Interlude: The Reality Gem

"More information does sound like the best first step," Blackbird agrees, taking another sip. "If Thanos is as powerful as mentioned, however, we will indeed want to have some plan in place to prevent him from simply taking the gem from us. In that regard, however, I admit to being completely out of my depth."

"The gem has already been found", Mantor replies without elaboration. "Thanos is powerful even without the Infinity Gems in his possession. With them, you need to have a weapon just as powerful in your arsenal to be able to stand against him...of course, trickery can be a powerful weapon as well. What did you have in mind?"

"The bearer of the Reality Gem can alter probability with a limited range and duration. If the gem becomes attuned to its bearer, the changes may become permanent. I fear what might happen if some unwitting fool were to become attached to the thing..."

Maelstrom looked embarrassed. "I suppose tricking him into saying his name backward wouldn't really work, would it? He seems an arrogant being, though. Is it possible to be overconfident when you are actually godlike?" The glassy man smiled. "Perhaps he could convinced to turn the power of the gems he has against the ones we will possess. I assume they are equivalent in power? Maybe it would be better for all if they were destroyed."



"Dangerous? I bet it is. We want to choose carefully who holds it then. They need to have an iron will so they don't go crazy and run amok. Energystar? Maybe Cap?"

"Perhaps...hm." A thought has struck the man, and he takes another sip of the malted beverage as he attempts to hash it out. "This gem can alter probability. The other gem being sought...what does it do? Because it occurs to me that standing against Thanos may be an entirely wrong approach. You need not try to stop something dead if it can be diverted safely; perhaps alteration of probability or another power of another gem will be sufficient?"

Blackbird looks up at Mantor again. "Thanos did not stop to explain why he wanted the gems, and that may prove a key fact. Might I ask, sir, if you have this information - and would be willing to share it?"

X turns and loooks over at blackbird. The man has a very good idea. If we look the two items together. We might just be able to force Thanos into an imposible position. X suddenly has a flash of intelligence. We should get the gems and try to get Thanos to realize that he does not need to go after them to begin with. In that conjunction we should possibly use the time gem with the reality and mind gem. I might just be understating the fact here you know.

"Absolutely. In fact, our world's mythology is filled with tales of gods who were undone by their own pride. Remember the discord Eris wrought with her Golden Apple?"

"You are correct in that no one gem is necessarily more powerful than any of the others. However, you couldn't destroy the gems anymore than you could destroy the properties of the universe that the gems are tied to. The best one could hope for is that the gems were to be removed…far removed…from influencing our plane of existence."

"You are correct. The influence of the Infinity Gems can be subtle and passive, but more often than not it is domineering and corrupting. Willpower is, indeed, the key."

"One person wielding multiple stones would be more likely to affect Thanos. However, the corrupting influence would be greater based on the number of gems one holds. Several people, each wielding a single gem could more likely resist the influence of the gems and be just as effective if they were to direct the gems' power against the same target."

"'The other gem being sought'? Who is seeking this? Which gem is it?" Mantor seems quite concerned about who is seeking this 'other' gem.

"Such a possibility is a consideration…but, again, the willpower of the wielder will be of paramount importance…especially, if meant to affect Thanos in some way, the relative strength of wills between the two."

"Power. Lust for it. Thanos knows what influence the gems hold, but does not fully understand how to best utilize them…he is like a child with matches…his compulsion to acquire the gems overshadows his ability to rationalize the best application for the gems at any given time. This, of course, can be a great advantage for you when you face…confront…challenge…whatever…", Mantor waves his hand, "…him."

"Thanos also has an infatuation with Death. He believes that by acquiring the gems himself he will gain some measure of power or influence over Death itself."

"As the old saying goes, 'be careful what you wish for'…'not anymore' may be significantly easier to achieve than 'never to begin with'. The simpler the request, the more likely you are to achieve it successfully. The more complex, the higher the likelihood of something going wrong. Very wrong."

"Well, it certainly won't be me, then." Beorn said with humble frankness. "My head hasn't been clear in twenty years. Though in many ways the power of the gem sounds similar to the vortex of energy I am caught in, I have less control over it than I really should. Adding more on top of that would undoubtedly make me lose control of the whole thing. I'm afraid if that happened ... well, ceasing to exist would be the least of my worries."

"If will is the key, I wonder why it is not the magicians Mister Manta, and the Strange fellow who should be wielding them?"

"I have forseen that my role is not to possess the gems, but to assist those that would. As for Stephen Strange, he would be the last mumblemumblemumble...'sorcerer supreme' son of a...mumblemumblemumble", here Mantor's voice trails off. He stops to compose himself, smiles, and continues "I don't think Stephen Strange would be an adequate choice for mastering an Infinity Gem."

Blackbird feels like he's stuck in a minefield. Giving out information might well prove useful...or it could be very bad indeed.

"The remaining Avengers went after a second gem, the one controlling Time," is what he finally comes up with as the best compromise.

Here, Blackbird has no qualm answering. "Military discipline was good for me in more ways than one. I doubt I'm a suitable candidate for something like that...but if there's no other choice, so be it."

"Well, not like power for power's sake hasn't come up before." Blackbird places his cup down on the coffee table and leans back into the sofa. "If he wasn't a cosmic entity of such power...he's sounding more and more like one lost little teenager stuck between career choices, gangs vying for his attention, peer pressure - and girls, of course."

"I don't suppose there's any way I can get him to sit down and have a chat with me over a six-pack, is there?"

He frowns at the last part, about Death. "Ah...sir? Didn't Thanos already try that whole thing with the Infinity Gems - and Death still wasn't impressed?"

He nods, mind still spinning. "A gentle nudge suggesting to him that he'd tried this one before and it hadn't worked then...perhaps that would do?"

"That would seriously simplify matters...but I doubt it is possible."

"Hmmm...not sure...I wasn't awake for that...", Mantor replies.
GM Note.

"Perhaps...if the individual providing the 'nudge' had a force of will stronger than Thanos' own..."