Lightning Manipulation was also still of the advanced grade, albeit with a higher level of mastery with the ability. Unlike the Lightning Manipulation ability, the other two abilities that Jane had - stemming from Hofund and an unknown source seemed to be even more detached from her, not allowing Alex to get even the slightest benefit. The Bifrost was understandable, but even Cosmic Energy Manipulation stayed the same, still an incomplete ability. The bonding process lasted for almost four hours since Alex wasn't able to have a fully intimate experience with Jane. Not to mention he, unlike what was actually visible, could see and hear all of Jane's blissful reactions to what he was doing to augment the bonding process. When it was finally finished, the woman's mind was completely exhausted and she needed at least twelve hours of genuine rest. Jane's current state gave Alex the time to continue working on breaking into the Sovereign's systems. His focus here was on two main things. One was to take control of their military aspects - in this case, their remote piloting system that kept their citizens safe would backfire on them to disable them from coming after him and Jane like annoying flies; the other was to form a viable plan to go to Morag. He not only needed the coordinates for the planet but also a nice ship that would get him and Jane there since they couldn't use the Bifrost. As Alex kept working things out and formed an escape plan for him and Jane, the tired woman finally woke up after ten hours, still hung from the cuffs that kept her arms attached to the wall. She groaned out, "Alex..." Resistance against the cuffs came naturally to her as she tried to free herself while looking down at her side and craning her neck. Alex was seated on the floor with his head lowered. Hearing Jane's call, he looked up, "You're awake," He said with a smile and stood up, naturally wrapping an arm around Jane's waist and pulling her close. Instead of the emotionally high state that she was in previously, right now, she was completely sober, and feeling Alex wrap his arm around her waist made her tense up for a moment before she gave him a light smile. "How long was I out?" She asked him as the warmth of his body calmed her down despite being tied up. "Ten hours. We've been in this cell for almost fifteen hours," Alex said, not mentioning Jane's hesitation. She was still not completely used to the presence of another man in her life. Previously, they had both done everything in an emotionally high state, but now they had to work with reality. And reality needed time and patience. "Oh," She raised a brow and asked absently, "did they capture another Thor?" "Not yet. I can only assume that the two there were here before had been here for a while. The one who got captured right after us might have been an outlier," Alex said. "When are we going to get out?" She asked, "I'm dying to get out of these cuffs." "Soon," Alex said before smiling, "And don't think you're getting rid of cuffs so quickly. I'm going to be the one cuffing you soon enough." Jane rolled her eyes, but the imperceptible blush that appeared on her cheeks gave her inner thoughts away, "We'll see about that," She said, "If you think you can just tie me up and top me, then you're dead wrong." "Well," Alex said, getting closer to her face, "we'll see about that, won't we?" He then met Jane's lips with a gentle peck that made her shiver. She tried to suppress her reaction, but the rattling of her cuffs gave her away. "Now, are you ready to get out of here?" He asked her with a knowing smile on his face. Jane looked away from his piercing eyes, "Yeah..." "Look at me," Alex said, holding her chin and gently guiding her head back to make her meet his eyes, "never avert your eyes when I'm talking to you. Understood?" His forceful words mixed with the tone made Jane nod meekly, having lost all her previous defiant momentum as she started recalling the overwhelming experience from before. The reminiscing of the helplessness and pleasure made Jane feel limp as she completely leaned herself in Alex's arm. Before a whimper could escape her lips, Alex pulled her in for another kiss, this one as deep as possible, making sure that Jane understood the depths of Alex's lust and passion toward her. A trail of saliva, glistening, connected Alex and Jane even when they separated. The string broke, the remnants falling on Jane's chest plate. Alex spoke, "It's time to get going. I will truly show you the depths of my lust when we leave this planet." The woman's misty eyes, filled with warmth and expectation were enough for Alex to know her response without a single word escaping her wet lips. Jane felt lost in his piercing green eyes and leaned forward once again. A clanking sound interrupted her actions as the handcuffs suppressing her broke, her eyes widening as she fell to the ground. Shaken, her feet met the ground, making her stumble as she leaned in Alex's arms, her arms naturally wrapping around his neck as her grip tightened. The abrupt change had shaken her out of her reverie. When she pulled her face back, a fiery glow shrouded her pupils. She was ready to wreak havoc on this planet if that's what it took for her to get out of here. "We have less than ten minutes before my energy reserves get too low to continue resisting the Soul Stone without both of us feeling immense pain. Any more than that and the Mind Stone will start consuming our life force to power its resistive force. I can easily replenish your lost life force with time, but the pain..." He didn't need to complete his sentence for Jane to understand. "Ten minutes are more than enough." She said. 'I need to actively work with my two EP farmer girls now. It's time to clear out Earth-Z a little." Alex's thoughts trailed off to something completely different from the current situation. He had realized that this conflict was going to reduce or completely finish his EP reserves. Returning from stray thoughts, Alex's body started to lose its color as the clothes started turning black. Soon, he turned into a humanoid black slime that was just a little taller than Jane, [Get ready.] He said to Jane before merging into her, the cuffs on his wrists falling to the ground with a clank as he covered Jane's Asgardian form and gave her a distinct look to depict his presence. She was covered in black chainmail with prominent parts like the silver disks and the knee and arm braces staying the same as before. The chainmail extended up to her neck and her head was left bare. Alex decided that the helmet wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as Jane's face. [Dumbass, the helmet is supposed to keep my head safe...] Jane felt some heat on her cheeks as she somehow 'felt' Alex's thoughts about her face. [I'm the one keeping your head safe. You don't need that winged helmet.] Alex said and Jane felt that there was a transparent material wrapping around her face for a moment before the feeling disappeared, [You don't need the armor either, but I'm not into exhibiting my women.] Jane felt cold sweats at the thought of fighting against the hundreds of Xandarians naked. [Yeah, let's keep that armor on. Preferably forever.] Alex laughed at her words, [We'll see about that. Can you summon Hofund to yourself?] [It has the same enchantment as Mjolnir.] She told him. [Then start trying to summon them. The moment you feel a response, run out and incapacitate those two guards.] [Tell me the plan - She said, following Alex's words to summon her sword and Hammer. [Just follow along with whatever I tell you to do. It's not that complicated.] Jane wasn't sure why she didn't push back against Alex's words. At any other time, she would've gotten herself in on the plan before doing anything else. Right now though, she merely responded with a light nod, trusting Alex. She continued calling her sword and hammer with concentration, not noticing the yellow arcs of energy that kept appearing all over her body, slowly increasing in intensity. Just as the arcs of that energy reached a threshold, Jane felt the response, opening her eyes wide. -x-X-x- The translucent green force field blocking the entrance of the cell shut down, and the green circuit all around the cell completely also shut down, causing the previously bright cell to dim down as the main source of light disappeared. Just as Jane felt the response of her weapons, she charged out of the cell, reaching the two guards who manned the front of her cell. She extended her arms in both of their directions they extended into a thick black mass that enveloped both guards before devouring them. As the black mass returned to Jane, she asked, [Are you killing them?] There was an uncomfortable sense in her tone. [I need to replenish my biological energy reserves, Jane. I'm not going to waste my time on keeping random guards alive.] Alex told her. [Fine, I guess.] She agreed, much to Alex's surprise. [That's it?] He asked, [I thought you would throw a tantrum or something.] [What do you take me for? I don't like killing people meaninglessly. That doesn't mean that I don't kill.] She scoffed, [I understand that we can't be holding back in the current situation.] [Ah, I see. So you aren't a psychopath like me.] Alex acted disappointed, [It's fine, people will consider you to be the psychopath anyway.] A helpless laugh escaped Jane's lips as both Mjolnir and Hofund broke through the ceiling and approached her. She quickly grabbed both of her weapons and started moving along the corridor. [Shouldn't we free these three?] She looked at the still-trapped Thors in their respective cells. [None of them have access to either the Thorforce or the Odinforce. They are the base versions of Thor and can't hope to contend against Infinity Stones with their strengths. That's why they were captured in the first place.] Jane continued moving through the corridor, ignoring the calling from the three versions of Thor. At the same time, Alex split three small bodies that slipped through the translucent force fields and entered the cells of the three suppressed Thors. [Thorforce?] Jane asked, unfamiliar with the term. Meanwhile, the three lightning gods disappeared from their cells, appearing within the Klyntar Soul Dimension as Alex made sure that they were suppressed under the light of Mind Stone. 'I'll devour them later. I don't have the time to break through their natural resistance right now. He decided. They may not have the formless energy of the Odinforce to power them, but their natural defenses were still comparable to the Cosmic Energy user Inhuman that Alex had previously devoured, seeming even stronger than him. Alex answered Jane's query, [What happens in a reality where Thor reigns as king after the loss of Odin?] He didn't need to say anything more to make Jane understand. A stray thought entered Jane's mind as she slammed her hammer on the main door of the prison, [Can create my own version of it if I can make Asgard prosper...] [No.] Alex mercilessly rejected her, [It's not that simple. The Odinforce is the culmination of the strongest of all Asgardians becoming one.] His answer was cryptic and unclear since he couldn't truly tell Jane that he knew more about the History of Asgard than her. Not to mention that due to her being from a different reality, his story might conflict with what she knew. [Which means that if the Asgardians prosper, then I can get my own version of the Odinforce.] Jane took his words in another way. [Only if you kill and absorb all of those 'prospering' Asgardians and their powers.] Alex said, [I have something figured out when it comes to the Odinforce and creating my own version of it. Leave it to me for now, okay?] He tried to get her to focus on the plan. Just as she broke through the door of the prison, she was met with four guards. [Promise me you'll call it the Janeforce!] She said while jumping to the guards, slamming her foot in one of their faces as Alex promptly devoured the Xandarian. She swung her sword and hammer at the same time, hitting one of the guards in the skull with Mjolnir, instantly killing them. As for the other, they were bisected in two after Jane's sword cleanly cut through their weapon and subsequently their body. The final guard didn't even have the time to make a plea as Jane's foot struck their abdomen and Alex enveloped them, killing them, [Hell no. The other girls will kill me if it becomes the core of my strength. And it very much might if everything works out the way I envision.] Jane felt a sense of extreme irritation and annoyance at Alex's words, [Then I'll kill them.] Expressing herself, she smashed another door. Arcs of lightning exploded out all around them as a huge hole was made in the door, allowing Jane to pass through. [Jane.] Alex said with a serious tone, [You have to understand. I can give you all the love and attention that you need from me. The way I work allows me to use different bodies to exist in multiple places at the same time. These bodies are essentially all me, like my limbs. If you aren't comfortable with the idea of me having other women, I understand and we can ignore that they exist without any issues. But you cannot threaten them. Do you understand?] The slime man's words struck Jane like a hammer, her aggressive momentum diminishing as her steps grew weaker, [I don't know, Alex...] She had complicated feelings toward those words. [Jane.] Alex spoke and Jane felt her chainmail tightening around her, giving her the illusion of a hug, [What do you say we first get out of here and then have the difficult conversation that you think you need to have with me?] He asked. Seeing a troop of fifty soldiers approaching her with their weapons drawn as an alarm started blaring through the prison, Jane took a battle stance and spoke to Alex, [Don't you dare forget about your words.] She said before swinging her hammer in front of herself and summoning a violent gust of wind. The advancing soldiers were forced to slow down as their movements got sluggish and impeded. Jane might have agreed to postpone the conversation, but that didn't mean her mood was good. She stopped swinging Mjolnir, the windy tornado weakening as it started dying down. With a battle cry, she swung Hofund horizontally, seemingly slashing nothing. A crescent arc escaped the path that she traced and extended toward the guards who had appeared in the room. Along with the mini tornado, everything was cut. Two pillars that were in the path of the arc, the wall behind the soldiers, and of course, the soldiers all got bisected. Their torsos slid to the floor as their legs collapsed, giving rise to a particularly bloody scene. Alex knew that Jane's outburst was related to his previous words and didn't say anything, he focused on guiding her further while scooping up all of the dead bodies. All of that biomass ended up giving him a little over a point of EP. Soon enough, they entered an elevator that they couldn't use without a key. Before Alex had a chance to take control of the elevator, Jane smashed her hammer on the floor, breaking through and falling down the elevator shaft. [What floor?] She asked with suppressed annoyance. [Keep going.] Alex said, [You'll know when you hit the bottom of the shaft.] [Okay.] She said, expecting to collide with the ground at any second. As the seconds passed, she got impatient, [Forget it.] Shaking her head, she started twisting Mjolnir to propel herself downwards. [Slow down-] Before Alex could tell her, Jane breached Mach speed. Alongside the resultant sonic boom, the entire building shook as Jane collided with the bottom of the shaft and exploded in a blast of lightning from her hammer. [Goddamn it, woman!] Alex shouted in her head while protecting her from the huge force with which she just slammed into the ground, going much deeper than even the lowest floor of the building. [What?] She acted nonchalant and flew upwards before dropping onto the lowest floor's corridor, [I miscalculated my speed.] Her tone was as flat as possible, but Alex was bonded to her. The imperceptible tremble was easily noticeable to him no matter how much she suppressed it. Unfortunately for him, he was on a horrible time crunch right now, having already spent upwards of five thousand EP, he couldn't spend ten minutes talking to her to calm her down. In the end, he just comforted her by tightening her armor as if he were hugging her while guiding her to the main room that contained the Soul Stone. Jane felt his actions and wanted to shake him off, but sadly for her, he was her clothes. If she shook him off, she wouldn't be in a state to battle. Following the instructions, It didn't take long before Jane was breaking through a door that led her into a huge chamber. The first thing that she noticed was the huge turbine-like generator that was releasing a familiar green glow. From the sheer power radiating off of it, she could tell that it was the Soul Stone. The energy from the slowly spinning turbine was moving up into the ceiling through a tube that was glowing green. Walking forward, Jane realized that she was on a balcony, overlooking a huge chamber. She'd only seen what was on top of the chamber, but what she saw on the lower part of the chamber left her gasping in sheer horror. Before she could say anything, a man, enveloped in golden energy broke through the ceiling and floated in front of her, "Stop right there!" He exclaimed as his glowing form got tinged with green. *** Jane's horror-filled eyes met the man who was looking at her with hostility as his golden-green aura flared, "This is madness!" She shouted while getting ready for a fight. "It is what needs to be done." The entrant spoke before attacking pushing an arm in front of himself and boosting toward Jane, aiming to punch her. She tried to defend herself with her hammer, bringing it in front of the newcomer's fist. Just as she tried to swing it, Jane felt a sense of pain that stemmed from her very soul and forced her to drop the hammer. The punch made contact with her stomach, slamming her into the wall and breaking through it. [Didn't you already block their Soul Stone from affecting us?] She asked him. Alex's tone was solemn, [I blocked us from one Soul Stone ...] Не trailed off. [What do you ...] Jane only needed a moment to process Alex's words, [They have two?] She asked, disbelief lacing her tone. The only reason that she didn't instantly deny the possibility was that Alex had already discussed with her that the stones were most likely broken up and spread all across the universe, diluting their authority. [What are the odds, right?] Alex was just as surprised. Even after having hacked the systems of both the Xandarians and the Sovereign, he hadn't found any reference to the second Soul Stone. 'Ayesha ... Alex's thoughts directly honed in on the gold-skinned leader of both civilizations, 'She had more plans than what I could tell from the surface. And now, Jane's escape forced her to reveal herself. Alex instantly thought about all sorts of things, realizing that there was most likely some being that Ayesha was being defensive against. The captured Thors weren't her targets. He felt that either she was following someone else's orders, or she was using the Thors as bait for someone or something. Since his interest was piqued, he decided to at the very least have a conversation with this intergalactic ruler before he and Jane snatched the stones and disappeared from this planet. The man empowered by another Soul Stone quickly reached Jane as she powered herself up. Alex spoke in her head, [I'll block his stone from influencing you. Unlike the main stone, this one is merely using this man's life force far from enough for the stone to be used at its full potential. Still, from the five minutes that we had left, we now have a little over three.] Jane felt an uncomfortable feeling when she was reminded of the scene that she had just seen and nodded, powering herself up with lightning from Mjolnir that Alex had enhanced. The gold man saw Jane getting ready to attack and tried to get his Soul Stone to suppress her once again while approaching her to bring her away from the main scene. [Try to get closer to the other stone, I'll try to snatch it. Once I can get it, we can fight this bitch on an equal level for as long as we need to.] Alex's words received a nod from Jane as she swung her hammer at the charging gold-skinned man. The surprised expression of the man was visible even through the thick sheen of his gold aura as Jane's hammer met his fist and threw him back with a blast of lightning, causing him to collide with the wall. He broke through back onto the previous chamber's balcony. Jane was quickly upon him with her sword pulled back, ready to stab him. Feeling the life-threatening danger to his life whilst the Soul Stone sucked out his vitality while still being completely useless against his foe, the man felt his fight-or-flight instincts flare up. A warcry was followed by an explosion of his blinding gold aura that illuminated the surroundings and directly struck Jane's eyes with the light. She wasn't deterred and continued moving forward, intent on attacking the man and finishing everything once and for all. Coupled with Alex protecting her eyes, she quickly stabbed her sword at the previous spot that the man was on. Unfortunately, the clanging sound of striking steel meant that he'd escaped. Just as Jane pulled back her sword, the light started receding and the man punched her waist, throwing her off to the side. Jane felt her head banging against the railing of the balcony and stabilized herself, instinctively swinging her hammer to parry another of the man's blows. The ensuing lightning explosion pushed him back and Jane attacked him once again. The sword swung, whistling through the air as it made an arc toward the man who barely shifted himself to the side to dodge. A groan followed the gash that remained on his shoulder instead of his neck being chopped off. He put a hand on his shoulder and looked at Jane hatefully. She didn't deign to care about his anger and quickly swung her sword again to finish things but the man let out another warcry. Jane increased her speed of movement, not wanting him to escape again, but this time, the golden aura didn't shine brightly. Instead, the green tint of his Soul Stone started overpowering his golden aura as it receded. Just as the green aura took over, the man directly stopped Jane's sword with his bare hands, clasping it between both palms. Alex spoke in her head, [He is drawing out the potential of his soul with the stone. We may not be able to beat him directly, try to get close to the other stone so that I can get it.] With her sword clasped, Jane quickly swung her hammer at the man, forcing him to let go of her sword. She gave an imperceptible glance at the generator in the center of the room that he noticed. Jane quickly swung her hammer at him, knowing that it would be almost impossible for him to stop it with his bare hands. "I won't let you!" He screamed and flew up, out of the way of the hammer. He quickly sent out a beam of his now-green aura at Jane. She stabbed her sword on the floor in an attempt to block the attack. The attempt only partially worked. The beam was deflected into multiple weaker beams that spread out as if being reflected by Hofund, but Jane was still pushed back by the immense force of the attack, leaving a long gash on the floor. Alex was getting irritated by the man's resilience not understanding why Adam Warlock was working for the Sovereign in the first place. Not to mention that he seemed to be much less proficient with the use of the Soul Stone than he expected. He considered many possibilities about what the exact situation here could be, but none of them truly stuck. He shook himself out of his thoughts and focused on the fight again. As Jane stood up, pulling her sword out of the ground, the man was upon her once again. A glowing green gem protruded out of the front part of his head as he continued channeling the power of his Infinity Stone. Jane met his charge with her hammer, pushing him back and slicing at him at the same time, leaving a nasty gash on his abdomen. [We have less than a minute, Jane. I'll be out of energy at that point and we will both be forced to endure excruciating pain to use any of my Infinity Stones.] Alex told her, annoyed that he had to completely focus on resisting the influence of the two Soul Stones. He couldn't help Jane in the fight, nor could he separate himself and grab the other stone. Both of those things would distract him and could cause problems. Jane heard Alex's words and decided to take things up a notch. She raised her hammer in the air and summoned a lightning storm right above the huge castle that housed not only the prison but everything related to the Sovereign on Xandar. The man tried to attack her with another beam - this one green - but she sent out an arc of Cosmic Energy from Hofund that disintegrated it until reaching the man. Sadly, he flared his aura as the green gem in the center of his forehead glowed brightly and dispelled the arc of Cosmic Energy. An expression full of agony and pain appeared on his face for a moment before disappearing as he ignored it and cried out while attacking Jane once again. Parrying his fist with her hammer, Jane sent him flying into the wall and a bolt of lightning fell directly on him, piercing through the castle and causing a huge amount of rubble to fall down on top of him. Hoping that the attack was enough, Jane didn't waste even a moment and used Mjolnir to propel herself to the Soul Stone that was powering everything. Just as she was about to destroy the turbine, the man burst out of the rubble with a desperate expression and charged her once again. He left a thick trail of green in his path as he reached her. Unfortunately for him, Jane was close enough to the stone for Alex to merely need to extend a tendril into the turbine and wrap it around the stone.