Soon, they arrived at the damaged ship.
"This is going to take some time," Anakin sighed, looking up at the battered vessel. Concern clouded his features.
Obi-Wan was more pragmatic. "Nothing we can't repair. At minimum, we should be able to restore basic functionality. We need to work quickly—no time to waste."
Ahsoka suddenly straightened, a thought occurring to her. "What about the Son? Where is he now?"
"I'm confident our new ally can handle him," Anakin replied, patting Thor's shoulder appreciatively. "You saw how powerful Thor is. If anyone can stop the Son, it's him."
Thor nodded, a confident smile crossing his face that matched Anakin's optimistic assessment. He turned his attention to the assembled team.
"Now then, I believe we should discuss our next steps," he said directly.
T'Challa and Spider-Man both made sounds of agreement.
Spider-Man turned to Thor, barely containing his excitement. "So, Mr. Thor—how exactly did you get here? Because that's kind of the million-credit question right now." He accepted tools from Ahsoka and began preparing to assist with repairs.
Thor considered the question for a moment. "How I returned to Earth before the Chitauri invasion. My father employed his own powers combined with the ancient dark magic of our people to transport me when Loki resurfaced."
T'Challa and Spider-Man exchanged glances and shrugged, while Vision crossed his arms thoughtfully. "I recall reading about this in the mission files," Vision said. "You utilized a form of bridge created through Asgardian sorcery, correct?"
"Yes," Thor confirmed. "The situation was dire, and my father took extraordinary measures to send me to Earth."
T'Challa considered this. "So you intend to use the same method again?"
Thor took a deep breath and nodded. "I must. Though..." He tilted his head slightly, his expression becoming contemplative as he gazed into the star-filled sky. "It's somewhat different this time."
He explained further: "This place—this realm of Mortis—possesses unique qualities. It is both rare and special. A nexus of power, simultaneously a palace and a prison. I was able to reach this location through the Bifrost, Heimdall's sight, and considerable dark magic combined. This planet serves as a powerful anchor point in the cosmic web."
"Is it because of those three beings?" Ahsoka asked, climbing out of the floor compartment and moving to the lower section of the ship. "The Father and his children?"
Thor frowned thoughtfully. "That, and Mortis itself... it's difficult to articulate properly. This is the only point in your entire galaxy that Heimdall can perceive with absolute clarity."
Obi-Wan's curiosity was evident. "What exactly does that mean?"
"Consider this," Thor began slowly. "It's possible to leave your galaxy and encounter other forms of life, culture, and civilization. The Avengers' presence here proves that much."
"Wait—Earth isn't in this galaxy?" Spider-Man voiced what had been puzzling the Avengers and several Jedi for some time.
Thor shook his head. "No. If it were, Heimdall would have informed me immediately, and I could have brought you all home already. Your galaxy is separated from ours by unimaginable distances."
"How far are we talking?" Anakin pressed.
Thor shrugged, his tone light but serious. "Millions upon millions of light-years. We're discussing numbers with more zeros than most beings can comfortably contemplate."
"Yet you still made it here," Anakin pointed out. "From what you're saying, that shouldn't have been easy."
"Correct," Thor agreed. "The circumstances are... complex. Your galaxy is unique—isolated by design. From what Heimdall could determine, it was intentionally separated from the rest of the universe."
Confusion rippled through the group. They exchanged glances before someone voiced the obvious question. "What do you mean by that?"
Thor took a deep breath. "Surrounding this region of space, there exists a series of black holes combined with some form of barrier... They're interwoven, creating an almost impenetrable boundary. Entry and exit are extraordinarily difficult. I don't fully understand the mechanisms behind it—it's quite unusual."
Anakin crossed his arms and made a thoughtful sound. "I have a feeling if we dive too deep into this mystery, we'll be stuck here debating cosmology for hours."
"We won't be going anywhere until we secure functional transportation regardless," T'Challa observed practically.
Thor frowned. "I could attempt to contact Heimdall and request extraction. However, he utilized considerable dark magic to send me here and will need time to recover. Using the Bifrost again so soon might also draw unwanted attention—potentially from Asgard itself."
T'Challa nodded. "Then we remain vigilant. I suspect the Son is waiting for an opportune moment to strike."
Meanwhile, the two younger team members working on the ship continued their repairs.
Suddenly, thunder rumbled overhead. Heavy rain poured down for several moments before stopping as abruptly as it had begun.
"Whoa," Ahsoka murmured.
Spider-Man glanced over. "What's up? Startled by the weather change?"
Ahsoka shook her head. "It's not the weather itself. It's the feeling of it—like nature responding to something. I can sense power flowing through those storms."
"Oh, yeah," Spider-Man said with a slight grin. "We've got Thor with us now. He can summon or disperse storms pretty much at will."
"Don't remind me," Ahsoka muttered. "It's still strange seeing him in person after hearing you and the others talk about him for so long. I'm still processing the fact that he's an actual god."
"Welcome to our world," Spider-Man replied easily. "You might have seen some wild things, but on Earth, the impossible happens pretty regularly. And my spider-sense is telling me the future's only going to get weirder."
Ahsoka smiled at that, then looked down at his black suit. "Speaking of which, I've been curious—what's with the new suit?"
Spider-Man patted his chest, a note of pride in his voice. "Oh, this? It's a new suit I picked up." His confidence wavered slightly. "Actually... I found it under pretty specific circumstances."
Despite the uncertainty in his answer, Ahsoka laughed. Their conversation provided a brief respite from the tension.
Then Spider-Man's tone shifted, becoming more serious. "Truth is, I had no idea what it was when I first found it. I stumbled across it in the Son's monastery while searching for you."
"In the Son's territory?" Ahsoka's expression grew concerned. "Wait—if it was under Dark Side influence, couldn't it be dangerous to you?"
"I considered that," Spider-Man acknowledged. "But remember—I don't have Force sensitivity like you do. Plus, you see this white spider emblem on my chest? My spider-sense never warned me about danger. I think whatever this symbiote is, it was being held prisoner by the Son."
"And you freed it," Ahsoka said softly.
She felt conflicted. The Son's treatment of them had been far from friendly, and since his fall to the Dark Side, his power seemed stronger than ever. So whatever creature now bonded with Spider-Man had likely been held captive for the Son's twisted purposes.
But then again...
"Something doesn't feel right," Ahsoka frowned, turning to face Spider-Man more directly. "I keep getting this feeling... I don't know how to describe it..."
"The Daughter said she gave you a portion of her power to cleanse you of her brother's corruption. Perhaps you're experiencing residual effects."
"Maybe..." Ahsoka's brow furrowed. "How did all this happen? I feel like I'm missing pieces—like there are gaps in my memory."
Spider-Man was quiet for a moment before sighing. "Ahsoka," he said seriously, "can you focus on something for me?"
"Of course, Peter," she replied. Seeing how grave he looked made her worry increase.
"I need to know..." Spider-Man paused. "Do you remember anything specific from when you were under the Son's control? Any feelings, sensations—anything unusual?"
Ahsoka's frown deepened as she searched her memories. "I... it's really hard to put into words."
"Try," Spider-Man encouraged gently. "Anything at all?"
Ahsoka thought carefully. "Yes," she said slowly. "Pain. And fear."
The sensations felt immediate and real, as if they'd just occurred. But there was something else—a deeper, more confusing element. A desire for control that had felt both foreign and disturbingly natural. She'd found herself wanting to dominate, to command, and the memory left her unsettled. It was a thought pattern she couldn't quite shake free from.
Her cheeks began to warm, a flush creeping across her face as if touched by an invisible heat. Her heartbeat accelerated, and her breathing quickened.
"Peter, what do you think about that?" she asked, trying to redirect the conversation.
Spider-Man turned, surprise evident even through his mask. "Are you okay? You look a little off."
Ahsoka took a deep breath, attempting to center herself. "I'm... I'm trying to sort through my thoughts. Something's confusing me."
Spider-Man wanted to ask what was troubling her, but he felt uncertain about whether he could actually help. Ahsoka seemed equally confused, still trying to make sense of her own feelings.
Maybe this was just the complexity of existence.
Or maybe it was something more specific.
Spider-Man found himself thinking back to conversations with Uncle Ben and Aunt May. He tapped his forehead lightly with one hand, a helpless smile crossing his face beneath the mask. Uncle Ben and Aunt May were right—love really is complicated.
As the two continued searching the ship and working through repairs, Anakin paced outside the vessel, his mood shifting with each passing moment.