Asgardian Earth, The White House.
Loki sat in the Oval Office, legs resting on the desk as he drew slowly on a mellow cigar, its smoke curling through the room with notes of cedar and a faint, citric brightness. Beside him stood a blushing woman wearing clothes one size too small for her that revealed far more skin than any respectable professional outfit should. She held an empty clipboard in her hand, held close to her chest to hide the glaring cleavage of her outfit while glancing at the man in the seat.
"Did the Under Secretary agree, hon? I would hate for a third capable person to succumb to a dangerous ailment, don't you think?"
"H-he agreed, sir," she said. "He will help initiate the launches and guide you through the process of activating the nuclear football."
"What a nice man..." Loki mumbled, glancing at the mortified woman beside him. "You can leave now."
"O-oh... Sure." The woman, looking as if she'd received a lifeline, immediately smiled and bolted toward the exit despite wobbling on the unbearable heels she'd been forced to wear. Just as she clasped the handle and opened the door halfway, a beam of green light struck her back. Her hopeful expression froze into one of despair as she looked at the horrified faces of her two colleagues. With that, she turned to dust.
"She was fun for a few minutes," Loki said, a cruel and amused smile on his face. "Clean it up. I abhor such filth near me."
The woman's two colleagues, horrified a few moments before, immediately burst into action, bowing their heads and starting to clean the ash-like dust on the rug. Without any capacity to call janitors, they were forced to use folders and the very clipboard the woman was holding to scoop up her ashes.
As Loki amused himself with the misery of nameless mortals, a spatial fluctuation in the office caught his attention, and he raised a brow.
"A guest from afar?" He asked, his eyes fixed on the source of the fluctuation, as sparks appeared in the center of the room. Just as the portal expanded and started stabilizing, he chuckled and waved his hand, releasing a green rune into the air. The space seemed to completely solidify as the forming portal faltered and snuffed out in moments. "Try better, sorcerer."
Just as the golden sparks vanished, Loki felt another force intruding upon the space that he'd just solidified. Sensing an unfamiliar yet overbearing energy, he raised a brow, allowing it to tear into the stable space. This time, a mist-like red emerged from the spatial distortion, slowly widening to form a portal.
"The Aether?" Loki felt a moment of curiosity. "No, this is different from the Reality Stone... weaker."
Moments later, however, his curiosity died as he waved his hand and shot a beam of green light at the expanding crimson energy, instantly snuffing it out.
"A meeting with God requires one to humble themselves, stranger, Loki said with a mock polite tone. "Try again."
"All right, you puny fuck, Alex said, his voice echoing through the center of the room as a black mass expanded into a large sphere that retracted to reveal him and Susan. "Since you've had your fun, let's get to business."
Loki's expression momentarily faltered at the perfectly stable transportation. He sensed no fluctuation of any kind from the emergence, as if the two strangers had appeared out of thin air.
"A symbiote?" Loki said with disdain. "An incomplete life such as yourself dares to say that to me?"
Within a moment, the surroundings began to melt away, revealing the literal purgatory beyond the walls. Scorching lava flowed all around, with the floor being the last to start melting as Loki took flight, floating effortlessly in the air as the lava rose higher, consuming everything.
Alex made no move and continued looking at Loki expressionlessly. Not the one floating above the lava, looking down on him, but the one that stood in front of him, barely a few feet away.
Susan nervously grasped Alex's sleeve, itching to activate her powers. The only reason she wasn't acting was that Alex actively held her back through their mental connection. Just the waves of heat all around them were intense enough to start melting their skin, but that still didn't get a response out of Alex. Only when the lava had practically consumed the entire floor and was about to reach him and Susan did he respond.
He sighed.
"Trickster god," Alex said. "I must say, this is quite realistic. If not for the fact that I'm immune to almost all elemental means, I would have likely suffered mental collapse here. And the heat, it certainly feels real."
Loki frowned, a hint of caution flashing in his eyes at Alex's casual demeanor.
"Don't worry, if I really wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even know how it happened. I'm here for some things. I suppose I don't need to tell you what they are, do I?" Alex asked.
"Don't underestimate me, half-life, Loki snapped as the lava burst out from the ground, enveloping Alex and Susan completely. In the next instant, however, the surrounding environment was directly shattered by a crimson glow that erupted from Alex at the center.
"Took me a moment to find the core of that spell," Alex said to Loki, who was now standing right in front of him. They were back in the Oval Office as if nothing had happened; the only sign of the illusion's existence was Susan's disgruntled state that she was barely able to suppress. After all, despite Alex's protections, she had been feeling the lava's heat quite intensely.
"Answer me, Loki, or do I have to extract that information from your head?" Alex asked.
"I have no information about the Infinity Stones," he said, choosing not to antagonize this unknown entity further. "They were securely hidden away the day this planet was transported away from its original universe. Only the one who hid them knows where they are. And she's... not here at the moment."
"That so?" Alex asked with a raised brow. "It seems Jane is still drifting around in space. Pity, though. It would have saved quite a bit of effort on my end. Gaia, initiate satellite deployment for this planet and calculate how long before the cluster is close enough to pull this planet in."
"What are you doing?"
"Taking over, Loki," Alex said flatly. "You and Hela have turned this entire planet into your personal playground in the weeks since Jane's been gone. Since that's the case, I might as well take over."
"Do not test me, creature." Loki's voice took on a threatening depth. "I am a-
A smacking sound echoed through the room. "You are nothing," Alex said after backhanding Loki before the Asgardian could even react. "Not convinced? Try to use your best magic. I'll even give you an ample amount of prep time. Once you are done with your tantrums, summon Steve Rogers. I have something to talk to the supposed head of the Illuminati."
Not even waiting for Loki's response, Alex directly grabbed the man's collar and raised him.
"And before you decide to do something dumb, know this. I have a piece of my body on you, itching to devour you into nothingness. Keep that in mind." With that, Alex tossed Loki through the window, effortlessly breaking through the heavily reinforced bulletproof glass.
"Wasn't that a bit too heavy-handed?" Susan was still recovering from the effects of that heat when she saw Alex utterly humiliate Loki.
"It's fine. He's not worth much anyway. While there are a few redeemable versions of Loki out there, he's not one of them," Alex said.
"Do you have someone in mind to manage this planet?"
"The people here decided to consolidate their resources and form a faction known as the Illuminati.
Essentially, a collective of the most influential superheroes to govern the world in these trying times. If I remember correctly, their goal was to create a means to escape the planet. Sort of a Noah's Ark, I guess.
"That's not a bad move," Susan said. "If you hadn't come into the picture, and we faced an unbeatable enemy, we would also probably try to formulate an escape plan."
"Yeah, but with Loki and Hela going ham on the planet, the population has directly gone down to half of what it was before-barely four billion people are left alive here."
"W-what?" Susan gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "What could possibly kill so many people in a few months?"
"Two weeks, to be exact," Alex said. "Before that, they had Jane to keep them in check. Since she disappeared, they have been completely unrestrained. As for the reason, war. Hela and Loki love playing proxy wars and have pretty much initiated World War Three."
"My god..."
"Still think I was heavy-handed with him?"
"God no," Susan said. "Wait... Are these Loki and Hela the same as Thor? Gods from humanity's mythology?"
"The very same ones," Alex nodded. "Though they aren't actual gods and are more like really strong aliens. The only real Gods-with a capital G-are the Celestials... Save for a few exceptions."
"Like the one that's now the center of Gaia..."
"Precisely."
-x-X-x-
As Alex gave Susan a brief about the planet's current situation, Loki acted with very high efficiency and summoned Steve Rogers, the head of the Illuminati, to the White House, ensuring that the man showed up for the meeting within the hour.
It was only Alex in the Oval Office as Steve entered. Susan was off to meet Hela in Wakanda.
"Mr. Rogers," Alex said politely. "How are you this fine evening?"
"What happened to Loki?"
"What makes you think I'm not Loki?" Alex asked. "For all you know, I could be using an illusion to fool you."
"For what purpose? To tease me?" Steve said.
"Maybe," Alex said. "Loki was planning to launch nuclear warheads today. Are you aware of that?"
"Yes." Steve's expression darkened a little. "He won't be able to."
"Your people did a good job in securing the football in advance," Alex said, nodding. "But that's just delaying the inevitable, isn't it? The conflict will escalate no matter what."
"Your point?"
"Do you know why Loki and Hela are hell-bent on this pointless proxy war that only results in more and more casualties?"
"Because they think of themselves as gods and consider their interpersonal grudge to be above all else," Steve said. "To them, even this bizarre situation with multiple converging Earths means nothing."
"Aren't you looking down on the two of them, then?" Alex said. "They are gods who have been alive for thousands of years. Do you really think their only goal is to settle a petty interpersonal grudge?"
"What else?"
"What powers does Hela possess? Do you know that?" Alex asked.
"She can summon undead from the underworld to fight for her," Steve said with a frown. "And conjure weapons. What are you implying here?"
"I think you should have a clue now, no?"
"No, she has only ever summoned her armies with Asgardian magic," Steve denied. "She cannot control so many at the same time."
"Did she tell you that? Or did Loki inadvertently tell the World Council the limits of Hela's powers? Or was it Thor?"
"Thor..."
"Loki and Hela do not care about the lives of the people on this planet," Alex said. "And they care even less about their deaths. Do not try to imagine the scope of strength of an Asgardian, Steve, or you will regret it."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"Because I want to give your planet a way out," Alex said. "Submit to me, and I will take care of Loki and Hela."
"Are you from that collective?" Steve asked.
"Collective?" Alex asked.
"That large shielding formation that consumes every Earth that comes closest to it, Steve said.
"They are the Gaia Federation," Alex said. "And yes, I am the Supreme Chancellor of the Federation, the highest authority. I want your planet to submit to the Federation."
"Not an Empire?" Steve asked. "If it is a federation, there must be other voices present there, no?"
"Correct," Alex nodded. "Each planet that joins Gaia gets a Chancellor seat on the council. For example, I brought a companion with me this time, Susan. She is the Chancellor for her planet and represents their interests."
"Susan Storm?" Steve said.
"Yes," Alex nodded.
"And how would this Chancellor be decided?" Steve asked.
"Simple, someone whom I can completely control," Alex said. "You cannot take that role for this planet."
Steve frowned. "So this is a shakedown."
"You can put it that way," Alex said. "Though I would put it as saving this planet's humanity from extinction. Because that's what's in store for you after letting half of your population die. Unless Thor returns and kills Hela, the billions of undead under her control will raze this planet to the ground long before you can mount any resistance."
"Can I have some time?"
"Of course," Alex nodded. "Take all the time you need to accept the situation. Susan's already on her way to subdue Hela. Once the cluster is close enough, I will pull this planet into the Gaia Federation. It's happening, whether you like it or not."
"Is that so..." Steve sighed. "What a pity."
Alex raised a brow as a massive energy signature flared up all around him.
I didn't sense that...
In an instant, a massive golden magic circle appeared all around the White House, enveloping the entire compound in a blinding glow.
"We were originally going to use this for Loki, but you are clearly the greater threat here," Steve said.
"Do you really wish to use this on me?" Alex asked even as he felt a massive amount of weight on his shoulders, as if the world itself was trying to compress his body and suppress him. "Wouldn't Hela or Loki be a better bet? At least I don't want to kill you all."
"We have contingencies," Steve said flatly. "You still have a chance to leave. I do not wish for unnecessary conflict."
"Are you just saying that because you aren't sure this is enough to keep me down?"
"A person at their wits' end is the most dangerous. I do not like uncertainties."
"I'm curious," Alex said. "How'd you evade my sixth sense? Did Peter help you?"
"Who?"
"Spider-Man," Alex said. "He's the only one with experience with an actual sixth-sense ability."
"Again, this was all prepared for Loki, Mister..."
"Apex," he said.
"Apex..." Steve nodded. "It is simply unfortunate that we had to use this on you."
Alex could feel it. At the moment, not only was his physical body under enough pressure that he could barely take a few steps forward without toppling over. He was barely even maintaining his human form right now. Not only that, but his ability to access mystic arts energies seemed to have also been severed. In fact, any external sources of energy that he could rely on had been severed, and with the pressure that he was under, mobilizing any energy within him was a pipe dream.
Unfortunately, for his enemies, the Klyntar Soul Dimension was simply a cheat. It wasn't that the suppression didn't extend to his soul. It did. But it was far from enough. At best, Alex could feel a force trying to interfere with the connection between his body and soul, but it was completely useless since his soul wasn't actually here but was in the Klyntar Soul Dimension. And the spell couldn't breach into that dimension.
That meant, despite having his physical body suppressed completely, he could access most of his other means, including Chaos energy and the Infinity Stones.
"This is quite impressive," Alex said with a slightly strained voice. "Do you know, with this body of mine, I can literally punch a planet into collapse? To be able to suppress me to such an extent. This spell must be mobilizing the full capacity of every single magical leyline on this planet, no? He's probably also calling upon external energies to support the spell."
Apex's calm disregard put Steve on edge, but after the spell was activated, there was no longer any room to back down, and he stomped his foot on the ground as the entire floor seemed to detach from the walls and started falling.
Alex raised his brow, taking a moment to steady himself as the floor collapsed beneath him, and he found himself surrounded by familiar heroes. Some he had seen during the meeting of the World Council with Jane, where the Illuminati had been established. Some simply didn't have enough status or experience to be allowed in that meeting.
The first person who came to strike Alex was, ironically enough, Spider-Man. The hero shot a web past him that stuck itself to a pillar before lunging toward him with a kick. Alex's physical abilities had been significantly suppressed, but even then, he was able to react quickly, stepping aside to grab Spider-Man's ankle and slamming him into the ground.
"One of the few variants of Spider-Man I decided to spare, and you decide to set up an ambush for me," Alex said. "Even thinking of holding back against me... You hurt my feelings, Pete."
Spider-Man quickly escaped Alex's grip by pulling himself away as a barrage of plasma blasts struck Alex from all directions. Lightning crackled all over Alex's body as multiple bolts were released in all directions, accurately intercepting every single blast. The lightning continued unimpeded and struck the repulsors that were embedded in the walls all around him, shorting them out.
Not giving Alex a moment to catch his breath, an excited shout was followed by a large fist moving to strike him.
"Embiggen!"
Alex casually morphed his arm to match the size of the fist and grabbed it before tossing Ms. Marvel away, slamming her into the wall, only for Spider-Man to once again try to strike him. Alex casually released a bolt of lightning to block the attack, but Steve's shout caught his attention.
"Photon!"
Suddenly, the lightning that had been released was neutralized as Spider-Man's attack connected with Alex's back, making him stagger forward.
Alex didn't even bother looking at him and instead focused on the one who neutralized his lightning.
Monica Rambeau. Alex suddenly decided that he wasn't going to kill everyone in the Illuminati. The power to commandeer almost any type of energy in the universe was far too useful.
I can't believe I never thought of her powers...
-x-X-x-
Once his decision was made, Alex decided to activate an ability that he hadn't used in a while: Blood Manipulation. After killing and devouring the top brass Eldritch Abominations of both North America and Africa, the ability had been significantly strengthened, evolving into its advanced version.
<<
Not only could he remotely control the flow of blood, but he could even modify the density and coagulation factors. In an edge case, he could directly create a clot in a person's brain, almost instantly killing them.
With the activation of the ability, Alex instantly made everyone around him freeze, not letting them move even a single finger. Even the ones who hadn't had the chance to act yet, like some of the Inhumans or the Mutants. At that point, the only ones with any semblance of resistance were Photon, Kitty Pryde, and Vision.
"That's much better, don't you think?" Alex asked the three remaining people. Photon had already transmutated her body into an energy construct the moment she felt her blood being controlled. Kitty had phased into an alternate dimension, and Vision was entirely made of metal. Out of the three, only two had any semblance of combat capability as long as Alex maintained the blood control.
Vision was the first to act, shooting Alex with a beam of energy from his headpiece-which, unfortunately, wasn't the Mind Stone.
Since the magic circle was still active, Alex's body was still suppressed, but he didn't particularly care anymore and allowed the beam to pass through his body. Before it even struck the floor, the hole it left behind had disappeared.
"Surrender. If I wanted to kill you all, I could have done so with but a thought," Alex said.
"Never," Kitty's translucent projection said as Vision prepared to attack again. But this time, Photon raised her hand.
"Stop, Vision," she said before turning to Alex. "Let them go, and we will retreat."
"No can do," Alex said, shaking his head. "Mister Rogers here, your beloved Captain America seems very resistant to submitting to my rule. But that is the only option this planet has."
"What will it take for you to let them go? You can't do anything to me."
"Is that a fact?" Alex asked with a smile and turned to look at Vision. "Power down."
Vision's body immediately slumped to the ground at his words, leaving the synthetic android little more than a glorified paperweight.
"The moment she dares to show up in the material world, I will disable her X-Gene," Alex said. "That only leaves you, Monica Rambeau. Shall we talk now?"
"What if I refuse?"
"I will kill everyone here," Alex said flatly as if killing so many people meant nothing to him.
"It seems that I don't have a choice, huh?"
"Even if you nuke my body right now, it won't matter," Alex said. "I am a symbiote. This body you see in front of you is merely an extension of my true body."
"Fine," she sighed. "What do you want from me?"
"Two things," Alex said. "One, I want to study your powers. I want to analyze how your powers allow you to manipulate different kinds of energies. Two, I want you to serve as one of my two representatives on this planet."
"Sure, go for it. Plenty of people have tried to analyze my powers," she said, shrugging. "As long as you don't torture me, I don't care. What do you mean by representative, though?"
"I explained it to Steve before, but he seemed quite resistant to it," Alex said. "Essentially, I will bring this planet under my rule and provide you with protection. In exchange, one or two people from this planet will represent them in front of me, acting as the intermediaries. I want you to be that intermediary."
"If that was all, he wouldn't have initiated this attack." She looked at Steve, who was struggling with his full might against Alex's restraints, but with his blood itself disobeying his commands, he couldn't break through. "There's more to it, am I correct?"
"Yes," Alex said. "This is a monarchy disguised as a democracy. You will have a voice in front of me, yes. But it will be up to me whether to listen to you or not. Your only role will be to execute my commands. Act as my...executioner, you may say."
"Do we have no way to reconcile?" She asked.
"I know you may be resistant to this, but my goal truly is the prosperity of humanity. I desire control, yes, but I have no intention of stripping people of their free will. If anything, my supervision will only enhance the planet's living standards."
"Mr. Rogers..." She turned to look at Steve as if asking for advice.
"Go on, have your discussion," Alex said. "I'll take care of this pesky magic circle until then."
Alex raised his palm, and a thick black tentacle shot out from it, breaking through every wall and pillar in front of him and appearing in front of a cross-legged man sitting at the entrance of the White House. Just as it got close enough, a golden barrier made of constantly cycling runes appeared, blocking the attack.
Alex didn't give Doctor Strange the chance to mount a counterattack and broke through the shield with a burst of his "Phew..." Alex said, stretching his arms. "That's much more comfortable."
He turned to look at Photon, who was talking to Steve. "Are you done deciding? I'm not exactly a patient man."
"Fine," she said. "I will accept. But if you force me to do something against my conscience, I will not stand for it. I will resist you until I die."
"Sure," Alex said, waving his hand. "Put this around your neck." He handed her a thin choker. "I will form a mental interface with you through this."
Looking at the choker in Alex's hand, she felt a sense of apprehensive resistance. But she knew that any resistance was useless in front of him. Even if she could survive, he held the lives of the strongest defenders that Earth had in his hands right now. Any wrong move could lead to every single one of them. dying.
"Okay." She stepped forward and hesitantly accepted the choker from Alex before putting it around her neck. It automatically adjusted itself and stuck to her throat like a second skin.
"Allow me to introduce myself," Alex said. "I am Apex. The highest authority in the Gaia Federation. Within the week, your planet will be in range of the cluster, and I will pull it inside."
"Monica Rambeau," she said absently. "What about Loki and Hela? They are still at large."
"You do not need to worry about them," Alex said. "Please, follow me. It's time for the preliminary examination of your powers."
"Right now?"
"Yes," Alex nodded. "As long as you work with me, I will let everyone here go."
"It's not like I have any other choice... She snorted and followed Alex to the fire escape.
As she entered the stairwell, she found herself right in front of Alex as the door automatically closed behind her with a thud, making her jump a little.
"Is there something on my face?"
"No," Alex said, shaking his head. "Do you know about my species, Miss Rambeau?"
"Not particularly." She shook her head. "I haven't been active for a long time, so the things I know are limited."
"I see." Alex nodded. "I need you to undress."
"W-what?" The woman cautiously stepped back, pulling her arms over her chest defensively.
"That is what such an examination entails," Alex said.
"This is a sick power move," she said with a disgusted expression.
"I am not coercing you into any sexual favors, Monica," Alex said. "But yes, this is a power move for me to test your feigned obedience."
Huffing in outrage, she instinctively morphed into an energy construct, but before the transformation could even complete, a painful sting shot through her body, interrupting it as she was forced back to normal.
"I gained full control over your biological functions the moment you put that collar on, Monica," Alex
said. "Now undress. I will not be so cordial again."
"Cordial?!" She felt such frustration that she let out a deep laugh. "Fine, whatever."
She aggressively pulled her spandex top off and got rid of her lower. Not bothering to care about any sense of modesty, she directly ripped away her underwear as well.
"All right, I'm done," she snapped at Alex, crossing her arms without a hint of shame. "What now?"
Alex didn't say anything and gave the nude woman a once-over, not affected by her disgusted expression that seemed to convey how she thought of him as less than a bug.
"You know, I wouldn't be this rude if your side hadn't directly gone nuclear against me, Alex explained as Monica felt something slithering on her throat and brought her hand up to touch it. "Even if I was overbearing, Steve directly replaced the primary target from Loki to me and launched an attack on me."
"That's because you left him with no choice," she tried to explain the reasoning behind Steve's actions before pulling her hand away and seeing the black, leathery substance on her fingers that seemed to be spreading further along her hand. "What is this?"
"I am a symbiotic life form," Alex said. "With that choker, you host a part of me. That includes a special set of clothes."
"Is that why you had me undress?"
"No, I just wanted to see you naked," Alex chuckled. "But coercing a woman into sex is too archaic and not really to my tastes...not anymore, at least." The last part was said under his breath, just low enough that Monica couldn't make out his words.
"What have I gotten myself into..." She looked tired and disgruntled as she saw the black material cover her body from the choker down to her toes.
"In bed with a very dangerous alien," Alex said. "I'll be leaving. I will communicate with you telepathically from now on."