Narrator's POV

Tower of Death, New York City

A week had gone by since Nemesis and Corvus had returned from the alternate universe, bringing it under Thanos's domain. The Titan was now master of not one, but two universes, raising the stakes even more to stop him.

"So what do we do now?" Corvus asked his siblings as they all gathered together in a conference room, rather frustrated with the lack of action they had been receiving for the past few days.

"We wait." Proxima answered while twirling a knife in her hand."Father will have work for us soon enough."

"In the meantime, why don't you direct your frustration to the feeble humans of this city?" Cull Obsidian suggested with a cruel smirk."It would be rather entertaining if they choose to fight back."

"Oh please." Corvus scoffed."We all know Ebony was the best at this torture thing."

At the mention of their dead sibling the Black Order shut up. Although none of them shared any deep connection with Maw, he was a skilled assassin, a cruel and merciless torturer, and an able commander. It was a staggering loss to them,but nothing they couldn't move on from.

"Whatever." Cull yawned. "He made his choice. If he was foolish enough to be defeated by a human sorcerer, then his death is on his own head. At least he should have taken that Nemesis guy with him."

"Knowing Nemesis, he would have killed Maw first, then massacred the Rebels." Proxima said."Where is he, by the way?"

Nemesis, coincidentally, wasn't far away. He was in his room a floor above, his mind a total mess. His recent trip had confused him to a whole new level, leaving more questions than answers.

You're half-human, dammit!

You're originally human, but now you've shedded your former shell and showed your true colours! That's the truth, I swear!

You're originally descended from a human. Father made you what you truly are.

What I truly am? Nemesis wondered, angrily. I am the commander of Thanos's legions, destroyer of the humans, the living manisfestation of death itself. Nobody makes or commands me.

He had sensed the truth in Corvus's statements, yet they created more confusion for him. He knew that he could remember nothing prior to his rebirth, but he never questioned it. Until now.

What if there is sense in what Corvus had blabbered? Nemesis thought. Was it possible? Could I- could I really be human?

Sighing, Nemesis took off his mask. Slid off the dark gauntlets on his hands. Slipped out of his armour and robe, till he was left in just his trousers. He faced the mirror, and flinched at what he saw.

The left side of his body was fair, strongly-built, muscular. His toned muscles were a sight to behold. His beautifully sculpted body was a masterpiece. His eyes moved up to the left side of his face, scanning his deep eye, sharp jawline, and the stubble that heightened his ruggedly handsome features. He smiled.

The right side, on the other hand, was a nightmare. His face was no longer a face. Strips of flesh hung from his bony skull, eyebrows totally singed off, dried blood caked on his cheeks and forehead. His gaze went down to the right side of his chest and body, which was badly burnt and totally devoid of skin. He gingerly looked at his prosthetic metal right arm.

Famaliar enough with human anatomy, Nemesis was disappointed to see that he was indeed no different from a human, physically.

"So it is true." He whispered sadly."I'm no different than all those scum I've killed."

After his disappointing revelation,a burning curiosity to know his true identity consumed him. For days he fidgeted, wondered, even threatened the Black Order, but to no luck. He stood dejectedly on a balcony overlooking the skyline of New York City, when an idea struck him. He wondered the risk.

Would it be risky? Yes. Was it necessary? Absolutely.

Making up his mind, Nemesis strode briskly towards the elevator. Entering, he pressed the button to take him to the 56th floor. Reaching his destination, he walked upto the large room at the end of the hallway, the place where he could find the answers.

A lone Chitauri guard stopped him."I'm sorry sir but nobody is to enter but by leave of the Mast-ack!" Nemesis cut him off by swiftly snapping his neck and tossing his body away. Entering the room, he found himself surrounded by computer screens all over the walls, tables and ceiling, many of them providing live feeds from cameras in the city.

He walked upto the central computer. Hesitating, he typed, "Battle of Earth, 2039."

A number of documents appeared on the screen. Most file sizes were enormous, compressed archives of data, unabridged encyclopedia sets, global communication boards and so on. His eyes found the only file on the list with a small file size, and clicked on it. The document opened.

Battle of Earth, 2039

The Lord of the Universe, the Titan Thanos had once again gathered the six Infinity Stones in order to fulfil his noble quest of saving the universe from itself once more. He meant to bring in our salvation, but people called him a tyrant. Thanos, by means of his pawns, had destroyed the rogue organizations,the Nova Corps and the Federation, and secured the alligience of the Dark Order. However, a last army of humans made their final stand on Earth, making a futile attempt to stop the Master. They failed, the Master won, and Earth was conquered. There were many casualties on both sides. The Battle only remains as a sordid memory of what happens to ignorants who try to defy their destiny and salvation.

No no no. Nemesis thought. It wasn't like that! They got it all wrong! He typed furiously on the computer, trying to access other files for more information, but to no avail. Finally as he was giving up, his gaze fell upon a small icon at the corner of the page, so small that one might miss it. It read
"The Nemesis Program."

Shaking, he opened it. A large number of files opened up, and he clicked on the first one. It read as follows

"Name of operation: The Nemesis Program.
Mode: Enhancement
Official Description: The Nemesis Program was originally designed to enhance individuals and their physical and mental abilities to the fullest of their potential. Since no power source or object existed to commence the change, the project was scraped off. However, with the acquisition of the Infinity Stones, experiments were done in order to enhance the individuals. However, all test subjects deteriorated rapidly within moments of exposure to such power and simply withered away. 64 test subjects were taken, none of them survived. Except one.
Nature of test subject:
                  Species - human
                  Gender - male
                  Age - around 34
                  Name - Steve Fleming
Effect before exposure: Subject was dying. His body was badly burnt and mutilated. Subject was losing an arm. Highly unlikely to be alive for long.
Chance of surviving the process - 10%
Effect after exposure: Steadied breathing, growth of muscles in body. Metabolism rate higher. Tests show higher levels of adrenaline in body. Normal heartbeat.
Side effects: Anterograde amnesia, sharper insctints, fitter and stronger than before. High probability of being short-tempered.
New alias: Nemesis
Current status: Alive

Nemesis staggered back, as if the harsh reality had slapped him hard in the face. He couldn't believe his own eyes ,yet he knew it to be true.

My name is.....Steve Fleming??!

Groaning, he clutched his head with his hands, trying to remember anything about himself. His memory drew a blank.

I need more answers.

Searching the file, he didn't find anything else of value. The other documents were mostly commentaries, description of the process, and a lot of scientific data he didn't understand. A video file was attached to a folder, the name informing that the process of transformation was filmed and filed. Nemesis didn't have the courage to open it.

He opened another folder. This contained another video file with a
"CONFIDENTIAL" written beside it. He clicked on it.

The screen faded to black, and the speakers began playing the soft sound of lapping water. An image slowly appeared on the screen...amorphous and shadowy. Emerging from the darkness, a figure came into view. He was gigantic, wearing shining golden armour, his eyes staring melancholically from his scarred purple face. His left hand adorned a golden gauntlet, stuffed with six shining stones.

Nemesis gritted his teeth as he saw Thanos stare straight at the camera, at him. Then, Thanos began to speak.

When I was young, I had forseen what would befall us all if we continued to exist in the present way. Already, there are reports of hunger, famine, poverty, droughts from all corner of the galaxies. This is due to one reason only.

Overpopulation.

The universe is infinite, its resources finite. Yet we grow at a staggering rate, populating more and more areas, proliferating.

Scarcity of resources will soon be upon us. It already is.

It is the Dark Ages.

My own planet, Titan, was destroyed due to this. I had warned them, and offered a solution, but they chose to ignore me. They called me a madman.

I know what it is like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail all the same.

In the corners of the universe, people are in their own misery - the population huddled, starving, mired in sin and hopelessness. They remind me of a congested forest, suffocated, waiting for God's lightning strike - the spark that would fit set ablaze the fire that would rage across the land to clear the deadwood, once again ushering in sunshine to the healthy roots.

Culling is the natural order of the universe. If nobody else will step up then I will.

Death is always followed by birth.

To reach heaven, we must pass through inferno. Through hell. Through purgatory.

Yet there are those who call me a monster. Those ignorant souls who cannot grasp the noble purpose of my quest.

In time they will understand.

They will resist,but they will never succeed.

Because I have something they haven't.

One of their own. A human. The best among them, so I've heard.

And I've turned him against them. He bears no memory of his former self, and he will do my every bidding.

When they see their best against them, they will falter. They will fall.

He will be my greatest weapon.

Nemesis.

He is resting now. Waiting to be reborn.

Soon he will burst into flames.

And when he does, no power on earth will be able to stop him.

Just tried to make sure Nemesis starts who he truly is and starts questioning himself. Hope you like it!
Please don't forget to vote and comment.