"Can someone please, for the love of all that is holy, shut that guy up!?" Tony Stark asked in utter exasperation as the Hulk unleashed another rage-filled roar. "Oi big green goblin! Give it a rest!"
"Leave him be," Clark sighed, helping Diana to her feet. "Nick, what's the status?"
"Landing secure, no sign of life nearby. We're safe," the man replied over the intercom.
"Well, thank the stars for that. What about the personnel?" Clark inquired, concern etched on his face.
A moment of silence hung in the air as Nick Fury remained quiet, prompting Clark to press for details once again.
"Nick, seriously, how many casualties are we looking at here?"
"Enough," Nick replied gravely. Clark could not hide the grimace that swept his face. The loss of life weighed heavily on him and a burning anger simmered beneath the surface as he thought about Loki and the destruction he had wrought upon everything since his unwelcome arrival on Earth.
A comforting hand on his shoulder made him look over. His wife's grim face stared back at him.
"I won't entertain your hollow reassurances this time," he hissed. Diana sighed and nodded in understanding. Loki had indeed gone very far this time and they had no choice but to respond with equal vehemence, matching the severity of his heinous plans. He needed to be stopped before the casualties escalated further.
Clark turned toward Tony and Bruce. The two billionaires stood together, their eyes fixated on the Hulk. The creature kept smashing its fists relentlessly against the enforced glass in a desperate attempt to escape its cage.
"Stark, Wayne," he began. As the two men turned to face him, he sighed. "Listen, we need to regroup ASAP."
"How many lives?" Tony asked.
Clark grimaced. "Too many."
"Fuck," Tony muttered under his breath.
"Alright, everyone, focus," Steve took charge of the situation. He fastened the shield around his arm and gazed around the chamber. "We don't have time to worry about casualties right now. Loki's still out there. We need to regroup, and we need to do it fast."
"They shouldn't have died," Tony muttered. His frustration carried throughout the room and Steve turned to address him.
"Is this the first time you've lost soldiers in battle?" He inquired calmly.
"WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS!" Tony retorted sharply. "Stop thinking everyone's cut from the same cloth, Cap. And right now, I'm not finding myself in too much of a mood to go running errands for people who keep concocting such elaborate schemes for power."
Steve clenched his fists, attempting to maintain his composure, and regarded the man with an even stare. He understood where Stark was coming from and even though he could empathize with the man, their priority needed to be on the grander scale.
"I get that! I'm not too thrilled about it myself. But we can't just let Loki run unchecked here. He's got blood on his hands and we need to put aside any differences. Our focus needs to be the real enemy here."
"What on earth are you talking about?" Diana asked curiously as she stepped forward, fixing Stark with a firm stare. "What elaborate schemes for power are you going on about?"
She was surprised when instead of replying, Stark scoffed and averted his gaze. Turning toward Steve, she was met with a grimace.
"Well?" She pressed.
"Wanna do the honors, Cap?" Stark suggested.
Steve pursed his lips but did not shy away. He turned toward Diana and Clark, and asked, "Why is SHIELD using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction?"
The couple's eyes widened and they stared at each other in shock.
"What did you just say?" Clark asked dangerously.
"You heard the man," Stark replied instead, earning a glare.
"That project was scrapped," Diana interjected firmly. "We have never given any authorization to use the Tesseract for any offensive purpose. The entire project in Mojave was to harness it as a power source."
"Well, tough luck, folks, because I've got solid proof that the project wasn't, as you said, scrapped," Tony replied easily and presented all the evidence he had gathered. "That's from the SHIELD database, in case you're wondering."
Clark took one look at everything Tony had extracted from the SHIELD database and his eyes shot wide open.
"How?" He whispered as Diana looked over. Her breath hitched at the sight of the incriminating evidence.
Both turned their attention back to Tony who stared back with pursed lips.
"No one here knows you well, apart from Cap I guess, so I hope you'll forgive us for not taking whatever you say at face value, but your reaction does tell me you were not aware of this. For two people who have been in charge of a secret organization for a few decades now, your oversight seems a bit, well, lackluster, if I'm being honest. Not to mention surprising."
Clark gritted his teeth and glanced away. The sheer audacity of something so nefarious happening right under their noses left him feeling incredulous. The realization that there seemed to be traitors within an organization they had founded and dedicated their lives to left a sour taste in his mouth.
"We need to discover who's gone behind our backs and gone ahead with this," Diana asserted with an intense glare. Looking over at the assembled group, she continued, "We truly didn't know anything about this, but I give you all my word as a proud Amazonian. We'll dig deep and find who's done this. The entire project will be shut down and everything would be erased as soon as we've got all the details."
"Yeah, I'm not putting my money on that," Tony replied with a scoff. "Whoever has orchestrated this behind your backs would be a complete fool not to snatch up all the research and tech and hand it over to whoever they're working with. What? You think this is the work of some random agent or scientist? Don't tell me you're that naïve."
Clark grimaced, silently concurring with the man. They had encountered their fair share of adversaries over the years and they knew everyone had an ace up their sleeve. He desperately hoped with all his might that he was being overly cynical with his thought process, but he would not be surprised if these secrets had already fallen into the wrong hands.
Once again, his disbelief was overshadowed by his frustration. The fact that they had overlooked matters to the extent that something so serious as the manufacturing of weapons of mass destruction using a force they still had no means to properly control had successfully taken place left him seething.
"Listen," Steve interjected. "We can think about this later. I know this is serious, but Loki needs to be our priority right now."
Clark sighed and shook his head. "You're right. We are already far away and low on personnel. Yelena and Agent Barton are out, probably your wife too. Which means we only have us right here, Natasha, Miss Kyle, and Thor."
Tony gestured toward the raging Hulk with his thumb. "And what about this guy?"
"I think there might be a solution to that."
All eyes turned to witness Maria Hill supporting a visibly shaking Elizabeth Ross as they walked in. Natasha and Selina trailed behind them.
"Agent Hill," Clark greeted. "How is the situation in the infirmary?"
"Bad, Your Grace," the brunette replied. "Scores of agents are dead, with many more injured. Agent Barton has been sedated, and Doctor Cho is personally working on both him and Yelena."
"She's safe," Natasha replied before they could enquire any further. Diana and Clark exchanged relieved looks. "Loki's made this personal now."
"With you now, maybe," Tony replied with a nod toward Natasha. "But he made it personal for me the moment he chose my property as his playground," Tony muttered. He had initially intended to go off on his own, not interested in cooperating with those he believed were involved in making nefarious plans behind everyone's backs, but he had already realized that the two big shots were in the dark as well. Additionally, it was more practical for them to join forces instead.
"Loki's always been a diva," Clark remarked curtly. "He hits us on our home turf, as if challenging us right to our faces. He is greedy, for both power and recognition, and he never shies away from showing off."
"His act in Stuttengard fooled no one," Steve replied.
"That was just a preview, Cap. This is the main event now. As the big man said, Loki's a full-tilt diva. He craves his flowers, his parades, people singing his name as he struts down the street in that ridiculous goblin helm of his. And that's why he chose Stark Tower, eh? Name plastered on the monument which he'll tear down and build his own. A bit predictable in hindsight now. That fucking son of a bitch!"
"Language," Steve interrupted automatically, earning a disbelieving look from the man.
"We need to get a move on now," Bruce interjected, speaking up for the first time. "Any jets still intact?"
"Outside on the runway," Clark muttered. "All the jets inside are done for."
"Alright then, here's the quick plan. Stark and you two go ahead on your own. As you said, Thor's still there. We'll join you as soon as we can recover Doctor Banner here," Bruce proposed.
"Seems like the best we can do right now," Steve nodded.
"Fine. I've got a score to settle with that diva for targeting my home like that," Tony scowled. The faceplate of his helmet whirred and settled in place as he activated the thrusters. "See y'all in a bit then."
Iron Man shot out of the broken window, tearing through the air. Diana and Clark exchanged a firm nod before they took flight behind him as well.
"Now then," Bruce muttered, his gaze fixed on a comparatively docile Hulk who was staring at the delirious form of Betty Ross with his teeth bared. "Let's hope this works out."
XXXXX
Mjolnir thrust forward, Thor tore through the air, his blonde curls flying about in the wind, and his red cape billowing behind him. He flew with a singular destination in his mind – the tallest building in sight.
He was already aware of the fact that he could not reach his companions in time. The best recourse he could think of was to intercept the Chitauri as they emerged from the portal that would soon open and shoot as many of them down as possible.
Thor had mixed feelings about the vow he had agreed with his sister. Initially, he had believed that the twins had more nefarious plans that were entirely unknown to them, but it turned out they had them figured out all the while. All they intended to do was to open the portal with the help of the Tesseract, let the Chitauri in, and conquer the planet.
He believed his sister had skillfully played him like a fiddle. She had parted with only two critical pieces of information – Erik's location and how they could close the portal. Had Erik been in sight, he would not have consented to the vow. Alas, the man was hidden and he had no clue what protections the twins had placed around him. He would not have put it past them to ensure Erik died should any harm come to their despicable scheme. Additionally, he knew his sister would've stood in his way. She was a stubborn one and she would've sacrificed herself before letting him pass. No matter how big his sins might be, he was not a kinslayer.
He gritted his teeth in frustration as he held on to a sizeable metal pole that protruded out of the building and looked down at the bustling city below.
Oh, how he wished he could have succeeded in at least evacuating the city to minimize the casualties. Yet, all his efforts had been in vain. Instead of scampering about, the people had converged around him with their phones out for pictures. It seemed his actions in New Mexico had swiftly become public knowledge and he had attained some sort of charm that attracted people to be seen with him.
He knew of the phenomenon, having experienced something similar in Asgard on numerous occasions.
In the distance, he spotted his sister staring at him with a smirk and his eyes widened slightly when he caught sight of his brother who unexpectedly appeared right beside her out of nowhere. Averting his eyes from their amorous reunion, Thor scanned his surroundings.
Diana and the others had already discovered the location of Loki's attack and all he could hope was for them to arrive soon.
Meanwhile, high above the Atlantic, three figures streaked at supersonic speeds toward the shoreline that was still out of eyesight.
"Status, JARV?" Tony inquired as he tore through the air.
"Still nothing, sir. The city's operating as usual."
"What about the evac signal?"
"Ignored, sir."
"These idiots never learn," Tony seethed. They were not listening to the warnings and it meant more innocents would be at risk.
Hundreds of miles away from their current position, a massive shockwave sent people staggering outside Stark Tower. Shocked, they looked over and saw a translucent blue beam of energy phase through glass and concrete before it coalesced into a massive hole right above the building.
Perched atop a massive building near Stark Tower, Thor clenched his fingers around Mjolnir, his fierce glare directed at the portal that had opened to let the Chitauri in.
XXXXX
Gwen Stacy found herself relaxing as she hummed idly, effortlessly moving around in the kitchen as she went about preparing their evening meal. Meanwhile, her boyfriend took care of the groceries. It was their usual way of taking care of their chores and after all this time, it had become second nature to them. Peter was pants at cooking and the responsibility was delegated to his girlfriend. She was all too happy with the arrangement as long as he took care of doing the dishes and groceries.
The past week had thrust them into a whirlwind of surprise. Initially, they were for all intents and purposes hounded by a secret organization that wanted them to join their ranks. They learned more about what it entailed before they eventually decided to join as external consultants. No sooner had they done that than they had to take an international trip all the way to India to meet an old friend who seemed to be in the same boat as them, at least when it came to these people.
They had been dropped back home a few days ago and since then, both she and Peter had immersed themselves in nothing but relaxation. They would get up late and leave the comfort of their bed even later. Both she and Peter had been feeling more aroused lately and none shied away from seeking each other out, embracing their intimacy eagerly. The entire day would pass with them doing nothing too significant before they would retire early, their bodies joined as they indulged in moments of pure bliss.
The current day had unfolded in a similar fashion. They left their bed late after they brought each other to multiple climaxes, each more tremendous than the previous, before they finally got around to cleaning up their apartment. Fast forward a few hours of relaxation and Peter left for the nearby supermarket while she began to work on their meal. He had asked her to whip up some nice pasta and she knew exactly how to go about it.
She was in the middle of popping those baby tomatoes when suddenly the hairs at the back of her neck stood in warning. The spatula slipped from her hand and dropped into the pan with a soft clatter as her head shot up in surprise. She jumped slightly in alarm when the door to their apartment was flung open wildly and a frantic Peter rushed in hurriedly, dropping the groceries on the floor before quickly taking her hand.
"You felt it too, right?" He asked urgently. Gwen nodded, seeing how anxious he looked. She was sure she looked as tense, if not more.
His hand tightened its hold on hers as he turned around. Gwen could do nothing more than rush behind him as he dragged her toward the balcony. They looked around, trying to spot anything that might be wrong but for the life of them, they could not figure it out. The people were walking along the streets as usual and the traffic seemed as normal as it could be. Nothing seemed out of order to Gwen who ran her eyes up and down the street, puzzled.
"Gwen…"
Her boyfriend's faint voice made her glance at him before she followed his line of sight. Her eyes shot wide open in shock.
A powerful beam of translucent blue surged from the ground in the distance and as they followed its trajectory, they could do nothing but stare in stupefied silence as thunder and lightning crackled along the path, surrounding what appeared to be a massive blue portal. Several beings seemed to emerge from the unending depths of that portal, its nucleus as dark as the clearest night sky on a full moon. The moment these beings emerged from the portal, they were struck by bolts of lightning. The beings exploded upon impact and their remnants rained down on the city below.
"Come on, suit up, love. We need to go," Peter muttered, being the first one to catch his bearings. Gwen nodded and tore her eyes from the fascinating sight.
XXXXX
Thor swung Mjolnir with vehement determination, commanding the lightning to dance at his bidding. A cacophony of explosions echoed through the air as the incoming Chitauri soldiers met their demise, torn apart in the storm and splattering the urban landscape with their remains.
Panic ensued among the masses. The people ran about like headless chickens. They scrambled to save themselves from the incoming projectiles of bits and pieces of Chitauri flesh. It was the carnage of the highest order they had ever witnessed, a sight of horror so profound that a large number of them were reduced to tears as they ran for their lives. There were a few who managed to survive and landed on roads and buildings. These beings opened fire, destroying buildings and bridges, blowing up cars and trucks, and causing as much mayhem as they could.
High up on the balcony of the penthouse, Loki and Sylvie stood with their arms wrapped around each other, watching the carnage unfolding before them with prideful smirks adorning their faces.
"He is as pesky as ever," Sylvie muttered, referring to her not-brother who stood on one of the buildings, keeping the incoming horde of relentless monsters at bay to the best of his ability.
"He can't go on for too long, my love," Loki replied with a chuckle. "Let him have his few minutes of fun. Let him quench that pride of an Asgardian that he seeks. To feel that he has done something. It will make his eventual disappointment all the more jarring when he can do nothing but watch as we conquer this realm."
Sylvie chuckled before she noticed something peculiar.
"Who are they?"
"Hmm?" Loki asked nonchalantly and looked over. "Oh. More creatures. This realm reeks of vermin."
They watched the pair move about in perfect harmony, leaping off windows and swinging off the buildings as they fought the small horde of Chitauri that had succeeded in breaching the barrier of lightning Thor had kept up so far.
Down below on the streets, Peter and Gwen swung about, trying to rescue the civilians from the Chitauri attacks. They fired thick globs made of spiderwebs straight at their faces to blind them or at their feet to immobilize them before swiftly jumping over, twisting their necks, and killing them. A few Chitauri soldiers that had taken refuge behind the walls fired energy bullets at the pair whose acute senses picked up all incoming projectiles and allowed them to expertly weave through them.
"Their bullets don't work on their own!" Gwen exclaimed as she spotted the deflected blow from one of the dead Chitauri.
Peter was quick on the move. He pulled off the armor from one of the Chitauri that had fallen behind him and equipped it with the help of the sticky spiderwebs. Thrusting his arm forward, he fired a spiderweb against one of the traffic poles and swung over, landing right in front of Gwen who had extracted an armor of her own.
Together, the two rushed into the heat of the battle once again.
"I'll see if I can contact someone in SHIELD," Peter informed his girlfriend as he dispatched another Chitauri soldier with relative ease. He pulled out the device he had been provided by the SHIELD agent who had dropped them home.
Miles away in the Helicarrier, Phil Coulson looked up at the screen that flashed with Peter's device number. The consultants that worked with SHIELD had clearance to contact the bridge directly and he wasted no time in establishing a secure connection.
The moment he heard the blast, he sighed. It seemed things had already begun.
"Mr. Parker," he greeted.
"Ah yes, Agent Coulson, right? Well, I'd like to report something here. There's a massive portal right above Stark Tower, and aliens are coming out of it. Fortunately, they're being attacked by lightning which looks a lot like what we saw last year when Thor came over. We're, that is Gwen and I, are taking care of any that bypass the lightning, but we're a bit shorthanded. We'd really appreciate it if we got some help here."
Coulson sighed and exchanged a look with Nick Fury.
"Connect them to the common channel. They'll need to coordinate anyway," he instructed. "And get me eyes on what's going on there!"
"Yes, sir," he nodded.
Peter heard a static on the other end before his senses picked up the air that rushed by at a breakneck pace. Curious, he wondered just what was going on.
"Mr. Parker, this is Clark Kent here. Can you tell me what's going on there?" The authoritative voice reached Peter's ears.
He recognized who the man was and repeated the information he had just shared with Phil Coulson. Diana and Tony listened in along with the rest of the crew that was arriving in a jet. Maria Hill was flying the jet, sitting alongside Betty Ross while Bruce, Selina, and Natasha were all standing with Banner who had been calmed down by his girlfriend in a jiffy. The man was not happy at all after having his mind played with. It was twice now that he had been subjected to that scepter and he had a personal vendetta against Loki now.
For months, he and Betty had worked on getting the Hulk under control and after so much struggle, he had finally managed to complete a transformation without succumbing to the inner beast that the massive green monster embodied, only for all their efforts to be thrown in their face after only two instances. He knew SHIELD would be on eggshells around him from now on and he blamed only one person for it – Loki. After all, that was the reason why Betty had to make this trip with them – to make sure he was calmed down in case something went wrong again.
They all listened as Peter vividly described the chaos unfolding in New York, all the while doing his best to combat the army of the Chitauri. They could hear the fighting and the explosions that were rocking New York, portraying a grim image of the city. All conventional means of communication to and from the city had already been cut off so they had no way to get their eyes on the situation, and the commentary from the man in the field was the best they could hope for given the circumstances.
"We're almost there, Mr. Parker," Clark informed the man. "Please hold on for a little longer."
"Gwen and I are doing our best here, Mr. Kent, but their numbers are increasing. Already I can see the lightning storm has weakened a lot. Seems like Thor's running low on battery here."
"Almost there," Clark replied once again as he gazed straight ahead. He could discern the coastline of New York with his enhanced vision, which meant it would take them only a minute or two to reach the city at their swift pace.
The Chitauri descended with vehemence and ominous intent on their menacing flying contraptions. Emboldened by the waning lightning that flickered beyond the portal, the hordes intensified their advent, ruthlessly barreling through the chaotic carnage that seemed to slowly abate in front of them. A grotesque cascade of purple blood rained down upon the once pristine cityscape of New York, acting as a silent precursor to the brutal massacre they intended to carry out.
The air resonated with an ominous and malevolent energy of destruction as the relentless alien invaders soared through the skies. Their weapons gleamed a sinister purple, leaving a trail of explosive chaos in their wake.
From his spot atop the tallest building in sight, Thor surveyed the dire scene below. He stood there helplessly, heaving slightly as he caught his breath after having expended so much energy in that lightning storm. From his vantage point, he reflected on the tens of thousands of Chitauri soldiers he had successfully thwarted, preventing them from joining their fellow invaders in the city's disastrous assault.
Alas, his efforts had proven insufficient. The Chitauri, numbering in the millions, seemed inexhaustible. He knew they could keep coming for months, persisting in their destructive mission, irrespective of the resistance they faced.
The army was one of numbers, and it had technology that rivaled, if not surpassed, what Earth had. It was no surprise that things looked dire.
He surveyed the city from his spot. The two individuals he had spotted some time ago were still embroiled in the heat of the battle, doing their best to kill any Chitauri they encountered. Thor noticed, to his slight surprise, that they had equipped themselves with Chitauri armor that deflected anything the creatures threw at them with remarkable efficacy.
"Truly ingenious thinking," he remarked to himself. He still felt a bit shaky after all his efforts and breathed deeply. It would take him a short while to get to his best again.
The unfolding spectacle weighed heavily on Thor, not solely because his siblings were responsible for the entire carnage, but also because he believed himself to be the protector of Midgard. His failure glared at him.
It was an unfortunate sight. The Chitauri horde was now descending in massive numbers and he grimaced. They would soon outnumber the humans in the city if nothing was done.
Thor's eyes widened in astonishment when a massive worm-like creature ominously emerged from the portal and he stared, unblinking, at the sight of the sinister behemoth. Hundreds of Chitauri detached from its sides, climbing on their chariots and seamlessly blending into the chaotic fray, joining their brethren in the relentless pursuit of destruction and carnage. A foreboding feeling washed over him and he gritted his teeth, clenching his hand firmly around his hammer.
Suddenly, a sudden burst of energy caught his attention. He looked over and saw a powerful beam of crimson strike the creature straight on the head, tearing through its grotesque flesh. He looked over and a wave of relief washed over him at the sight of the familiar figures of Clark and Diana, the latter wielding a sword that crackled with celestial power. The former quickly engaged the Chitauri horde, effortlessly cleaving through them like a hot knife through butter, and Thor looked on in satisfaction as the man swiftly killed dozens of Chitauri in mere seconds.
Diana gracefully landed beside him and offered him a strained but genuine smile full of appreciation.
"Good to see you too," he muttered, acknowledging her presence that felt very welcome.
"Sorry for the delay. We got a bit sidetracked," she explained.
"Loki?" Thor inquired, sighing. All he received was a nod from the warrior princess. They both looked over toward Stark Tower where she locked eyes with Sylvie who glared at her intensely.
"So, she's involved too," Diana remarked, her tone betraying little surprise.
"You surprised?" Thor asked rhetorically.
Diana was not. The twins were closer than typical siblings so it stood to reason that they would stand together in any conflict.
"Anything you discovered so far?" She asked hopefully.
"The Tesseract is in the room where the energy source is," Thor replied. "And to close the portal, we need another Infinity Stone."
"I see," Diana muttered. "Fortunately, we have one handy."
Thor closed his eyes briefly and nodded with a sigh.
"You ready then?" She asked instead, watching her husband dispatch another horde of Chitauri with relative ease.
Thor's eyes opened, glowing an ethereal shade of silver. Lightning crackled in the air again as he began to swing his hammer violently. Yet again, massive explosions wreaked havoc at the entrance of the portal.
"I guess that works too. See you later then," Diana replied as she swung her sword, shooting off into the chaos, and leaving Thor poised to prevent the arrival of more Chitauri from beyond the portal.
XXXXX
Tony Stark streaked through the sky at supersonic speeds, a determined expression etched on his face as the Stark Tower loomed in the distance. Without a moment's hesitation, he shot through the entrance, hurtling toward the lower level where the massive arc reactor had been set up.
"Bastards," he muttered under his breath in frustration. "JARV, any success?"
"None, sir."
The reply made him seethe. He cursed himself for making it a mandatory requirement for him to be physically present in order to manipulate the arc reactor in any way, including turning it on or off. If only he could have had the power to do it remotely, this entire affair would've been taken care of much earlier and there wouldn't have been so much loss of life and property.
Meanwhile, outside, the Kents had joined forces with Parker and Stacy in the field, engaged in an effort to combat the Chitauri, while Thor tried to keep the invaders at bay.
Tony knew he needed to ensure the portal was closed, and soon.
Traversing through the empty corridors of his tower with relative ease, he reached the chamber in no time. Violently blasting it open with a thruster on his palm, he shot inside the chamber without a care in the world.
To his surprise, he found no security around the solitary occupant of the chamber – one Erik Selvig, he recognized from the files. The man was doing nothing but standing there, motionless, with his eyes open and unblinking as he stared at the translucent beam of light that sustained the portal.
In front of him was a CMS device with the Tesseract mounted on top of it. A glowing blue barrier had formed around the cube as it derived power from the self-sustaining source of energy he had invented.
To see his creation used for such a heinous purpose filled him with even more rage and he shot forward. The thrusters obliged his unspoken command, propelling him forward, and without a care for anything around him, Tony fired a powerful blast right at the base of the CMS device.
To his immense shock, the barrier surrounding the Tesseract extended in a fraction of a second and repelled his blast. Erik Selvig was thrown backward, toppling over, as Tony stared at the unharmed CMS device in disbelief.
"You can't stop it now," Erik Selvig's voice made Tony look over. The man gingerly pushed himself to his feet and smiled at him with black, unseeing eyes. "The Tesseract and the CMS are self-sustaining. See? It is working even when you have taken off the arc reactor."
Tony glared at the man.
"He wants to show us something! A new universe! Isn't that fascinating?" Erik whispered in a voice filled with fanaticism.
"Turn it off!" Tony demanded, glaring.
"I cannot!" Erik replied, a soft smile playing on his lips. "And neither can you!"
"JARVIS?"
"The barrier is pure energy, sir. It's unbreachable."
Suddenly, the earpiece activated and he heard Diana Kent's voice resonate through the common channel. Intrigued, he listened in to the conversation, focusing on their discussion as she conversed with Thor. As he absorbed the details, his eyes widened in understanding when Thor informed the woman about how they could close the portal.
"Well then," Tony muttered. "Looks like we're going to be fighting as well."
"The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed yet, sir."
"We're on the clock here, JARV. Skip the spinning rims and finish it already!"
Tony knew his current armor was not sufficient for any more combat. The Mark VII was already finished apart from the spinning rims. He could work on those once this little affair was sorted out. Considering the need of the hour, the upgrade was necessary.
"The bracelets are up in the penthouse, sir."
Tony didn't reply. He took one final determined look at the glowing barrier around the CMS before he hovered in the air and swiftly flew away.
Emerging from the entrance, Tony landed on the platform just outside the balcony of his penthouse. The sophisticated gauntlet he had designed swiftly went to work, methodically dismantling his Iron Man suit piece by piece as he confidently strode forward. His keen eyes caught sight of the duo — Loki, the asshole, and a blonde woman who bore a striking resemblance to him. Both regarded Tony with identical smirks, a mirrored expression that hinted at their similar cunning nature. Not just in demeanor, but even in attire, they were eerily similar, clad in opulent ensembles that mirrored each other.
"Must be the sister," Tony muttered under his breath as he continued his purposeful stride toward his penthouse. The distant echoes of explosions around the city served as an audible reminder of the ongoing battle that had enveloped the city.
He did not miss the scepter, which, if he was understanding everything correctly, could be the key to closing that portal. His gaze instinctively shifted upward, a grimace crossing his face at the sight of the dark void right above his head. The portal looked like a menacing abyss of threat and he seethed.
The Chitauri, as these otherworldly creatures were called, were still falling in bits and pieces as Thor continued to rain lightning on them in a gesture of welcome. The future monarch of Asgard continued to wield his hammer, unleashing the power of lightning upon the Chitauri, forcing them into a perilous departure as they arrived for a massacre.
Tony forced himself to calm down. Casually, he walked down the steps leading into the penthouse, spotting Loki making his way inside as well. The bracelets were in a drawer under the bar counter, and he walked towards it. Loki simply stared at him in amusement.
"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity," he said in a mocking voice, a smirk etched on his face.
Tony did not break his stride as he walked behind the bar counter and grabbed a bottle.
"Uh… actually, I was planning on threatening you."
Loki smirked evilly.
"You should have kept your armor on for that."
Tony let out an annoyed chuckle as stared at him. "Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got that glowstick of destiny. Would you like a drink?"
Tony placed a couple of glasses on the counter before pulling out the third.
"For your lovely lady over there," he clarified as Sylvie walked in. She raised an amused eyebrow.
"Stalling us won't change anything," she remarked with a chuckle.
"Nah, not stalling. Threatening here. Drink, miss? No? You sure? I'm having one."
Sylvie rolled her eyes as Loki turned around, holding his scepter close.
"The Chitauri are coming. Sure, that idiot's managed to kill a few but what are a few thousand compared to millions? Nothing you can do will change anything. What have we to fear?" Loki replied.
"The Avengers," Tony said as he sipped his drink. Both Loki and Sylvie looked at him, confused. "It's what we're calling ourselves now. Sorta like a team, y'know? Like you two? 'EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing."
Loki chuckled.
"Yes, I've met them."
"Yeah," Tony chuckled. "Takes a while to gain traction, I'll give you that."
Discreetly, Tony put on the bracelets on each arm as he continued, staring at the pair that was looking outside the window.
"Let's do a head count here. There's your brother, a demi-god; a super soldier, who kinda lives up to his legend; a couple of mutants with powers akin to a super spider; two billionaires with access to tech people can only dream of; a pair of foxy vixens who'd put any assassin to shame; and a power couple with abilities rivalling any demi-god like your brother. And you two… you've managed to piss off every single one of them."
"That was the plan," Sylvie replied with a smirk.
"Yeah," Tony chuckled. "Not a great plan. Because when they come, and they will, they'll come for you."
"We have an army," Loki scoffed.
"Well, we have all whom I just mentioned, and a HULK."
"Oh? You got the beast under control again? I wonder how long that'll last this time," Loki chuckled.
"You're missing the point," Tony replied, feeling the bracelets secure around his wrists. "There's no throne. There's no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and it gets too much for all of us, but it's all on you two. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it."
The pair's eyes hardened and Loki walked forward. Before Tony could react, he grabbed him by the throat and pulled him over the bar counter, throwing him onto the balcony. Tony grunted as he landed harshly on the hard surface and he gingerly looked over to see Sylvie dash forward and kick him hard in the ribs.
A cough wracked his frame as he was pulled to his feet. His eyes stared into Loki's malevolent ones as the god of mischief held the tip of the scepter over his chest.
"How will your fellow Avengers have time for anything else, when they're busy fighting the Chitauri and you?"
Tony's eyes widened slightly as the tip of the scepter landed on his chest, right over the miniature arc reactor. There was a soft ping as a confused expression crossed both Loki's and Sylvie's faces. The former tried again, only for nothing to happen.
"This usually works," Loki muttered.
"Well," Tony managed with a slight heave. "Performance issues. You'd know, and probably you as well," He mocked, looking toward Sylvie in the end.
The insinuation was not lost on the woman who glared at him and so did Loki. He hissed, "You'll all fall before us!"
Tony had barely a moment to catch his bearings as Loki threw him over the edge of the balcony, sending him in a freefall down the tower and to his assured death.
To be continued…
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