Lightning crashed from the sky, striking the half-drowned island. The winds howled with fury, and rain fell in sheets so dense it was nearly impossible to see. Each flash of lightning tore open the darkness, followed by thunder that shook the earth.
But even the storm was drowned out by Zgreb's unnatural roars and screams as Firehair attacked him.
She flew around the dark Celestial like a blazing comet, blasting him with Phoenix fire white gold flames so intense they made his already-damaged Celestial armor melt and warp. Wherever the flames touched, the Horde's corruption burned away.
She darted in close, her fists wreathed in cosmic fire. Every strike sent shockwaves rippling across Zgreb's massive form, denting armor and cracking weakened sections. Then she pulled back with impossible speed, dodging his retaliatory blows.
A massive silhouette of the Phoenix formed around her in living fire. Its wings, a thousand feet across, hammered Zgreb's face and chest. It looked as if a giant fiery Phoenix was battling the Celestial directly.
She was not alone. Around her, an emerald swarm of constructs attacked without pause, unleashing energy bursts from every direction. Hundreds of thousands, soon rising toward a million, moved as one. Each was smaller than a grain of sand, yet together they formed a storm that engulfed Zgreb. Any the Celestial managed to destroy with sweeping hands or cosmic beams were instantly replaced, the swarm never thinning.
Max watched it all beside Odin, who was still recovering.
Max directed the swarm to wrap around the Celestial entirely, the tiny constructs linking together like chains to restrain Zgreb's movements. Firehair pressed the attack at his face with concentrated Phoenix fire, aiming for the eyes, for anything that might be vulnerable.
"You are making this look easy," Odin said, impressed.
Max's face was covered in sweat; he was in absolute concentration. "You have no idea how hard this is," he said through gritted teeth, trying to control the millions of constructs that surrounded the Celestial, each one requiring a tiny fraction of his will but together threatening to overwhelm even his enhanced mind.
"Okay, give me the short version," Max said to Odin, not taking his eyes off the battle.
It was Agamotto who answered. "His name is Zgreb."
Max turned his head to see Agamotto, Azzuri, Ghost, Fan Fei, Nur, and Vnn walking over.
Agamotto had a bleeding gash on the side of his face, blood running down into his beard. Nur was cradling his arm, which hung at an unnatural angle. Azzuri was limping badly, favoring his left leg. Ghost looked weak, his flames flickering dimly. Vnn and Fan were bleeding from multiple wounds, their clothes torn and scorched.
"You guys look like shit," Max said with concern.
"It happens when you fight one of the most powerful beings in the universe," Azzuri said with a weak smile that Max could see through his broken helm.
"It is good you are back, Max," Nur said. He looked at Firehair fighting off Zgreb. "Looks like Firehair will be able to..."
"No, she won't, Nur," Fan interrupted. "You heard what the Eternal said. We cannot kill it. We can only weaken and imprison it."
Max's eyes widened. "Eternal? What Eternal?" He paused, then remembered; of course the Eternals would be involved if a Celestial was here. "Where are they?"
"Dead," Azzuri said quietly.
"What?!" Max's concentration slipped for a moment, several thousand constructs flickering. "All of them?"
"Aye, my friend," Odin said grimly. "We found only Thena alive, but she died from her wounds before we could help her. Zgreb killed them all."
"Okay, okay," Max said, his mind racing. "Just tell me what you know. Everything."
Agamotto then told Max everything: how they had come here in search of the anomaly he mentioned, how they were attacked by Ikaris and Uranos, how Zgreb was corrupted by the Horde, how the Celestial had killed the Eternals who came to investigate, and how they had been fighting it to prevent it from destroying the earth, trying to weaken it enough so Agamotto could imprison it.
"Fuck," Max said, hearing all that.
"Yes, indeed," Fan said as Agamotto healed her and the others. Amber light washed over their wounds, sealing cuts, mending bones, easing pain.
"We can't imprison it here on Earth," Max said firmly.
"We have no choice, Max," Agamotto replied, his concentration split between healing and conversation.
"Yes, we do," Max insisted. "We need to take him off the planet."
They all looked at Max as if he were mad.
"We need to get him to Mars, and there we can imprison him," Max explained. "Agamotto, you need to open a portal there, and we'll all use our combined efforts to push him through it."
"Easier said than done," Odin said. "How do we even get it off Midgard?"
"I would rest easier knowing that thing is nowhere near the Earth," Azzuri said thoughtfully, testing his newly healed leg.
Fan nodded in agreement. "Yes. If it breaks free from imprisonment, better it happens there than here."
"Can you do it, Agamotto?" Ghost asked.
Agamotto sighed deeply. "Just show me where, and I will try."
"Read my mind so you can open a portal to that location," Max said, stepping closer.
Agamotto walked over and placed his hand gently on Max's face. His eyes glowed amber as he connected their minds. Max focused on the location, a place perfect for containing the Celestial. He held the image clearly, letting Agamotto see every detail.
"Can you do it?" Max asked.
Agamotto nodded slowly, withdrawing his hand. "Yes. It will take everything I have, but yes."
Max called Firehair back through their mental link. "Red, fall back. We need to regroup."
She disengaged immediately, one final massive blast of cosmic fire driving Zgreb back several steps before she returned in a streak of flame. Now the Celestial had only Max's swarm of constructs to contend with, and they continued their relentless assault, buying precious seconds.
Firehair landed among them. In her hand she held Gram.
Odin immediately recognized the sword; his eyes widened. "Is that"
"Gram," Max confirmed. "Yes, yes it is."
"That would mean" Odin started, realization dawning.
"I will be honest, my friend," Max interrupted, raising his hands placatingly. "I kind of raided your father's vault."
"You WHAT?!" Odin shouted in anger, lightning flaring around him involuntarily.
Max put his arm up defensively. "I needed some information from your uncle's head. The sword was justlook, we can talk after. I will explain everything."
"I told him not to take the sword," Firehair said, crossing her arms.
Max looked at Firehair. "Really? Now?"
Firehair's eyes narrowed. "Well, you lied to me, Max. It is not easily forgotten."
Odin looked to Firehair and then back at Max, his eyes narrowed.
"It's complicated," Max said quickly.
Odin glared at him. "You and I need to have words after this, friend."
"Ahem," Azzuri said, interrupting both of them. "Hate to break up your lovers' quarrel, but we have a god to imprison."
Max and Odin exchanged a look and nodded, a silent confirmation that they would talk when this was over.
Max watched Firehair walk over to Azzuri and hold the sword out to him. "Take it," he said.
Azzuri glanced at Odin, then at Max. "It is not yours to give."
"No, it is not," Max agreed. He looked to Odin. "I took it to strengthen the Avengers, with the promise that you would bring it back to Asgard afterward."
Odin met Azzuri's eyes and nodded slowly. "Take it, my friend. Use it well."
Azzuri hesitated, then reached out. As his hands closed around the hilt, his eyes widened. Power flowed through him, not only from the legendary Asgardian weapon but from the Phoenix essence Firehair had infused into it. The blade hummed with barely contained energy, flames licking along its edge.
"It feels... incredible," Azzuri breathed, testing an experimental swing. The air itself seemed to part before the blade.
"And you will need it," Max said, turning back to the Celestial. The swarm was beginning to fail; constructs were being destroyed faster than he could replace them. Zgreb was adapting, sweeping cosmic energy across his body in waves that disintegrated thousands of constructs at once. They had minutes, maybe less.
"I will help in imprisoning it as well," Firehair said, looking at Agamotto.
"All right, here is the plan," Max said, taking command. "Firehair, Motto, both of you plan how to imprison it properly. The rest of us will continue what we've been doing: weaken it. Hit it hard, hit it fast, and do not let it recover."
He turned to Agamotto. "When you are ready, open the portal. The rest of us will push it through."
They all agreed, nodding with determination.
Max looked at Vnn, who, for the first time since he'd known him, seemed unsure.
Max smirked. "Is the great Vnn afraid?"
Vnn flared with the Starbrand and roared, "RAHHHHHHHHH!" (Vnn not afraid! Vnn strongest! Vnn will crush giant god!)
"And there he is," Max said with satisfaction.
"Everyone ready?" Max asked, looking at each of them.
They all nodded as Agamotto created portals for Ghost, Azzuri, Fan, and Nur. They stepped through and landed on Zgreb's head.
Max, Odin, and Vnn flew directly toward the Celestial. Max was already slowly and methodically creating a construct resembling Godzilla. Then another followed. Two massive kaiju, each six hundred feet tall. Then two more constructs resembling Titans from Warhammer, bipedal war machines bristling with guns based on Skrull designs he had scanned, each weapon capable of firing planet-cracking ordnance.
Azzuri landed on Zgreb's head, Gram blazing in his hands. He swung, and the blade cut. Not just surface damage, but deep, clean slices through Celestial armor that had resisted everything else. The combined power of legendary Dwarven craftsmanship and Phoenix Force essence made the sword capable of harming even a Celestial. Golden blood sprayed as Azzuri carved through plating, his enhanced speed letting him strike multiple times before Zgreb could react.
Fan, Nur, and Ghost continued their assault. Nur retrieved the Will Spear, which Odin had thrown earlier and which was still lodged near the Celestial's head. He pulled it free with both hands and immediately began attacking with it, also using his matter-manipulation ability.
Odin attacked from the air with lightning, Mjolnir channeling storm after storm as the sky darkened more and more.
Vnn kept hammering Zgreb's chest, the Starbrand blazing brighter than ever, each punch sending shockwaves rippling across the Celestial's form.
Max's swarm, millions of microscopic constructs, poured into Zgreb's eyes like an emerald flood. They spread through internal systems, attacking from within and disrupting energy flows, causing damage that could not be defended against.
The Celestial was under assault from every angle, internal and external, and it shrieked in rage and pain. Zgreb tried to fight back, sweeping his hands, firing beams, and warping reality, but there were too many attackers, too many angles, too much coordinated force.
Max continued to manipulate the swarm from within, feeling the Celestial's internals through millions of tiny sensors. Then he saw something that made his blood run cold. Zgreb was beginning to glow. Energy was building, not for attack, but for
"Everyone off! NOW!" Max shouted.
He quickly pulled the four who had been on top of Zgreb away, using construct hands that grabbed and yanked them clear. At the same time, he created orb shields around all the Avengers that mimicked Uru and vibranium.
Zgreb exploded. A pulse of raw cosmic power erupted from every pore and every crack. The blast destroyed all the swarm constructs inside him instantly, vaporizing them down to nothing. Heat radiated out in waves that turned the rain to steam and made the ocean boil.
When the light faded, Zgreb still stood, his body glowing with residual heat and steam rising from superheated armor.
Max stood on a platform construct with the four he had savedAzzuri, Fan, Ghost, and Nurall protected but shaken by the sheer power of the blast.
He did not hesitate. He sent the two Godzilla constructs to attack while he began creating four more Titans around Zgreb, positioning them at strategic points for the final push.
The two Godzilla constructs roared and charged. They attacked Zgreb together, one going high, the other going low. Their claws raked across Celestial armor, then they opened their mouths and unleashed emerald atomic breath, concentrated beams of pure will energy that converged on Zgreb's chest.
It was a battle of titans. Zgreb fought back, grabbing one Godzilla by the neck and trying to crush it, but the construct reformed even as it was damaged. The other Godzilla bit down on the Celestial's arm, dragging him down.
Odin and Vnn joined in as well, keeping Zgreb occupied from other angles and preventing the Celestial from focusing on any single threat.
"Agamotto, how long?" Max asked through the link.
He got his answer as a large portal began opening near where Zgreb had just destroyed one of the Godzilla constructs.
The portal had been opened into the Martian sky, easily five hundred feet across, and through it they could see Olympus Mons itself, the largest mountain in the solar system, towering over the rust-red Martian landscape.
Firehair joined the battle, flying in and striking Zgreb directly in the chest. The Celestial stumbled backward, toward the portal.
"This is it!" Max shouted through the link to everyone. "Get him through the portal! Push with everything you have!"
"Get me to Zgreb's head," Azzuri said urgently.
"Me too," Ghost added.
"Down to the ground," Fan said. "Get me to his feet."
"Same," Nur confirmed.
Max nodded and did exactly as they asked. He engulfed each of them in emerald orbs and sent them flying to their chosen positions.
Odin and Vnn joined Firehair as she continued her relentless assault on Zgreb, all three hammering the Celestial from different angles. Meanwhile, Max finished constructing the six Titans, bringing them to full form around the battlefield.
Azzuri landed on Zgreb's head again, accompanied by Ghost.
Azzuri closed his eyes and reached deep into his connection with Bast. Lady Bast, he prayed. I give myself to you completely. Use me as your weapon.
The response was immediate and overwhelming.
Golden light erupted from his body not just around him, but from him. The spectral form of a massive panther appeared above him, growing until it was fifty feet tall. The full avatar of Bast manifested around him, and Azzuri stood at its heart.
He raised Gram high; the sword blazed as Bast's divine power poured through the legendary blade.
"FOR WAKANDA! FOR THE WORLD!" Azzuri roared, and brought the sword down.
The strike was devastating. Gram, empowered beyond anything it was designed for, carved through Celestial armor as if it were paper. It cracked through helmet plating, split systems beneath, and drove deep into whatever passed for a skull. The spectral panther's claws struck simultaneously, raking the wound and tearing it wider.
Zgreb's head snapped backward from the impact, and his massive body was pushed forwardtoward the portal.
Ghost climbed down and leapt toward the Celestial's damaged eyes. He seized what remained of Zgreb's face with both hands, his flaming skull inches from the god's eyes.
"LOOK INTO MY EYES! FEEL THE PAIN OF EVERY SOUL YOU'VE ENDED!" Ghost commanded.
The Penance Stare activated, and it worked, partially. Whatever remained of Zgreb's original consciousness was still there, still capable of experiencing judgment. Zgreb screamed in terror, remorse, and existential horror at the weight of civilizations destroyed and lives unmade.
Nur manipulated the ground beneath Zgreb, turning solid stone to quicksand and making the Celestial's footing unstable. He used the Will Spear to fire concentrated blasts at the legs, weakening joints and disrupting balance.
"Shou-Lao," Fan whispered as she ran toward Zgreb through the shattered landscape. "I call upon your full might."
Her eyes snapped open, glowing brilliant gold, brighter than they had ever been. Behind her, visible to all, the spectral form of an enormous dragon coiled into existence. Fan moved faster than she'd ever moved before; the dragon's form flowed with her movements as if they were one being.
She struck Zgreb's feet with her Iron Fist, and the dragon struck simultaneously. The force was enough to make the Celestial stumble and break what remained of his footing.
Vnn, Odin, and Firehair flew high into the storm-darkened sky, then began to descendnot a controlled descent, but a fall, using their very bodies as projectiles.
Vnn came down like a meteor, the Starbrand blazing around him. Odin channeled every amp of lightning through Mjolnir, becoming a bolt of thunder given form. Firehair became pure Phoenix fire, the cosmic entity fully manifested. They struck Zgreb's chest simultaneously.
Finally, Max fired blasts from all six Titans he had created. The war machines unleashed every attack they possessed, ordnance capable of cracking planets converging on Zgreb from six different angles.
All the attacks from the Avengers struck at the same time. The combined force was beyond calculation. Zgreb was completely pushed through the portal. The Celestial began to fall, tumbling through the gateway as Mars' gravity pulled him down toward Olympus Mons.
The Avengers followed without hesitation. Agamotto quickly created spells for himself, Azzuri, and Fan that would let them breathe Mars' thin air. The others did not need it: Max had his ring, Odin was Asgardian, Vnn had the Starbrand, Ghost did not breathe in his transformed form, Firehair had the phoenix, and Nur could adapt his body.
They all dove through the portal after their enemy.
Zgreb crashed onto Olympus Mons with a force that created a gigantic explosion, a shockwave that rippled across the Martian surface for thousands of miles. The impact was so powerful it shook Mars itself, triggering seismic events across the dead world. The mountain, already the largest volcano in the solar system, cracked under the blow, new fissures spreading across its slopes.
All nine Avengers landed near the mountain, touching down on rust-red stone beneath a butterscotch sky.
"Okay, Red, Motto, do your thing," Max said, breathing hard. "Or do we need to weaken it more?"
"No need for that," Agamotto said, already beginning to float upward, his hands weaving complex patterns. Firehair rose alongside him, Phoenix fire blazing around her.
"Make sure he stays down," Firehair said, looking at the others.
Max smirked and flew upward, then began to create the Unicron construct once more, but smaller this time, only about two thousand feet tall rather than moon-sized, still massive enough to matter.
The construct's enormous hands reached down and pressed on Zgreb, pinning the Celestial to the mountain. Vnn and Odin attacked as well, keeping him disoriented and preventing him from rising.
The entire planet shuddered from it.
Above them, Agamotto and Firehair began their work.
Agamotto's voice rang out in words of power: "By the Vishanti, by the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, by the Ancient Bonds that bind reality itself. I call upon the Chains of Krakkan. I invoke the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. By earth and stone, by fire and time, by all that was and all that will be…"
His mandalas expanded, massive now, each one hundreds of feet across. Amber light poured from them, wrapping around Zgreb like chains.
Simultaneously, Firehair channeled the Phoenix Force. White-gold flames spiraled around the Celestial. She formed a barrier, a cosmic cage of living fire that would burn away any attempt to escape and purify any Horde corruption that tried to spread.
Agamotto's spells began pulling Zgreb down. The Celestial was being absorbed into Olympus Mons itself, sinking into the ancient volcano. Stone flowed like liquid around the god, accepting him, consuming him, becoming his prison.
The process took minutes that felt like hours.
And then it was done.
The glow of the spells and attacks faded. Zgreb was now trapped inside the ancient volcano, imprisoned in stone, spell, and cosmic flame so deep that nothing short of another Celestial could free him.
Silence fell across Mars.
Azzuri was the first to shout, lifting Gram high in the air. "VICTORY!"
The others followed immediately.
"Huzzah!" Odin bellowed, Mjolnir blazing with lightning.
"RAHHHHH!" Vnn roared as he grabbed Fan and hugged her.
"Victory!" Fan shouted, her voice carrying across the thin air.
Ghost simply smiled.
Agamotto descended slowly, utterly exhausted but smiling.
Firehair flew next to Max, and together they glided down to the ground. As they landed, she pulled him into a kiss.
They had done it.
They had defeated a Celestial.
============
The Avengers Sanctuary was alight with celebration.
Agamotto, Ghost, Azzuri, Fan, Vnn, Nur, and Firehair celebrated with abandon.
Azzuri had brought the famous Wakandan beer and foodrich stews, spiced meats, golden honey cakes, and fruit. He had also brought servants from his kingdom specifically for the celebration, insisting that heroes deserved to be properly honored.
Agamotto, Nur, and Vnn were having a drinking contest at one of the long tables, the others cheering them on.
The sorcerer was out of character, but he did not seem to care; he had pushed past his limits and defeated a god.
"Another!" Agamotto declared, slamming down his empty cup. His cheeks were flushed, his usually pristine robes slightly disheveled.
Nur downed his drink and grinned. "I can do this all day!"
"Grr grr grr!" Vnn roared as he finished his third barrel. Vnn drank more than both of them.
Fan laughed, keeping score. "You are all tied at fifteen each!"
"My money's on Agamotto," Ghost said, grinning.
Azzuri raised his cup. "To the great Sorcerer! Imprisoner of gods and man of the hour."
Agamotto reached for the next cupand then simply created a portal, pouring the entire barrel directly down his throat without swallowing.
Everyone stared in shocked silence.
Then the entire room erupted in cheers and laughter.
"THAT'S CHEATING!" Nur protested, laughing.
"Is it?" Agamotto asked innocently, hiccuping. "The rules didn't specify how to drink."
Even Vnn laughed.
Away from the celebration, Max and Odin stood alone on one of the Sanctuary's balconies, overlooking the valley below.
"So," Odin said, his tone conversational but with an edge, "you used Firehair as a distraction, infiltrated Asgard, got found out by Brunhilde of all people, and charmed her into letting you go."
"More like convinced her," Max interjected.
Odin continued, ticking off points on his fingers. "Then Firehair was taken by the Shi'ar Imperial Guard, was imprisoned, and you were almost killed."
"Almost," Max emphasized.
"And you rescued her."
"More like she rescued herself," Max corrected. "I made sure she didn't go completely crazy."
Odin burst out a full-bodied laugh that echoed across the valley.
Max smiled as well, unable to help himself.
"I should be angry about you stealing from Asgard," Odin said, catching his breath. "But I understand why you did it. And I'm sure what you got from Mimir helped in our battle with Zgreb. I'm certain Gram helped Azzuri as well."
Max nodded. "It did. Both things did."
Odin then closed the distance between them, his voice growing serious. "Grænlaðr, do not do it again. There should not be a next time, because if there is, you will face my wrath, not as a friend but as a Prince of Asgard defending his realm. Am I clear?"
"Understood," Max said, meeting his eyes.
"Good. I'm glad we made that clear," Odin said, relaxing slightly.
Max grinned. "So you almost killed yourself for Nur, and here I thought"
Odin interrupted, his expression softening. "I told you I did some growing. Fan helped a bit, and Nur as well when I spent time in his home. I have come to realize the mistake in how I saw the world, how I judged worth by power and mortality rather than by character." He paused. "I guess I have to thank you as well. Father was right in saying I had much to learn."
Max smiled, then his eyes widened. "Oh, fuck."
"What?" Odin asked.
"I forgot to bring back the artifact!" Max said, realization dawning.
Odin laughed again, harder this time. "So you didn't even complete the quest you went on."
"I was distracted," Max said, grinning.
Odin smirked. "Oh, 'distracted,' he says. Too busy making love to Firehair?"
Max muttered, "More like she was fucking me."
Odin leaned in as if asking for more. "Well, come on."
"There is nothing to tell," Max said, already walking back toward the celebration.
Odin followed, not letting it go. "Come now, Grænlaðr!"
"Nope. Nothing," Max said, trying not to smile.
"Was she... intense? I imagine with the fire and all"
"Odin."
"Did she literally set the bed on fire? Did you have to create special constructs to"
"I'm not telling you anything!"
They both flew off toward the celebration, Odin pestering Max with increasingly absurd questions while Max laughed and deflected.
Behind them, the sun set over the Sanctuary. The world was safe. At least for now.
.
.
.
Earth-199999
New York
"Tell me his name again," Tony Stark asked as he sat in the living room of the New York Sanctum. Just a few minutes earlier he'd been jogging in the park with Pepper when a wizard walked out of a portal with Bruce Banner, of all people.
"Thanos," Bruce said, his voice quivering slightly. "He's a plague, Tony. He invades planets. He takes what he wants. He wipes out half the population." He paused. "He sent Loki; he was behind the attack on New York."
"What's our timeline?" Tony asked, standing up, his mind already racing through possibilities.
"There's no telling," Bruce said grimly. "He has the Power and Space Stones. That alone makes him the strongest creature in the whole universe. If he gets his hands on all six Stones, Tony..."
"He could destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of," Dr. Strange finished for Bruce.
"Did you seriously just say 'hitherto undreamt of'?" Tony asked, leaning casually on a cauldron.
"Are you seriously leaning on the Cauldron of the Cosmos?" Strange demanded, irritation clear in his voice.
"Is that what that is?" Tony asked, turning to Strange. The Cloak of Levitation suddenly swatted at him.
"I'm going to allow that," Tony said, looking at Strange's cape with mild annoyance.
"If Thanos needs all six, why don't we just stick this one down the garbage disposal?" Tony suggested, gesturing vaguely at Strange's amulet.
"No can do," Strange said, shaking his head firmly.
"We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone with our lives," Wong added.
"And I swore off dairy, but then Ben & Jerry's named a flavor after me, so..." Tony said with a shrug.
"Stark Raving Hazelnuts," Strange offered.
"It's not bad," Tony admitted.
"A bit chalky," Strange countered.
"Hunka-Hulka Burning Fudge is our favorite," Wong said.
"That's a thing?" Bruce asked, surprised.
"Whatever. Point is, things change," Tony said, cutting the conversation off before it could continue.
"Our oath to protect the Time Stone cannot change," Strange said seriously. "This Stone may be the best chance we have against Thanos."
"And still, conversely, it may also be his best chance against us!" Tony argued.
"Only if we don't do our jobs," Strange replied.
"What is your job exactly, besides making balloon animals?" Tony asked, stepping closer.
"Protecting your reality, douchebag," Strange said, stepping closer as well.
"Okay, guys, could we table this discussion right now?" Bruce interrupted. "The fact is, we have this Stone. We know where it is. Vision is out there somewhere with the Mind Stone, and we have to find him. Now."
"Yeah, that's the thing," Tony said, walking away from them.
"What do you mean?" Bruce asked, following him.
"Two weeks ago, Vision turned off his transponder. He's offline," Tony explained.
"What? Tony, you lost another super bot?" Bruce said incredulously.
"I didn't lose him. He's more than that," Tony defended. "He's evolving."
"Who could find Vision, then?" Bruce asked.
"Probably Steve Rogers," Tony replied quietly.
"Oh, great," Strange muttered sarcastically.
"Maybe. But..." Tony trailed off.
"Call him," Bruce urged.
"It's not that easy," Tony said.
"God, we haven't caught up in a spell, have we?" Tony added, realizing how much Bruce had missed. "The Avengers broke up. We're toast."
"Broke up?" Bruce said, confused. "Like a band? Like the Beatles?"
"Cap and I fell out hard. We're not on speaking terms," Tony said.
"Tony, listen to me," Bruce said urgently. "Thor's gone. Thanos is coming. It doesn't matter who you're talking to or not."
The room fell silent, the weight of the situation settling over them.
Tony sat down on the couch again and took out the burner phone to contact Steve Rogers. He looked at it, his thumb hovering over the call button, when Friday interrupted.
"Boss, something just happened in the upper atmosphere."
Tony immediately stood up. "What?"
The others saw his reaction, and Bruce asked, "Tony?"
Tony pulled out his phone, and on screen Friday displayed video captured by a Stark satellite, two Q-shaped ships approaching Earth.
"Shit," Strange said, his expression darkening.
"Oh my God, he's here," Bruce said, panic rising in his voice.
"Friday, how long do we have?" Tony asked urgently.
"Watch, boss," Friday said simply.
To their shock and surprise, the two Q-ships were destroyed by what could only be described as a gigantic arm. It was an orange-colored construct of pure energy. They watched as this massive hand wrapped around both ships and crushed them, like someone crumpling paper. Explosions blossomed in the upper atmosphere, debris scattering.
"What the fuck?" all four said at the same time.
"What was that?" Tony asked Strange, turning to the sorcerer.
"I don't know," Strange admitted, his eyes still fixed on the screen.
"Well, that looks very magical to me. You are the wizard here," Tony said.
"There's no such thing," Strange said automatically. He looked to Wong, who simply shook his head, his eyes still on the video as the hand construct disappeared, dissolving into motes of orange light.
"What the fuck just happened?" Tony asked again.
.
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Next chapter....