MIDTOWN – SIXTH AVENUE
The air above Manhattan thrummed with destruction, the portal's gaping maw spewing endless Chitauri into the city's burning heart. Iron Man tore through a swarm of alien soldiers, his suit's servos screaming as he dodged plasma bolts.
Repulsors blazed, carving through their ranks, but their numbers were a relentless tide. "JARVIS, everything into the thrusters!" Tony barked, his voice sharp with intent.
"I just did, sir," JARVIS replied, his calm efficiency cutting through the chaos.
Tony's armor roared to life, rocketing upward from the streets. He became a gleaming beacon against the grinding fury below, climbing toward the missile's trajectory—a sleek harbinger of annihilation launched from the rogue jet, Seven Alpha Eleven.
High above, the pilot's eyes narrowed, fingers steady as he pressed the launch button. The missile detached with a low hum, locked on Manhattan's core.
"Destination in two minutes, thirty seconds," the pilot intoned, his voice a cold countdown echoing through the comms.
On a nearby rooftop, Ben Tennyson crouched, rifle in hand, his eyes scanning the chaos below. Olivia's robotic voice crackled through his earpiece, urgent.
"Boss, we've got a jet inbound with orders to fire a missile that could wipe out the city."
"Why am I not surprised?" Ben muttered, his jaw tight. "How long till it hits?"
"ETA two minutes, thirty seconds," Olivia replied, her tone clipped.
"How long till the Omnitrix recharges?" Ben pressed, his voice low.
"Three minutes, boss. Stark's moving to intercept."
"What the hell's he gonna do?" Ben growled, peering through his rifle's scope. The gears in his mind raced—a nuclear missile would devastate Manhattan before the Omnitrix could recharge. Even if the watch's self-protection mode kicked in, saving him, thousands wouldn't survive. "Shit…"
He dropped the rifle, the hiss of hydraulics whispering as he released his helmet's locks, tossing it aside. "Boss, I don't recommend this," Olivia warned, her voice tinged with concern.
"A nuke's heading for the city, Olivia," Ben snapped. "Got a better idea?"
Silence answered. Ben leapt from the rooftop, plummeting toward the battle raging below.
The streets of Sixth Avenue were a maelstrom of violence. Loki fought with unrestrained fury, his scepter a blazing conduit of energy blasts that scorched the air. He wove spells with fluid grace, emerald sigils flaring as he conjured illusions to confound his foes. His movements were a deadly dance, wielding the scepter like a staff in close combat, parrying Thor's hammer with preternatural skill. Thor matched him blow for blow, Mjolnir crackling with lightning, each swing summoning thunder that shook the pavement.
Captain America moved with acrobatic precision, his shield a blur as it deflected Loki's energy blasts and Chitauri fire. The vibranium disc ricocheted at impossible angles, slicing through alien soldiers before returning to his hand with unerring accuracy. Steve ducked a scepter blast, rolling forward to slam his shield into a Chitauri's chest, then pivoted to block another aimed at Thor.
From a rooftop perch, Hawkeye's bow sang, his arrows streaking through the chaos with superhuman precision. Explosive tips detonated among Chitauri squads, while armor-piercing shafts felled fliers with deadly accuracy. "Keep him pinned!" Clint shouted, nocking another arrow, his eyes locked on Loki's movements.
Ben landed in a crouch, his grappling hook retracting with a snap."Hey, Loki!" he bellowed, his voice cutting through the din. "Miss me, you second-rate sorcerer?"
Loki's head snapped toward him, his grin twisting with irritation. "Bold words for a mortal," he sneered, blasting a Chitauri soldier aside without breaking eye contact.
Ben charged, weaving through Loki's Chitauri with lethal efficiency. He ducked a plasma bolt, its heat singeing his jacket, and slammed his fist into a soldier's face, the alien's skull cracking under the blow. He drew a handful of Omnitrix-shaped shurikens from his utility belt, their sleek, metallic edges glinting. With a flick of his wrist, he launched them, each one embedding in a Chitauri's chest or throat, dropping them in sprays of ichor. He sidestepped another soldier, driving his elbow into its jaw before stabbing a shuriken into its hand, pinning it to the ground.
"Come on, Loki, I seen more impressive magic shows at kids party."
Loki's eyes narrowed, but before he could retort, two of Olivia's drones swooped in from behind, their micro-turrets blazing.
Plasma rounds peppered Loki's back, forcing him to stagger. His face contorted with rage, the scepter flaring as he unleashed a massive burst of emerald energy.
The shockwave hurled Thor backward, cracking the pavement. Steve ducked behind his shield, the force rattling his bones. Clint shielded his eyes from the blinding flash, cursing under his breath.
Loki turned his fury on Ben, the scepter's tip glowing with malevolent power. "You dare mock me?" he roared, firing a concentrated beam. Ben raised his gauntlet, its reinforced plating absorbing the brunt of the blast, but the force sent him flying. He crashed through a building's facade, concrete and glass exploding around him as he vanished into the rubble.
"Tennyson!" Steve shouted, worry cracking his voice as he sprinted toward the wreckage.
Thor roared, his eyes blazing with divine wrath. He hurled Mjolnir at Loki, who raised his scepter to block. The hammer struck with a thunderclap, sending sparks flying, but Loki held his ground, his grin wicked. "Such sentiment for a mere mortal, brother," he taunted. "You grow soft."
"You'll pay for your crimes, Loki," Thor growled, catching Mjolnir as it returned.
"This ends now."
Loki's smile widened, his voice dripping with mockery. "A pity, losing such a… promising pawn."
Steve reached the shattered building, scrambling over rubble, his heart pounding. "Ben!" he called, shoving aside debris. But there was no body, no sign of him—only dust and silence.
Loki's mocking laughter filled the air—until a voice, eerily familiar, echoed from behind. "Pawn? That's cute."
Loki whirled, his eyes widening. Thor froze, a strange familiarity tugging at his senses.
There, standing amidst the chaos, was Ben Tennyson—but transformed. His light brown skin shimmered faintly, as if kissed by moonlight. Piercing green eyes, glowing like bioluminescent moss, stared out from slit pupils, sharp and predatory. His jet-black hair, streaked with a single braided lock, framed a wiry, athletic frame that moved with a rogue prince's grace. Runes glowed on his shoulders, pulsing with arcane energy.
His attire was Asgardian-inspired, yet distinctly alien: a sleeveless black tunic, torn and jagged, hugged his muscular frame, overlaid with asymmetrical golden armor etched with talon-like motifs. The Omnitrix, embedded in his left shoulder, was wreathed in swirling black tattoos, a cursed sigil merging tech and mysticism. Dark gauntlets adorned his forearms, their golden filigree glinting with menace. A complex belt, winged with blade-like designs, cinched his waist, shredded robes cascading like a dark knight's mantle.
"Impossible!" Loki spat, his voice a mix of rage and disbelief, his scepter trembling in his grip.
Thor stared, a chill running through him. The figure before him felt… familiar, as if tied to Asgard's ancient lineage.
ASGARD – ODIN'S THRONE ROOM
In the golden halls of Asgard, Odin sat upon his throne, his single eye closed in meditation. It snapped open, a spark of alarm flaring. A new presence stirred—an Aesir, of his own blood, resonating through the cosmos.
In a lush forest garden, Frigga, queen of Asgard, stood regal and poised, her senses catching the same ripple. Her eyes narrowed, her heart stirring with recognition—an echo of her lineage, impossibly alive on Midgard. "Your Majesty?" an attendant called, noting her distant gaze.
"Something awakens," Frigga murmured, her voice low, "tied to my bloodline."
EARTH NEW YORK CITY MIDTOWN
The battlefield was a crucible of chaos, Loki's Chitauri swarming under his command, their screeches mingling with the roar of collapsing buildings. Loki and Thor stood frozen, their gazes locked on Ben Tennyson, now transformed into an
Asgardian-inspired warrior. His 6'4" frame towered, wiry and agile, his light brown skin shimmering faintly, as if kissed by starlight.
His green eyes, sharper now, glinted with slit pupils, framed by jet-black hair with a single braided lock. Runes pulsed on his shoulders, and the Omnitrix, embedded in his left shoulder, glowed within a swirl of black tattoos. His armor—sleeveless, jagged black tunic with golden, talon-like plating—exuded a rogue prince's menace, its shredded robes flowing like a dark knight's mantle.
Loki's face twisted with shock and fury, his scepter trembling in his grip. "You dare wield such power?" he spat, his voice a venomous snarl. Thor stared, a chill of recognition stirring—an echo of Asgard's bloodline, impossibly alive in this mortal.
Steve, scrambling from the rubble where Ben had been hurled, caught sight of him and exhaled in relief. "Ben, you're alive," he muttered, his shield raised as he rejoined the fight. From his rooftop perch, Clint lowered his bow slightly, a grin breaking through his focus. "Kid's still kicking," he said, nocking another arrow.
Before anyone could move, a sharp crackle cut through their comms—Natasha's voice, urgent and clear, ringing through Steve, Thor, and Clint's earpieces and resonating from the Omnitrix symbol on Ben's shoulder. "Can anyone hear me? I found a way to close the portal. Loki's scepter is the key."
Loki's eyes snapped to the Omnitrix, his grin faltering as he overheard. Steve's voice cut through, steady and sharp. "Well, lucky enough, we're looking right at it."
Loki's laughter erupted, mocking and theatrical. "You think you can wrest this from a god?" he sneered, raising the scepter.
"This city, this world, will bow before—"
His words were cut short as a green blur crashed from above. The Hulk landed squarely on Loki, driving him into the concrete with a thunderous boom. Debris flew as Hulk grabbed Loki's leg, smashing him repeatedly into the pavement like a ragdoll.
Each impact sent shockwaves through the street, cracks spiderwebbing outward. Thor, Steve, Ben, and Clint watched, a mix of awe and amusement flickering across their faces as Loki flailed, his godly composure shattered.
In the chaos, the scepter slipped from Loki's grasp, arcing into the sky like a comet. Thor's eyes tracked it, but before he could move, it vanished into the smoke above.
STARK TOWER – ROOFTOP
Natasha stood beside the CMS device, its blue glow pulsing like a dying star. Selvig crouched nearby, his face etched with guilt and hope. She was about to speak into her comms—"Well, you boys better pick up the pace if we want to close…"—when instinct screamed. She dove to the side, rolling across the rooftop as the scepter slammed into the ground where she'd stood, its tip embedded in the concrete.
"That was fast," Natasha muttered, yanking the scepter free. "Alright, I've got it. I can close the portal now."
Ben's eyes narrowed, black lines of creasing his brow. What kind of plot-convenient nonsense is this? he thought, staring at Loki, now wheezing and battered on the ground, the Hulk looming over him with a satisfied grunt.
Before taking off onto the skyline continuing his rampage, as the others watched his Hulking figure leap away with a roar.
Steve's voice cut through the comms as he watched Hulk leap off into the distant, firm and resolute. "Do it, Natasha."
"No, wait!" Tony's voice crackled, strained but sharp. "These things are still coming!"
Inside his suit, Tony's breath came tight, his HUD flashing warnings. "I've got a nuke incoming—less than a minute. And I know just where to put it."
Iron Man closed on the missile, its sleek form streaking toward Manhattan. He surged forward, repulsors screaming, and gripped the warhead, his armored hands locking onto its casing. With a wrench of effort, he forced it off course, steering it upward, away from the city and toward the portal's gaping maw. Steve's voice broke through the static. "Stark, you know that's a one-way trip?"
Tony's reply was soft, a vow wrapped in steel. "Save the rest for the return, J."
"Sir, shall I call Miss Potts?" JARVIS asked, his calm a stark contrast to the stakes.
Tony thought for a moment, his eyes flashing with a light.
"Might as well," Tony said, the lines between mission and memory blurring as he climbed.
Pepper Potts stood in the jet's cabin, her crew gathered around a TV broadcasting New York's carnage. Her phone buzzed, Tony's face flashing across the screen—a beacon of fear and resolve. Her breath caught, her hand trembling as she reached for it.
HELICARRIER – BRIDGE
The bridge held its breath, every agent's eyes locked on the monitors as Iron Man rocketed toward the portal. Fury stood rigid, his single eye glittering with pride and worry, a silent roar held tight in his chest.
Tony's ascent was relentless, the city shrinking to a patchwork of fire and ruin below. The portal loomed, a cosmic wound pulsing with alien light. In a single, desperate motion, he plunged through, the missile clutched tight. Communications died in a hush, his suit icing over as the void's cold pressed in. His breath caught, horror lacing the silence.
A vast, terrible awe unfolded: ninety Chitauri ships hung in the black, a silent armada drifting with ritual precision. Tony released the missile, its trajectory locked on the main vessel. He began to fall, weightless, his suit faltering as the portal's edge loomed. The missile struck, and the main ship imploded in a supernova of light, the armada shattering into sparks and starlight.
On the ground, stillness swept the battlefield. Chitauri soldiers and Leviathans faltered, their bodies collapsing like unstrung puppets, their connection to the armada severed. Thor, Steve, and Clint lifted their eyes skyward, where the portal flickered, its light dimming as Natasha prepared to close it.
' What the F**k Phantom Menace bullshit is this, am I in some sort of badly writing script.' Ben thought to himself as he looked around at the suddenly dead Chitauri with a blank face.
Ben stood alone, his Asgardian form radiating quiet power. He sensed Tony's fading presence, as the runic tattoos on his shoulders pulsed with a green glow. Closing his eyes, he reached into the shadows at his feet, his runes flaring with arcane light. A ripple in space opened, a dark vortex swirling like liquid night.
Tony drifting in space, his suit dark, his breath shallow in the freezing void. The portal's edge glimmered below, impossibly distant. He closed his eyes, accepting the end—when a hand, burst through a spatial ripple. It seized his shoulder, yanking him into the vortex with a force that defied gravity. Space warped, and Tony was sucked through, emerging from the shadows at Ben's feet on Sixth Avenue as Ben pulled him up.
Tony hit the ground, his suit sparking as he gasped, disoriented. "What the…" he muttered, staring up at Ben's figure. Steve, Thor, and Clint gaped, confusion and awe etching their faces. Ben's runes pulsed, his slit-pupil eyes glinting as he offered a faint smirk. "What's up, Tin-man."
"..."
" We got Stark, close the portal. " Steve finally ordered through the comms.
Natasha didn't hesitate, or questioned Steve words and finally closed the portal, thrusting scepter into the Tesseract cutting off the flow of energy.
The portal's glow pulsed and flickered before dying, its edges collapsing like a wound sealing shut. Chitauri soldiers crumpled mid-stride, their biomechanical frames seizing up, Leviathans crashing from the sky in heaps of twisted metal.
Cheers erupted from distant streets, civilians emerging from hiding as the alien tide receded. Thor lowered Mjolnir, his chest heaving, a grim smile breaking through his thunder-god facade. "The day is ours," he rumbled, striding toward Loki's battered form, chains of Asgardian make materializing in his hand.
Steve clapped Tony on the shoulder, his shield still humming from the fight. "You did it."
Tony, sprawled on the pavement, pushed himself up with a groan, his suit sparking. "Yeah, well, next time let's skip the space exploration." He glanced at Ben's towering Asgardian form, eyes widening behind his visor. "And you... what the hell happened? You look like you raided Odin's closet."
Clint rappelled down from his rooftop perch, bow slung over his shoulder, landing with a smirk. "Well, you're not much to talk about either. You alright? "
Ben nodded, his sharpened features set in a faint grin, his green eyes glinting with that new, slit-pupil intensity. "Better than ever. Let's wrap this up—"
A low chuckle echoed from Loki, who'd just been wheezing on the ground. Thor paused, hammer raised, but before he could act, a mass of swirling green smoke exploded from Loki's body. It billowed like a living storm, engulfing the street in seconds, thick and choking. Steve coughed, raising his shield as visibility dropped to zero. "Ambush!" he shouted, the fog muffling his voice.
Thor swung Mjolnir blindly, lightning crackling, but the smoke absorbed it, twisting into shadowy tendrils. Clint nocked an arrow, spinning toward a phantom sound, only to fire into nothing. Ben's runes pulsed, his senses sharpening in the haze, but even he felt the disorientation creep in. The smoke wasn't just fog—it was Loki's illusion magic, alive with deception, birthing false shapes and echoes that mimicked Chitauri screeches and Avengers' voices.
From the heart of the miasma, Loki's form multiplied—dozens of him rising, each wielding a scepter that glowed with unholy light. "You think me defeated?" the illusions chorused, their voices a cacophony.
One Loki lunged at Thor, scepter thrusting like a spear; Thor blocked with Mjolnir, the impact sending shockwaves, but the figure dissolved into smoke, reforming behind him. Another blasted energy at Steve, who deflected it with his shield, the vibranium ringing like a bell as he rolled aside, countering with a precise throw that dispersed a phantom Loki.
Tony's HUD flickered, scanning through the fog. "Illusions—pick the real one!" He fired repulsors at a cluster of Lokis, vaporizing fakes, but the real god slipped through, his scepter grazing Tony's armor in a close-quarters slash. Tony twisted mid-air, retaliating with a point-blank blast that forced Loki to dodge, his cape singed.
Steve charged into the fray, his movements a whirlwind of precision. He vaulted over a tendril of smoke, shield bashing a false Loki's head—dissipating it—then blocked a real energy beam aimed at Tony, the force pushing him back but not breaking his stance.
"Stark, cover the flanks!" Steve yelled, hurling his shield in a ricochet that arced off a car, striking two illusions before returning.
Tony nodded, his thrusters flaring as he unleashed a barrage of micro-missiles, exploding pockets of smoke and forcing the illusions to scatter, buying the team breathing room.
Thor roared, summoning a vortex of lightning that tore through the fog, illuminating Loki's true form for a split second. "Face me, brother!" He swung Mjolnir in a wide arc, the hammer connecting with Loki's scepter in a clash that lit the street like daylight, energy crackling between them.
Loki countered with a spell, his free hand weaving runes that summoned chains of green energy, wrapping around Thor's legs and yanking him off-balance. Thor shattered them with a thunderclap, but Loki pressed the attack, his scepter spinning in a flurry of strikes—high thrust, low sweep, overhead slam—forcing Thor to parry desperately.
Clint, eyes narrowed against the haze, loosed arrows in rapid succession. One pierced a fake Loki's chest, exploding to clear a patch of smoke; another grazed the real one's shoulder, drawing a hiss of pain. "Eyes on the prize!" Clint called, flipping off a car hood to avoid a retaliatory blast, his bow transforming into a staff for a moment to bat away a tendril.
Ben moved like a shadow incarnate, his new form's power surging. He melted into the darkness at his feet, reappearing behind a cluster of illusions, his gauntlet wrapped fist smashing through one's back—dissipating it—before he summoned inky tendrils from the ground, coiling around two more fakes and crushing them into nothingness. "Loki!" Ben shouted, his voice echoing unnaturally.
He locked eyes with a Loki duplicate, plunging it into a vision of endless void, the illusion shattering as if withered from within. The real Loki spun toward him, fury blazing, and fired a beam—Ben raised a barrier of writhing shadows, the energy decaying upon impact, rusting the air itself.
Loki snarled, his illusions converging on Ben. "You wield stolen power!" He unleashed a barrage, scepter blasts mixing with spells that summoned spectral blades.
Ben teleported through a shadow, emerging at Loki's side, his touch accelerating decay on Loki's cape, fabric withering to dust. Loki backhanded him away, but Ben rolled, summoning a shroud of absolute darkness that enveloped a section of the smoke, muffling sounds and draining Loki's illusions of their vitality, causing several to fade.
Thor seized the opening, hurling Mjolnir at Loki's chest—Loki blocked, but the force staggered him. Clint fired a precision arrow into Loki's leg, exploding on impact and buckling his knee. Ben closed in, whispering into Loki's ear, inducing flashes of forgotten nightmares that made the god flinch, his guard dropping.
Thor tackled him, Mjolnir pinning the scepter, while Ben's summoned shadowy tendrils that coiled around Loki's limbs, sapping his strength. Clint loosed a final arrow, embedding in Loki's shoulder, the tip releasing a paralyzing agent that slowed the god's struggles.
Steve and Tony held the perimeter, Steve's shield deflecting stray blasts while Tony's repulsors cleared residual illusions, their teamwork a seamless wall against Loki's fading deceptions. "We've got him!" Steve yelled.
Loki's eyes gleamed with defiance, a final spell bubbling from his lips. Green energy surged, shattering the shadows and hurling the team back. He vanished in a swirl of smoke, his laughter echoing as he escaped into the city's ruins. "This is not over, brother... nor you, pretender!"
Thor slammed Mjolnir into the ground, cracking the pavement. "He flees like a coward!"
Ben rose, his runes dimming, breathing heavy. "He'll be back. And next time his going to pay.."
The team regrouped, the street falling silent save for distant sirens. The portal was closed, the missile diverted—but Loki's shadow lingered, a promise of more chaos to come.