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Hawk stared, stunned, at the sky above Manhattan—a sky that had been ripped open, exposing the infinite blackness beyond.
An ethereal blue beam of light shot upwards, pulsing into the tear in reality, as if it were forcing open a gateway.
The edges of the portal, torn open by some unseen, violent hand, crackled and hissed with raw, blue energy.
Hawk instinctively glanced down at his right fist.
But...
The next second.
He realized his mistake.
No.
He hadn't torn the sky open. The Space Stone had.
2012.
The Chitauri Invasion.
The timeline clicked into place in his mind. In a flash, his eyes snapped back to the gaping wound in the sky.
Just as he thought.
As the portal stabilized high above Manhattan, a metallic swarm of Chitauri soldiers began to pour through, spilling into the sky like a plague of locusts.
A sudden, violent flood.
The Chitauri soldiers, riding sleek, single-man flyers that glinted with a cold, metallic sheen, descended upon the city. The engines of their craft whined with a high-pitched, grating hum, their alien bodies encased in dark, alloyed armor.
KRA-KOOM!
The first Chitauri soldier squeezed the trigger of its energy rifle. The glass curtain wall of a Manhattan skyscraper instantly shattered, exploding outwards in a shower of glittering shards.
"Skreeee!"
"ATTACK!"
"INVASION! INVASION!"
"KILL THEM ALL!"
The swarming Chitauri shrieked with bloodlust. As they poured from the wormhole, they quickly broke off into their designated attack wings.
Some soldiers banked their flyers low, streaking toward the streets of Manhattan.
Others climbed higher, then veered off, heading toward Brooklyn after locking onto their targets.
And, of course.
Queens was also in their line of fire.
"Holy shit!"
"What is that?"
"Are those aliens? Is this an invasion?"
"They're coming this way!"
"Hiss!"
"Oh my God!"
"Run!"
"Aaaah!"
....
Just like Manhattan, which had already descended into chaos, the residents of Queens erupted into terrified screams. They watched as the Chitauri descended, firing their energy weapons indiscriminately, blasting through buildings, incinerating cars, and cutting down civilians. People scattered, running in any direction they thought was safe.
The guttural shrieks of the Chitauri.
The shattering of skyscrapers.
The roar of exploding cars.
The final screams of the fallen, mixed with the panicked shouts of the fleeing—in that moment, the entire city of New York was plunged into absolute terror.
Standing on the rooftop, Hawk's first instinct was to turn and run back into his apartment.
But...
The moment he turned, he froze. A thought struck him. He slowly turned back around and looked up at the sky, at the swarm of Chitauri soldiers that was now descending upon Queens like a tidal wave.
One of the soldiers, piloting its flyer and screeching as it flew, spotted Hawk standing on the rooftop.
For an invader, there was nothing more satisfying than watching the terrified masses scream and flee from their slaughter.
So, while everyone else was running for their lives, Hawk just stood there, completely still. It was impossible not to notice him.
Their eyes met.
In the depths of Hawk's piercing blue eyes, a single star seemed to flicker.
"Human!!"
The Chitauri soldier locked its gaze with Hawk's. The reptilian eyes hidden behind its dark metal faceplate seemed to receive a signal. It broke off from its squadron, banking its flyer and diving straight for the rooftop where Hawk stood.
It opened fire immediately.
A destructive ball of energy gathered at the front of the flyer, coalescing in an instant before shooting directly at Hawk.
Hawk watched the energy blast rapidly expand in his vision, his pupils constricting.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The blast slammed into the rooftop, shattering the concrete and sending a cloud of dust into the air.
The Chitauri soldier saw Hawk move at the last second, reappearing on the other side of the rooftop completely unscathed. Without a flicker of emotion, it pulled the trigger again.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
BOOOOOM!
The apartment rooftop was turned into a warzone, rocked by a relentless barrage of energy blasts from the Chitauri soldier.
Shrapnel flew.
Dust choked the air.
Hawk's figure weaved through the chaos, dodging one energy blast after another.
He moved with impossible speed, a blur against the backdrop of explosions.
At first, Hawk had felt a surge of panic, but now, he was calm, moving with a fluid grace that felt entirely natural.
It had taken him less than a minute to adapt.
A Saint, after all, is born for war.
The Chitauri soldier fired again and again.
Click-click-clank!
With a final, hollow sound, the soldier's barrage stopped. It looked down at its weapon, seeing the empty energy clip on its flyer.
Just then.
A whistling sound cut through the air.
The Chitauri soldier looked up. A jagged piece of a steel water tank shot out from the dust cloud and—CRUNCH—slammed into its flyer.
The impact sent the flyer into a violent spin. The Chitauri soldier was thrown from its seat and, with a clumsy flail, fell from the sky.
THUD!
The soldier crashed onto the rooftop, but it was back on its feet in an instant, pulling a rifle-like weapon from its back, powered by the same eerie, green energy source.
"Hssss-kss-kss!"
The Chitauri soldier made an indescribable, guttural sound—perhaps it was speaking, or perhaps it was communicating with its hive.
Hawk didn't understand what it was doing, and he didn't much care.
After all...
This was a fight. Time to get serious.
The rooftop was a wreck. After the Chitauri's relentless assault, it was barely recognizable.
It hadn't collapsed completely, but it was close.
Large sections of the roof had caved in, some falling all the way down to the third floor, exposing the apartments below.
But no one was paying attention to what was happening on the roof.
New Yorkers were experts at one thing above all else: Survival.
Hardened by years of crime waves and terrorist threats, they had perfected the art of running for their lives without a second thought the moment danger appeared.
The dust on the rooftop began to settle.
Soon.
Hawk's figure became visible again.
The Chitauri soldier saw him emerge. A cold light flashed in its green, reptilian eyes as it instantly pulled the trigger.
"Die!"
"..."
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