From beginning to end, the battle had unfolded too quickly.
Before Steve Rogers and the others could even react, both Thor and Loki were already lying unconscious on the ground.
It was only then that they finally realized something was wrong
the Nolan Locke who had been fighting beside them wasn't the real one at all.
They weren't fools. After piecing the situation together, they quickly understood what had happened.
The real Nolan Locke was inside the massive Titan armor towering over the battlefield.
"Damn genius…" Steve muttered helplessly.
The others shared the same look of disbelief. As for Bruce Banner who was still in Hulk form his childlike intellect wasn't capable of processing all this just yet.
They were shocked and confused. After all, they had seen Nolan remove his Thunderhammer Armor earlier, and no one had noticed anything amiss. At no point had he separated from them. So when exactly had the switch happened?
Nolan, of course, didn't bother explaining.
The T-X model's liquid-metal body allowed for perfect facial replication. Technically, the T-1000 should have had that ability too until Nolan deliberately stripped that module away.
Even the Hive Base's models lacked such functionality.
This wasn't out of oversight it was by design. A shapeshifting capability was far too dangerous, the perfect tool for assassination. Even Nolan himself couldn't possibly guard against every single person beside him.
Especially with the future creation of Ultron still looming in his mind, he refused to let such uncontrollable technology spread beyond Locke Industries.
As for the T-X prototypes, Nolan never intended to sell them. They existed only in small numbers within his company secure and contained.
While the others stood frozen in disbelief, a thunderous explosion suddenly shook the sky.
A blinding flash tore through the horizon.
When the glare finally faded, Nolan lifted his gaze toward the wormhole. What he saw made his pupils tighten
a dazzling bloom of fire and smoke filled the rift.
The nuke had detonated.
"Nolan!" Natasha's voice cried out sharply.
The nuclear blast wouldn't just affect the alien side of the wormhole. It would easily spill into Earth's atmosphere too.
They needed to close it now!
Nolan's eyes locked on the shimmering vortex. Without hesitation, he seized Loki's scepter and thrust it into the Tesseract's energy core.
The power of the Space Stone and the Mind Stone collided. For a moment, it seemed like nothing happened
and then, quietly, the Tesseract's light dimmed.
The portal sealed shut.
Two infinite forces had canceled each other out.
Fascinating, Nolan thought to himself, filing that observation away.
The nuclear explosion created an immense chain reaction.
Most of the Chitauri army relied on their mothership for control, and the nuke's destructive power had utterly obliterated it. Countless Chitauri drones crashed lifelessly from the sky like falling rain.
But Nolan knew better. That wasn't their only mothership.
The nuke couldn't have wiped them all out. And if the portal had remained open, it would only have been a matter of time before reinforcements swarmed through.
He turned his gaze skyward again
a dark silhouette was plummeting fast.
"It's Tony!" Steve shouted in relief.
Nolan activated the Titan armor's thrusters, cutting through the smoke and debris toward the falling Iron Man.
Moments later, Tony Stark hit the ground.
Seeing him lying motionless, Nolan couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt.
This battle this moment was supposed to be his defining scene.
He was the one who had flown the nuke through the wormhole. It should have been his grand act of heroism an ascension that defined him in the eyes of the world.
But now… all eyes were on Tony.
"Well, that's fine," Nolan thought, offering a faint smile. "You'll have your moment again."
Tony eventually stirred after Hulk's thunderous roar shook him awake.
Though battered and bruised, they had won.
The Chitauri threat wasn't entirely gone, but their victory was undeniable.
The U.S. military quickly sealed off the city. Civilians were evacuated and cared for. Over the next two days, the distant echoes of gunfire gradually faded until New York finally fell silent.
Cleanup began.
Despite the devastation, the city's spirit endured. Grief was everywhere families torn apart, loved ones lost but hope refused to die.
The people had seen the worst the universe could throw at them…
and they had also seen heroes rise to meet it.
Among them stood one name above the rest Nolan Locke.
His fame skyrocketed overnight. Reporters hailed him as the "Iron Guardian," the man who fought beside gods and survived.
But Nolan felt no pride in it.
Because deep down, he knew this war had happened because he'd allowed it to. He had earned glory, yes… but also the weight of guilt.
He wasn't a hero. Not really.
Still, he never took life lightly. He had spilled oceans of blood but always with reverence for the lives he ended.
Elsewhere, in the quiet ruins of Queens, a teenage boy stared at what was left of his home.
"Uncle Ben… we don't have a house anymore."
Peter Parker's voice trembled.
Ben Parker gave a tired smile and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Silly kid. As long as we're together, that is home."
Peter blinked, then looked toward the white inflatable robot beside them.
"And Baymax?"
Ben chuckled softly. "Yeah, and Baymax too."
He turned to look at the friendly healthcare robot with gratitude. If it hadn't been for Baymax's evacuation protocol, they wouldn't have survived the Chitauri assault.
"Peter," Ben said gently, "remember this
with great power comes great responsibility."
Peter stared at him, the words etching deep into his heart.
Half a month later, New York was alive again. Aid poured in from across the globe, rebuilding faster than anyone could have imagined.
One quiet evening, Tony and Nolan sat together, overlooking the city lights.
"So," Tony said, swirling his drink, "have you figured out how to handle those politicians yet?"
Nolan smirked. Of course Tony would bring that up.
After all, they both knew how dangerous his combat robots truly were. If Nolan ever turned them against the government, no one could stop him not even the Avengers.
"Relax," Nolan said with a shrug. "They were just client orders. Sure, there were a lot of them, but that's not a crime. NS5s, ARS units, the Terminator line they're all selling like crazy. What, you expect me to stop making money?"
Tony chuckled. "Fair point."
But neither of them was surprised when, just days later, a congressional hearing was called specifically to investigate Nolan Locke.
He handled every accusation flawlessly.
At worst, they could claim minor procedural violations. Nothing substantial.
And given his critical role in saving New York, the crowd outside the hearing roared his name in support.
The message was clear: Nolan Locke was untouchable.
Then one official made the mistake of pushing too far.
"There is evidence," he said coldly, "that you recalled your staff before the invasion. Did you already know what was coming and intentionally withhold warning from the public?"
The entire room froze.
If Nolan answered wrong, this could destroy him.
But he didn't even flinch.
"I participated in the entire defense effort," he said evenly. "When I realized there might be danger, I did what any leader should do protect my people. You forced me to sign a secrecy agreement, preventing me from alerting the public. I did what I could within the rules you set. If I could've warned them, I would have!"
His words rang through the hall like thunder.
Within seconds, the crowd outside erupted into furious shouts
not at him, but at the officials.
The hearing dissolved into chaos.
Finally, the chief examiner spoke up, voice strained.
"Mr. Locke, the government recognizes your contribution. However, this invasion revealed how vulnerable our world truly is. We propose a strategic partnership ten billion dollars for the Titan technology, to form a new defense force capable of facing future threats."
Nolan smiled faintly.
Such noble phrasing. Every word wrapped in patriotism and profit.
He sighed softly.
"This war has taught me something important," he said. "Wars never end, but most begin not because they must but because people want them to. S.H.I.E.L.D. opened Pandora's box chasing power, and look where it led us."
He paused, meeting every pair of eyes before him.
"So I've made a decision."
The hall fell silent.
"I will be following in Stark Industries' footsteps," he said quietly. "Starting today… Locke Technologies is shutting down its weapons division."
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