Chapter 4: Assemble! Part 4
*Daily Bugle Offices, Flatiron Building. Flatiron District, Manhattan, New York*
1117 GMT/4:17 PM EST, 4 May 2012
"PARKER!"
"He's not here!"
"THEN WHO THE HELL IS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PHOTOS OF WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE?!"
"ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?!"
The offices of the Daily Bugle may have been on the top floors of the building, but that didn't mean that it was safe from any danger at all. The Flatiron Building shook and rumbled again as the Frost Giants continued to lay waste to the city. A few of them were bashing into the infrastructure repeatedly, and smashing away with their weapons, one even trying to climb up the building. Across the entire floor, employees were screeching and screaming and panicking away, terrified for their very lives as the damaged continued to rein across the island of Manhattan.
"We're facing an invasion of giant aliens!" Joseph "Robbie" Robertson yelled to his boss. "It's the end of the damn world, and you're worried about getting pictures of what's going on, of all things?! Are you trying to send a young man to his death out there?!"
This made J. Jonah Jameson, editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle and New York's largest advocate against the Amazing Spider-Man, stop and think for a minute. Sure, he could be mean, a hardass, arrogant beyond belief and sometimes a jackass, but he wasn't heartless. Sending a photographer into the carnage out there probably wasn't exactly the smartest of ideas…
"Sir!" a brunette woman in her early thirties yelled as she came into Jameson's office. She then cringed as the explosions occurring outside rocked the building.
"What is it, Ms. Brant?!" the editor yelled out.
"I just got a call from Peter's aunt!" Betty Brant replied. "She's watching the news about what's going on and she's horrified! She wants to know if Peter's ok!"
At those words, Jameson suddenly froze and gulped. He quickly turned to Robbie, frantically yelling, "HOW THE HELL DO I TELL HER I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE HE IS?!" That old woman terrified him. He still vividly remembered that day 10 years ago, when he first hired Parker...
A small part of the editor suddenly found himself hoping the creatures would find a way up into the offices...
*Times Square. Midtown, Manhattan, New York City*
1123 GMT/4:23 PM EST, 4 May 2012
"Anyone have a plan here?!" Hawkeye yelled out as he fired a volley of explosive arrows at the giant metallic juggernaut. The arrows made their violent impact, but they did nothing whatsoever except shroud their new opponent's head and shoulders in a mass of smoke. The marksman then saw the titan turn towards him, and barely evading the energy blast shot at him.
Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Spider Woman and the Wasp then began firing repeatedly at the unstoppable juggernaut. Their blasts, however, procured the same results as Hawkeye's attack, and they also had to quickly duck out of the way of the devastating energy blast now shot at them.
The Wolverine then struck from behind, jumping onto the metallic being's back, viciously slashing away. To his extreme frustration, however, his adamantium claws didn't even graze the armor, not even leaving any scratches. The juggernaut then grabbed the mutant from its back and flung him aside, just as both Yellowjacket and Wasp began wrestling with it.
"Wanda, we could use a little help here!" Logan yelled.
"I'm a bit occupied here!" the mutant yelled back from the other side of the block, sending a flurry of hex spheres towards the Enchantress.
For the last twenty minutes, the group of heroes had found themselves being devastatingly outmatched by their new enemy, the Destroyer. The Enchantress had called it "destruction incarnate," and they could see that those words fit it quite well. The surrounding buildings had been laid to waste, the energy blasts from the Destroyer having basically wiped them out of existence. It was all that most of the heroes could do to keep out of range from the Destroyer's blasts.
Their biggest problem, however, was the fact that the Destroyer was completely impervious to all of their attacks. Even when they combined their efforts, the attacks of the heroes were completely ineffective as the Destroyer shrugged off all their attempts to fell it. Not only that, it also displayed extreme levels of strength, throwing the 20 ft forms of both Yellowjacket and Wasp aside at once with ease. It also slammed Captain Marvel into the ground with a metallic punch, the force behind the attack making her scream in pain.
All the while, Enchantress was engaged in a vicious battle of magic and arcane arts with the Scarlet Witch. When the Destroyer began its assault on the group of heroes, the Enchantress had viciously attacked Wanda, forcing her to be separated from the rest. Both exchanged barrages of magical blasts and spells, each trying to gain the upper hand of the other. Wanda was fighting with much on her shoulder; the fact that Amora apparently wanted to take her own power for herself was more than enough motivation to keep Wanda fighting. She wasn't going to let something like that happen again.
Meanwhile, the Executioner was watching the battles from the sideline. Wrecker, Piledriver, Bulldozer and Thunderball stood alongside him, watching the battle. They were uncertain why they weren't joining in on the fight; wasn't that why they had been given these powers, after all?
"Hey, man, shouldn't we be, you know, joining in the fight?" the half-blind Wrecker asked the Asgardian.
Silence was his only answer.
"Um...look, man, I know they're getting their asses kicked by your giant robot, but still, maybe we should join in...?"
Still no answer.
"Screw him, man," Bulldozer said as he walked forward. "Let's just join in! Power of the gods, remember?! We just go in and whoop-!" He was silenced by Skurge's axe suddenly thrust in front of him as he tried to pass the Asgardian.
"We enter battle," the Executioner snarled, "when we are needed in battle."
"...right, right, got it," Bulldozer said, rightfully unnerved; the fact that the Executioner was able to walk away from a fight with the Hulk was still fresh in his mind.
Back in the battle, Quicksilver raced up towards the Destroyer and began creating a vortex around it as it continued to advance. Going faster and faster, the mutant thought he could successfully entrap the behemoth in the vortex and force it into the air with the suction. That plan completely backfired as the Destroyer unleashed another devastating blast of energy right at the ground. The explosion completely took the speedster by surprise, forcing him to skid to a stop, the speed sending him flying towards. Yellowjacket then attacked from behind, grabbing it from behind as he grew to its height, grabbing its arms and trying to force its head down. This backfired completely as the Destroyer somehow turned every joint in its body around so that it was now facing Pym. The scientist barely had time to shrink down to avoid the energy attack meant for his face. Captain Marvel and Iron Man then bum-rushed the Destroyer together, and they managed to force the juggernaut back a couple of steps. This was only a tiny respite as the Destroyer whacked them aside.
"So, this looks like it's going pretty bad!" Wasp called out.
"No kidding!" Hawkeye yelled out, both him and Black Widow firing at the Destroyer. "We need to get it off-balanced!"
"And how do ya plan to do that!?" Logan called out.
"I think I have an idea!" Stark yelled back before he turned to Carol. "Captain Marvel, absorbing energy makes you stronger and your attacks more so, right?"
"Yeah, why?" the heroine yelled.
"Let's see how heavy you can dish out when you absorb my repulsors and uni-beam!" the billionaire replied.
Carol quickly understood. "Do it!" With that, Stark bombarded the heroine with his energy weapons. Carol's body instinctively absorbed the blasts; she felt her body tingling, flowing and gushing with the adrenaline and power. Her body began glowing vibrantly, her eyes disappearing in it.
"Wasp, Spider Woman, Yellowjacket! Shoot your blasts at Captain Marvel!" the billionaire called out. The three quickly complied, with Carol feeling even more of a power surge, her body getting even brighter. "Captain, NOW!"
With a yell, Carol channeled all the energy she was receiving into her hands, and she fired one of the most powerful blasts she had unleashed in her life. The impact sound of the blast echoed for miles as it collided with the Destroyer's armor. The titan staggered back against the sudden force.
"Holy crap, it's working!" Bobbi yelled.
"JARVIS, increase arc output by 50%!" Stark ordered. The AI did as instructed and Carol felt even more empowered.
"THIS IS WORKING!" she yelled. For a few moments, they thought that they had actually managed to find a way to defeat the Destroyer. "Stark, you're idea's working! We might actually-!"
"Captain, it's still coming!" Quicksilver yelled suddenly. To her horror, Carol saw he was right. The Destroyer had only been momentarily caught off guard, and now was walking in her direction, ignoring her enhanced photon blasts as if she were merely shooting water at it.
"Hawkeye and Widow, with me!" Iron Man yelled out as he stopped firing on Captain Marvel, flying to outflank it. "Wolverine, Panther, Quicksilver and Mockingbird, attack from behind! Jan, Hank and Spider Woman, attack from the other flank! Captain Marvel, keep firing!"
The heroes quickly responded, attacking the Destroyer from all sides. They attacked with a frenzy, but the Destroyer was unfazed, with none of their attacks doing anything. Instead, it then shot another energy blast, this time in a circular wave motion at the other heroes, who either were sent flying back from the impact force or were forced to fly out of the way.
The Scarlet Witch turned towards the battle against the Destroyer, her concern for her brother and allies overtaking her. This was all the distraction that Amora the Enchantress needed; she fired a rather painful blast of magic at Wanda, too quick for the mutant to see until too late. Wanda fell onto her knees, her body cringing in pain.
"Your compassion for the mortals proves to be your downfall, witch," Amora smirked as she approached Wanda. "You, with such power in your hands, could rule the mortals. Instead, you attempt to fit in with them, protect them; that is why such power doesn't belong in your hands. You will fall before me, and with your power and magics, my Lord shall rule not just Midgard, but all the nine Asgardian Realms!"
"Is everyone ok?" Stark yelled out from the skies as he flew back down, trying to find his allies amongst the chunks of debris. He was eased in seeing Captain Marvel and Quicksilver emerge from several chunks.
"We're good here," Logan replied as he, Morse and T'Challa got out of the building they crashed in. The Pyms and Jess had managed to fly away from the Destroyer's blast in time. Barton had been thrust back from the impact force, but was ok.
"I'm alright," Natalia called out, slowly standing from being slammed into a nearby car. She could feel blood on her head from a long cut, with another on her lips and she felt at least several cracked ribs, but other than that, she was fine. "We need to come up with another-"
"Widow, watch out!" Clint yelled out. Natalia immediately looked up to see the Destroyer lumbering towards her, just several feet away. It was preparing to fire another devastating blast. Even with the Red Room serum pumping in her veins, the former assassin knew that there was no way for her to dodge the blast in time. Seeing no escape, the Black Widow stared defiantly at the metallic behemoth, her stingers bursting with electrical energy.
"C'mon, tin can," she muttered in Russian. "Do your worst."
The Destroyer's visor opened, its scorching energy amassing from within...
"HULK SMASH ROBOT!"
CRAKAKABOOOOMM!
A thunderous boom rang out as the Incredible Hulk reappeared at last, rejoining the battle, and he….was...MAD.
The Hulk smashed the Destroyer directly into the ground, a large boom ringing out across the skies. The ground shook as the titan began a savage barrage of powerful punches, his rage boiling within him. Unbeknownst to the heroes, the Destroyer was forged to withstand any and all blows and impact and force. Its armor was enchanted to withstand hits from the Goddess of War, from the God of Thunder…even from the All-Father himself. The magic behind the armor made it resilient to just about anything. The Incredible Hulk, however, was a being made of science and technology, and the madder Hulk got, the stronger Hulk got...strong enough to actually give the Destroyer a run for its money. Hulk continued his brutal assault, each blow more earth-shattering than the last. With a roar, he picked it up by the head and threw it right into the Times Square Jumbotron, with an electrifying and thunderous explosion.
Enchantress saw this and straightened up in shock. This was all Wanda needed to get the upper hand and blast Amora in the face with a powerful hex blast. "Don't turn your back on you opponent, Enchantress," the mutant snarled tauntingly.
Executioner formed a smirk, his axe gripped tightly in his hand. "Now, mortals…now we enter the battle."
"Against HIM?" Thunderball exclaimed, gesturing to the Hulk.
"Do you wish to rule this world by Loki's side?"
"Well, yeah…" Piledriver said.
Skurge's reply was a simple war cry as he leapt at the Hulk once more, slamming the blade into his shoulder. With a ferocious roar, the titan grabbed the Asgardian and slammed him into the ground. Before he could do anything else, though, the Hulk was bum-rushed by Wrecker, Piledriver, Bulldozer and Thunderball.
"Seriously?!" Wasp yelled out, hands on her hips. "Why is it they always have to take the Hulk-?!"
FRABOOM!
The other heroes turned in surprise as the Destroyer jumped down from the Jumbotron remains onto the streets with a vicious impact. It raised its faceless head at them, and the visor began to glow orange again. They barely managed to get out of the way as it unleashed its hell, destroying the central area of Times Square. Wasp and Yellowjacket quickly shrank in size, swiftly firing their bio-stingers and energy blasts at the Destroyer, but to no avail.
Mockingbird, Hawkeye and Natalia raced for cover behind some debris, with Barton and Natalia quickly firing again at the Destroyer from their position. "This is insane!" Morse called out. "Nothing we throw at this thing seems to work! We can't even scratch it! Stark, you're supposed to be the robot expert! Figure something out, dammit!"
"I'm trying to, Mockingbird!" Stark replied as he flew into the air, firing his uni-beam at the Destroyer. It was unfazed, and Stark had to quickly evade its energy blast. "But this isn't any kind of robot; it's somehow a self-sustaining, living suit of armor! There's no network systems to hack, no programming, no circuitry or hardware, nothing! I've tried everything; my scans aren't coming up with anything! I still can't even analyze what kind of metal this thing is made out of! All I can tell is that it's even stronger than vibranium and adamantium!"
"We could have told you that, Iron Man," Panther replied. Logan chuckled dryly at that.
"The only one of us actually able to do something to it is the Hulk!" Carol called out, landing a sideways kick on the Destroyer's head. "Problem with that is he's kind of busy right now! We need to get those jackasses away from him, give him the chance to take care of it! Hulk has to lead it away from here, maybe off of the isl-!"
SCRAAAAKAAAFOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!
"AAAAAAUUUUGHHHHH!"
"CAROL!" Jessica yelled out in horror. "NOOOOO!" The other heroes found themselves ridden with shock and horror at the sight before them.
Captain Marvel, one of the most powerful superhumans on the planet, was devastated by a direct hit from the Destroyer's energy blast. Carol's screams and roars of pain were like nothing any of them had heard before, almost feral like. The force and monstrous blast of the impact sent the heroine flying into the streets, a crater forming from her impact as the Destroyer continued to unleash its energy attack on her. Logan had to restrain Spider Woman from racing onto the scene herself.
The Destroyer continued its relentless assault, lumbering forward as it kept firing. Soon, Carol's screams grew weaker and weaker until they stopped completely. The others couldn't see anything as smoke billowed from the crater, right from where Captain Marvel had been slammed. The others were shocked and stunned at what happened before them. Even the Hulk and the Scarlet Witch were torn away from their fights, shocked at what they had seen.
The Destroyer had slain one of their own.
"TAKE IT DOWN!" Iron Man yelled out, and at that, the other heroes rushed forward, unadulterated fury in their eyes. Their opponent had felled one of their own, and that would not go unpunished, no matter what. However, even with their anger fueling them in their attacks and assaults, everything they threw at the Destroyer still just bounced off. They swarmed the Destroyer, and yet nothing worked in their favor.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Wolverine roared.
Suddenly, the Destroyer whacked Iron Man aside, sending him flying into a nearby building with tremendous crash. Spider Woman, Black Widow and Hawkeye began firing at the metallic juggernaut again, but were forced to dodge as it threw a 20 ft tall Yellowjacket in their direction. It then unleashed another energy blast, forcing Wolverine, Mockingbird and Black Panther to judge out of the way. The Destroyer then turned towards Wasp as she attempted to deliver a haymaker, catching her fist and forcibly slammed her into the ground. It then began amassing another energy blast, aiming at Wasp as she struggled to get up.
"JAN!" Pym yelled out in fear. Jan was frozen in fear, her mind unable to react as the Destroyer readied to kill her.
KRAPOOOOOOW!
An echoing impact suddenly rang out for miles as the Destroyer was suddenly struck by a vibrantly glowing force. To the heroes' shock, it was actually sent flying into the skies, crashing into the top of the New Year's Ball perch.
The heroes rushed to where Jan got up, Pym quickly making sure his wife was ok. They then turned to and were all shocked; floating before them was a glowing Captain Marvel, billowing with smoke. The glowed from every inch of her body, the most vibrantly from her fists. She actually gave off a bit of heat. Her eyes were no longer visible, with only white light coming from their sockets. On her face was a grin, and a very devious grin at that.
"Whoa…" Hawkeye muttered.
"Carol?" Jess asked. She made to come forward before the Black Panther stopped her.
"Captain Marvel," he asked. "Are you...alright?"
"Am I ok?!" Carol yelled in glee as she flew up into the air. "I HAVEN'T FELT LIKE THIS SINCE I WAS BINARY! That blasts has so much energy in it...it's fucking AMAZING! I've never felt this strong for years!" Indeed, the all-powerful energy blasts of the Destroyer had not done any harm to Carol at all, except for the initial impact of force. On the contrary, her body started to absorb the energy, near-incomparable power surging through her body. It was as if Carol had drunk an entire tub of pure adrenaline. "I feel like I can take on the entire Kree army a hundred times over!"
Their attention suddenly turned to the sound of a heavy impact. The Destroyer had jumped down from where it had been blasted, landing back onto the Times Square area with a monstrous boom. Its faceless head turned towards the heroes, its visor lowering in preparation for another energy blast.
"Well," Iron Man replied, "how about the next best thing?"
Carol grinned evilly. "Oh, yeah, baby."
FAKRAKABOOOOOOM!
With another powerful impact, Captain Marvel slammed right into the Destroyer. She sent it crashing through the ground, past the subway tunnels and into the sewage system, dealing haymaker after haymaker. Grabbing it by the neck, she then threw it into the skies through the hole both had made, firing a barrage of newly empowered and devastating photon blasts. Each strike hit the Destroyer with a powerful boom. Flying faster, she out sped the flying form of the titan and once it was close enough, she dealt a devastating ax kick, sending it smashing into the ground with a resonating boom.
"I'll handle the Destroyer!" Carol yelled to her allies as she dealt a combo of right hooks and face punches. "Help the Hulk!"
Amora was stupefied by the spectacle before her; merely moments ago, the mortals were being annihilated by the Destroyer. All of a sudden, the tables had been turned. The flying female with the star on her chest had somehow absorbed the Destroyer's power, making it her own and allowing for her to actually stand against it. No mortal was supposed to do such a thing; the Thunderer and All-Father themselves were barely capable of such feats!
"AAUGHHH!"
"Did I not make myself clear earlier?" Scarlet Witch snarled as she hit the Asgardian with a devastating hex blasts, sending her onto her knees in pain. "Do not turn your back on an opponent much stronger than you!"
The Hulk, meanwhile, had been barely holding his own against the combined might of the Executioner, the Wrecker, Piledriver, Bulldozer and Thunderball. The only thing keeping him going was his ever increasing strength as his anger increased as well. The fact that Wrecker was also half blind also helped out, too. The Hulk's hits grew more powerful with each passing moment; no matter how strong you are, though, one against five isn't the kind of odds to be favored in a fight. Luckily, Hulk wasn't alone.
"Need a hand, Jade Jaws!?" Hawkeye yelled as he and the others joined into the fray. He fired an explosive arrow right at Skurge's hand. The explosion shook the ax out of it, allowing Hulk to take advantage of the momentary surprise and punch the villain in the face, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Hulk, you handle the ax psycho!" Iron Man called out as he fired at Thunderball. "The rest of us will handle these four!"
"That makes things a lot easier," Hulk replied. "Now...HULK SMASH!" With that, and a roar of power, Hulk slammed his two fists into the back of the Executioner, forcing him onto the ground. The villain quickly retaliated with a sweep kick, quickly setting him and the Hulk into another all-out brawl.
Logan sunk his claws into the back of Piledriver, enticing an agonizing scream of pain from the villain. Before he could try to pull away the mutant, however, Spider Woman and Wasp unleashed a barrage of their energy attacks at the villain's face. His eyes stinging and tearing, Piledriver began throwing punches in an attempt to retaliate.
Thunderball, meanwhile, was slammed into the ground by Yellowjacket's enlarged fist. Mockingbird then struck in a blitz with her battle staves, thrusting the electrified tips into his ears. Enraged, Thunderball tried to swing his ball-&-chain at the smaller SHIELD agent, who barely dodged out of the way in time. He then threw his weapon at Pym, who caught it and slammed it back into his face.
Wrecker, still blind, was unable to fully fight as he couldn't see from his left side. Blindly swinging, he was easy picking for Iron Man's repulsors, Hawkeye's arrows and Quicksilver's punches.
Bulldozer's bruiser-like bulk was no match for the agility of Black Panther and Black Widow. Their physical prowess enhanced by the Heart Herb and Red Room Serum respectively, their agility and speed proved to be superior in this fight. They continuously attacked in rapid succession as the Wrecker grew more enraged, further making his attacks blind.
All the while, Hulk was decimating Executioner one haymaker at a time, slowly overpowering the Asgardian villain. Captain Marvel successfully held her own against the Destroyer, forcing on the defensive with each hit she landed. She punched the juggernaut into the skies, flying after it and throwing it several dozen blocks away, her energy blasts trailing after it. With the Destroyer finally out of the way, she quickly flew to Hulk's aid.
Amora the Enchantress saw all this, shock written across her face. Struggling to get up from Scarlet Witch's latest blast, she couldn't believe her eyes. These mortals were defeating them. If they fell, the Jotun would be next, and then their invasion would fail...she would fail. No, she had already failed. It was shameful to her, losing to such worms as these humans, but it was true. They had been bested by their inferiors.
"Forgive me, my Lord," Amora muttered, relaying these words to her master. "I have failed you…"
"No Amora...you have not failed me. Your quest for this wench's power may blinded you, but you have proven yourself a most dedicated follower."
"My Lord?"
"Do not fret, my lovely Enchantress...I shall deal with these mortals, and obtain the witch's power for the both of us. Today, they shall know the true power of chaos and mischief."
"Ready to surrender now, bitch?" the Scarlet Witch said, her hands glowing with hex energy and pointed at Amora. She was sure she had beaten the sorceress. So she was utterly shocked when Amora began laughing.
"On the contrary, mortal," Enchantress sneered as she slowly got up. "Your fates have just been sealed."
Wanda then heard rumblings from above her head. She looked up to see a number of dark clouds amassing in the skies, tinges of green dancing across them. "What have you done, Enchantress?" she asked the Asgardian with anger, aiming her glowing had at her.
"Oh, it's nothing to do with me now."
SCREAKABOOMM!
Green lightning suddenly struck the ground, ripping the streets apart with its power. All fighting stopped as the heroes and villains turned to the new spectacle. Within the vibrant green light, where it met with the ground, a figure started to become visible. What unnerved the heroes, however, was the laughter echoing from it; it was a maniacal and sinister laughter. It echoed for blocks around, sending chills in the spines of the four human villains.
Suddenly, the lightning dispersed with a boom, leaving behind a green aura. The figure was now clearly visible, and now they could all see that the laugher was coming from the new arrival. It was a man...or something that at least had a man's appearance. He wore a golden helmet with curved horns, with long & shiny sleek black hair on his head. Adorning his body was a green and golden cross of armor, a cloak and a jacket, with golden gauntlets on his wrists. Underneath this outerwear was an all-black outfit: shirt, pants, and boots. From his back billowed a long, emerald green cape, and in one hand was a golden three-pronged scepter, with a glowing red jewel within its points.
What stuck out most, however, was the fact that he looked absolutely gorgeous. He was definitely a prime example of male physical beauty, which made the women present especially tense and wary. They knew it was villains that looked like this that were the most dangerous.
"Now, mortals!" the newly arrived being cackled. "You will face true power and chaos! You will now fall before the power of LOKI!"
*Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City*
1139 GMT/4:39 PM EST, 4 May 2012
The sounds of military choppers roared overhead, a trio of Black Hawks heading towards the direction of Chelsea. Radio chatter said it was one of the more harder-hit areas. The choppers were just a bit of evidence that the city was finally fighting back hard; the National Guard had brought in .50 caliber jeeps and tanks, with the Air Force choppers flying overhead. Dispatch had confirmed that while all SHIELD Helicarriers wouldn't arrive for at least several hours, the planetary agency was sending backup, hopefully to soon arrive.
Carlie Cooper didn't give much of a damn what they had. She was just glad that heavy reinforcement had finally arrived.
"How many injured?" her superior officer asked as he came over.
"About seven," Carlie replied as she tightened her makeshift bandage over her arm gash. "Gomez and Jason are tending to them now. We lost Tyson and Javeric, though." She lowered her head at the mention of those names, names of fallen comrades and brethren on the force. "They were good cops, Sarge...they didn't deserve to die like that."
"I know, Cooper, but we can't dwell on that now," her sergeant replied, a pained expression forming on his face as he spoke. "I wish we could take a moment, but we're at war right now, something I'd never thought I'd be saying as a cop. We need to keep focus on what's happening now...and that means getting anyone we find to safety, doing our jobs and protecting the innocent." He then turned to see the unconscious and webbed up forms of the Frost Giants littering the streets. "Each of us in our own way, and the best we can."
Carlie followed the man's gaze, unable to help the soft smirk from grazing her lips. Peter definitely had done his part in going up against this invasion. Sure, he didn't have to stop when he had passed by earlier, when her units were being decimated by the Jotun. There were so many other people in the city that needed more help than them, who needed him more than they did. But he had helped them nonetheless, helping them fight against such, overwhelming odds.
The Air Force and Marines had finally arrived a little less than thirty minutes ago, reinforcing the combat and defense efforts of the NYPD and National Guard. Radio chatter had already alerted them that the local SHIELD forces, as well as deployed SWORD agents, reinforcing the defense efforts since the start of the invasion.
There was confirmation that the local vigilantes and superheroes had joined in the fight as well, bolstering their efforts. The defense of Hell's Kitchen was being bolstered by Daredevil and, according to Dispatch, a "superpowered woman in civilian attire." The Punisher was out there, too, from what she had heard; and Luke Cage, Iron Fist and the Heroes for Hire were helping defend Harlem. District X was supposedly the most violent and combat heavy area in Manhattan, with the invading hordes fighting a number of the local mutant population, led by the X-Factor team. Other vigilantes such as the Prowler, the Black Cat and even the Wraith had been sighted as well. Dispatch had also confirmed that a number of heroes had gathered in Times Square, fighting something else that had to do with the invasion.
It seemed the big shot names weren't anywhere nearby, however. The X-Men hadn't been seen, save for sightings of the Wolverine in the Lower East Side and Little Italy, and the Fantastic Four were apparently not even on Earth at the moment.
Despite this fact, Carlie felt that Manhattan still had a chance with the superheroes on their side. Peter, at least, definitely wasn't going to stand by and do nothing; it just wasn't like him to do that. She remembered how he had arrived; swinging through the city, helping anyone he could, fighting off the invading creatures. He fought with her and the other cops and soldiers on her unit against these things. He felt he had to protect these people...and he did, because it was what he both had to and needed to do. He had a responsibility to keep going, no matter the cost or price, and he was going to fulfill that responsibility.
She remembered their brief conversation before he had gone off on his way to help others...
"How're your hands?"
"They're fine…ok fine, they still hurt...stop giving me the look."
"Then stop lying to me...that's why we broke up remember?"
"It's the end of the world and you're bringing up THAT again?" he smirked.
"Ok, maybe not today," she replied with a small smirk. It was soon replaced by a frown. "You're still going back out there?"
"I have to...it's what I do. If not me, then who?"
"There are other heroes."
"Even they can't be everywhere at once."
"You know, sometimes, I wonder if things would be different if you stopped being Spider-Man."
"You know I won't stop. With great power must come great responsibility."
She hated that he had lied to her in the "Spider Island" Incident, and she hated that he had deceived her about his life...but Carlie understood her ex for it. And it made being mad a bit harder to do.
"You're right, Sarge," she finally said, reloading her gun.
A green flash of lightning burst through the skies, descending onto Manhattan in the distance. Carlie knew Peter had been heading in that direction. He'd probably go right for it.
"We each got to do our part."
*Times Square, Manhattan, New York City*
1141 GMT/4:41 PM EST, 4 May 2012
"Ok…" Hawkeye said as he aimed an arrow. "Who is THAT?!"
"Who cares?!" Hulk snarled. "Let's just smash him!"
"Hold on, Hulk," Black Panther cautioned. "We know nothing about this new arrival. An immediate attack would be an ill choice."
"Clown don' look like much to me," Logan huffed, his claws at the ready.
"Clown?" the man in emerald & gold armor said, feigning hurt. "You sting me with your words, mortal. A clown signifies a joker. I am not a joker, but a trickster. There is a well-defined difference. And as to your other question, archer...I am Loki, God of Mischief and the rightful heir to the throne of Asgard...and I am burdened with glorious purpose."
"Egoistic much?" Wasp muttered.
The united heroes were tensely awaiting something, for anything, to happen. The arrival of this new being, Loki as he called himself, seemed to be the one behind the entire invasion, exemplified by the authority and power he exuded. He stood lazily and yet passive-aggressively as the heroes slowly began to surround him, arrogance written on his face. All the while, the Enchantress, the Executioner and the four new villains were forgotten as they recovered from their battle.
"Why the hell are you here?" Iron Man demanded, his repulsors at the ready. JARVIS was currently trying to scan anything he could from this...Loki. "Why are you invading our world?"
"It is not an invasion, man of iron," Loki replied, "but simply me taking what is rightfully mine. I come with glad tidings, mortals, of a world made free."
"Free from what, exactly?" Quicksilver snapped.
"Life's greatest lie...freedom. It is a plague upon your world. Once you accept that, then in your heart, you will know peace. I have come to bring you that peace. I am your savior...your new lord and master."
"So to bring peace, you begin war?" Captain Marvel snarled. "And you expected us to just that lying down?"
"Oh no, of course not," Loki chuckled. "But I also knew that your attempts to resist would be futile. You are weak, pathetic creatures, unfit for anything. You are below the attention of all the other realms. You slaughter each other by the thousands, all in a mad bid for power. Is submission not your natural state? You worms were made to be ruled. In the end, when this is over, and I stand victorious over you...you shall kneel and know submission."
"Not as long as we're still alive, pal," Stark retorted.
"An obstacle easily remedied," Loki smirked. With a rapid flowing movement, he pointed his sceptre at the heroes. Instantly, a devastating wave blast of emerald energy shot out from it, and it was very powerful. The blast sent the heroes flying, and flying far.
"JARVIS, full power to repulsors!" Stark yelled out. He began firing a merciless barrage of repulsor blasts at Loki. To his shock, however, Loki simply disappeared, his attacks hitting nothing.
'WARNING, ATTACK COMING FROM THE REAR, SIR!' JARVIS said, but it was too late. Loki had reappeared floating behind Stark, slashing his armor with his sceptre. A powerful magic blast sent the armored hero crashing down to the ground.
An arrow suddenly flew at Loki, but the God of Mischief simply caught it inches from his face, without even looking, and threw it at a leaping Wolverine. It exploded upon impact, sending the mutant crashing down to the pavement. Bullets, stings and daggers bombarded the Trickster, but again, he disappeared, only to reappear by the attackers. He grabbed Natalia by the hair and threw her into Panther, sending them both flying into the nearby theater.
Spider Woman tried to land a punch, only for Loki to sidestep out of the way and have her crashing into a charging Hawkeye. To Wasp, the Trickster fired another arcane blast and sent her crashing into Logan, who had just gotten back up. Mockingbird tried to strike Loki with her staves, only for him to grab them both and slam the blonde into the ground.
"HAHAHAHA!" Loki cackled. "IS THAT REALLY THE BEST YOU CAN-?!" He was interrupted by a slash to the face, courtesy of Wolverine's claws.
"More where that came from, bub," the mutant snarled.
"You dare strike your master?!" Loki roared. With strength that it didn't appear he had, Loki backhanded Logan right into Stark, who had just gotten up. "You think you mortals can stand against me?! I am a god, you dull pathetic creatures! I will not be hassled by-!"
POW POW POW-POW POW!
The ground shook as the Hulk surprised Loki, grabbing him and slamming him into the streets several times, face first.
"You talk too much," Hulk snarled, leaving Loki lying on the ground. The incredible titan was shocked, however, as the Trickster rose back to his feet, a smirk on his face.
"Oh on the contrary, you brutish monster, talking is an art to be mastered." In a blink of an eye, the one Loki became dozens more, illusions that took Hulk by utter surprise. "Now, can you even try to find the real Trickster, you brutish oaf?" Loki taunted, his voice echoing within the illusions.
Before any of the other heroes could rush to help their ally, the Hulk smashed his fists into the ground. The erupting surge of debris chunks destroyed all the illusions. It was all for naught, however, as the real Loki to appear from behind, blasting the Hulk with his sceptre.
As the Hulk staggered in pain, Yellowjacket landed a sucker punch on Loki in his small form. Growing to twenty feet, he then made to slam him down into the ground, but Loki quickly blasted the giant directly in the face with an arcane blast. As Pym came toppling down, Iron Man then tackled Loki, both crashing into the ground, with Stark flying off with uni-beam blasting the spot. Loki quickly set up magical shields, blocking Stark's attacks before he fired arcane blasts from both his sceptre and his hand, sending Stark flying into the Jumbotron remains.
Loki was then struck violently by Captain Marvel, still surging with energy from the Destroyer. The heroine began dealing a barrage of powerful punches, forcing Loki onto the defensive, much to his shock. He quickly teleported away, firing a magical blast at the heroine, who quickly dodged. Carol countered with a photon blast, striking Loki and making him yell out in pain. He again teleported, this time right next to her, backhanding her into an abandoned bus.
Black Panther then tried to jump onto the Trickster, but was grabbed mid-leap and thrown into a charging Wolverine. Bullets and arrows began hitting him again and in retaliation, Loki threw a volley of glistening daggers. Hawkeye managed to dodged them, but Widow was nicked in the shoulder by one of the daggers. Spider Woman then bum-rushed Loki, managing to catch him by surprise, an exploding surge of her venom blasts going off in his face. Angered, Loki grabbed her by the throat, throwing her into the large form of an advancing Wasp.
Captain Marvel successfully landed another axe kick, distracting Loki enough for Iron Man to blast him several times. Loki again sent the armored hero flying with a barrage of magical blasts. Carol quickly fired another energy blast at the God of Mischief, which he countered with an energy blasts. The two attacks imploded on each other, and Carol took advantage of it and with incredible speed, landed an axe kick on Loki. He quickly retaliated, punching the Captain into the skies.
With a roar, Hulk charged and made to ram a haymaker into Loki's face. To everyone's utter shock, however, the Trickster grabbed his fist mid-punch, causing a resonating boom to echo out.
"Stupid creature," Loki sneered. "You may be an incredibly strong monster, but do you honestly believe you can stand and fight with a god?!" Loki then hit the Hulk with his own fist, sending the titan staggering back...only for Hulk to backhand Loki into the skies, right into Captain Marvel's fist. Unfortunately, as he was falling, Loki again disappeared, only to reappear above Carol strike her with a powerful punch. Landing while the heroine crashed, Loki fired another barrage of magic blasts at the charging Wolverine and Warriors, sending them flying back.
Suddenly, Loki was repeatedly punched and hit with an incredibly fast combo of punches. A vortex then began forming around the Asgardian, but Loki simply smirked. He took out another of his daggers and thrust out into the vortex itself. A loud scream of pain rang out as Quicksilver crashed into the ground, heavy with momentum, his thigh bleeding profoundly. As Spider Woman rushed to his side, Loki prepared to shoot another blast from his sceptre, only to be struck by a painful blast of arcane hex energy. Loki crashed onto the ground, surprised to see his armor smoking, burn marks singing it. He then finally turned his attention to the Scarlet Witch.
"So...you are the witch whom the Enchantress saw unlimited power within," he mused. "I must agree, the magics within you...they are unlike anything I've ever seen or felt, and powerful indeed. A force of nature like I have never witnessed before, truly fit for the God of Mischief."
"You're insane if you think you can take my powers," Wanda huffed with a frown. Her fists began glowing with hex energy. "I just wiped the floor with your blonde whore. You'll be no problem."
"Indeed?" Loki smirked as he quickly fired a blast of magical energy at the mutant sorceress. Wanda quickly countered with her own blast, the two energies colliding in a statement. "My powers surpass that of Karnilla!" Loki laughed. "How can you hope to stand against me, mortal?!"
"With a couple of friends," Wanda smirked.
"HULK SMASH PUNY GOD!"
Loki barely had time to turn upwards as the Incredible Hulk crashed down upon Loki, his signature 'Hulk Smash' devastating the spot where he was standing. The streets tore apart, car-sized chunks of debris hurtling into the dust-filled air. As the Hulk jumped away, Captain Marvel rushed in and fired a steady photon blast at the same spot, not letting up for almost fifteen seconds. Once the smoke cleared, there was nothing except for a large crater created by the two most powerful members of the heroes' alliance.
"Did you get him?" Pietro asked, his wounds sealed thanks to Jess cauterizing it with her energy.
A taunting laugh answered their question as Loki reappeared before their eyes, this time near his lieutenants. The Enchantress, Executioner and the four new villains had by now recovered to full strength.
"I'm going to go out on a limb here," Hawkeye mused, "and say...nope."
"I must admit, I find myself surprised by the truth of your words, Amora," Loki remarked. "Their power, while much disorganized, does prove mighty. The half-breed and creature, especially, have proven to be quite powerful, their mettle rivaling even our own. Their cause is lost, of course, but it is something to note. They could prove to be great warriors, if not for their inherent flaws as mortals."
"Warriors of the tales that Thor would boast of," Enchantress replied.
"Do not mention my oaf of a brother, Amora. We are in victory, so I would rather it not be spoiled."
"We need a new plan," Stark said to other heroes, his armor repairing itself. "This guy is really strong; as strong as Hulk and Captain Marvel. Hitting him a few at a time isn't helping us at all."
"A united assault could be an advantage," T'Challa offered. "However, I think perhaps a strike of the most powerful of us can overwhelm this Loki enough for the rest of us to strike when he is weakened.
"Panther's right," Carol added, her body still vibrantly aglow. "Hulk and I were the only ones who could do some damage to him. I say we give it a shot."
"Alright," Stark agreed. "So the Hulk, Logan and you."
"You're forgettin' Wanda," Logan added.
Wanda blinked in surprise. "...Me?"
"You were one of Magneto's strongest members back when you were Brotherhood."
"The lady and this guy Loki are trying to take your powers," Stark agreed. "You have to be pretty powerful for the guys who are successfully invading our world to want your powers."
"...I guess so."
"Then consider yourself one of our biggest guns."
"Enough talking," Hulk snarled. "Let's go smash him."
"They gather again," Skurge stated as the heroes turned towards them again.
"Indeed," Loki mused. A musing look crossed his face for a moment before he spoke again. "Amora and Skurge, find Ymir. Tell him...we have prepared him a welcoming gift. Bring these new loyal servants of ours with you." He then turned to Wrecker, Piledriver, Thunderball and Bulldozer, and continued, "You four have proven your great loyalty, fighting for my cause. You have been promised reward, and as such…" Loki waved his hand and Wrecker's eye was enveloped in green energy, healed as soon as it dispersed. "Now go, and continue to earn your rightful place in this world."
"Oh, man, thanks, Loki, sir!" Wrecker exclaimed. "We won't fail you, we swear." And with a puff of green arcane smoke, Enchantress, Skurge and the four empowered villains vanished, leaving Loki alone against the assembled heroes.
"Now…" the Asgardian chuckled as he gave the heroes a once over. "Where were we, again?"
"Loki, you have one last chance," Stark called out, his repulsors fully charged. The other heroes readied themselves to engage. "Take your alien buddies off of our world, and leave."
At that, Loki found himself unable to not laugh. "You actually make threats against me? Do you really believe you can attempt to best me as second time? After I so easily humbled you the first time?"
"Hulk, take the head charge," Carol ordered. "Logan and I come from the sides. Wanda, get ready; on my mark, you give him hell." She paused for a second. "Logan, you deflect any blasts sent our way."
"Got it," Logan said.
"Ok," Wanda said.
"Time to smash," Hulk sneered.
"The rest of us, we get ready to jump in if things go south," Iron Man said. The other heroes got together to be ready.
"BOW BEFORE ME!" Loki yelled, firing his sceptre.
"NOW!" Captain Marvel yelled.
Without any hesitation, the Hulk charged forward, Wolverine alongside him. The mutant quickly used his claws to deflect Loki's blast with his claws. As he did, Hulk leapt up and landed a powerful smashing punch right onto Loki. The Asgardian tried to protect himself with magical shields, but the force of Hulk's blow was much too powerful, sending the deity crashing into the ground. Wolverine and Captain Marvel quickly raced forward, Carol flinging the mutant right at Loki. Logan began slashing away at the villain, making the villain yell out in rage, backhanding the X-Man aside. This only allowed Carol more room as her fist connected in an uppercut, followed by another barrage of punches on his torso. Loki quickly thrust his own punches, but Carol quickly got out of the way, her photon blasts slamming into the Asgardian as she flew away.
"WANDA, NOW!"
Loki quickly looked up in time to see the Scarlet Witch amassing a large surge of hex spheres around herself, her hands glowing vibrantly with arcane hex energy. Her eyes were glowing with pink energy, her hair flying, and she was chanting words in an unfamiliar language. She had been doing this all the while that Hulk, Wolverine and Captain Marvel had been attacking Loki. She suddenly snapped her head towards the Asgardian, a devious grin on her face.
"WELCOME TO EARTH, ASSHOLE!" Wanda yelled as she unleashed her hexes and arcane blasts, throwing them at the Trickster. Loki was seemingly about to get blasted to Kingdom Come, and appeared frozen in place-
Until he smirked.
Raising his scepter, Loki met the oncoming onslaught head on. His scepter's head began glowing a vibrant green, and as Wanda's attacks approached Loki, his hand glowed even brighter as the massive attack surged towards him. To everyone's utter shock, however, Loki wasn't hurt by Wanda's attack. Instead, the scepter seemed to absorb the entire brunt of Wanda's attack. The surge of hexes and arcane blasts began shrinking as Loki's scepter absorbed the power, eventually disappearing into its pronged-tipped head.
The heroes stood flabbergasted, Wanda most of all. "No…" she murmured, shocked to her core. "That's not possible…no one has ever done that…"
"Ahhhh, yes!" Loki laughed, his scepter now glowing vibrantly. "Amora was right; that is very potent magic, indeed! With that power, I can truly and easily conquer the entirety of the Nine Realms! Not even Odin will be able to stand against me! Now...let us see how powerful this magic is….when under the command of the God of Mischief!"
Loki then fired a merciless barrage of magical blasts from his scepter, the attacks momentarily enhanced greatly by the power Loki absorbed through Wanda's power. The blasts sent all the heroes flying back. Hulk and Wolverine quickly recovered and charged towards the Asgardian, only for him to blast Logan aside and send Hulk staggering back with a punch.
"YOUR POWER BELONGS TO ME, WITCH!" Loki screamed in sinister glee, teleporting himself right next to Wanda. Before she could react, the Asgardian grabbed her by the throat. His hand began to glow again. "AND YOU SHALL DELIVER IT UNTO ME!"
"Wanda!" Quicksilver yelled. Instinct drilled in for almost 20 years kicked in as he sped right into Loki in a slamming tackle. Forcing the Trickster away from his sister, Pietro struck at Loki with a vicious barrage of rapid blows. Loki, however, simply unleashed another barrage of magical blasts, sending the speedster flying.
"Everyone, PROTECT SCARLET WITCH!" Iron Man yelled out. At once, all the other heroes attacked as one, unrelenting and unfaltering. Each of them was the best at what they were skilled in. Each was a powerful hero in their own right. They had rightfully earned the titles of heroes.
But even heroes fall.
They were merely humans; genius humans, mutant humans, half-alien humans, near all-powerful humans...but they were still human.
Loki...was a god.
SCREWAAAAAAAOOOOMMMM!
With a devastating pair of magical blasts, Loki sent the heroes flying back. "Why do you persist?!" he laughed. "I HAVE BESTED YOU, AND I WILL TAKE THIS WORLD AND THEN ALL THE NINE REALMS! I AM YOUR GOD AND RULER! KNEEL BEFORE ME!"
"NEVER!" Wanda yelled as she again fired a hex blast, only to miss as Loki teleported himself right next to her, again grabbing her by the throat.
"You fought well for a mortal, wench, but this was always the outcome! Now, deliver your power unto me!" Loki's hands began glowing, and Wanda immediately felt something violating her very inner being, extremely vicious pain burning inside her. It felt like something was moving in there that shouldn't even be there. It was as if something was ripping out her very essence. It was too painful to bear, and Wanda soon began screaming and squirming in pain.
"Yes…YES!" Loki laughed. "The power...It is mine-!"
"LET GO OF HER!" Carol yelled as she delivered a vicious uppercut on Loki, sending him crashing and flying back. Wanda collapsed onto the ground, with Panther and Logan rushed to her side.
"Wanda, are you ok?" the Wakandan monarch asked.
"I'm...fine...just need to…" the mutant gasped hoarsely, her eyes blurry with tears. The sensations were still rattling her. Trying to clear her eyes, she then called out, "Captain Marvel, look out!"
Carol turned and barely managed to dodge Loki's arcane blasts. Unfortunately, the blast managed to hit an unprepared Iron Man.
"AAAAAUUUGHHH!"
'Warning, armor power source rapidly decreasing. All weapons are offline. Power source temporarily compromised. Flight capabilities compromised.'
"Stark!" Pym yelled as he, Hawkeye and Mockingbird dashed for him.
"Accept the truth, mortals!" Loki sneered. "You cannot hope to stop me!" He quickly fired another magic blast at a jumping Hulk, sending him flying into the 42nd Street subway station.
"Captain Marvel!" Natalia yelled. "Keep him away from Wanda!"
Her body still surging with the energy of the Destroyer ("This sure doesn't wear off!"), Carol didn't reply, choosing to simply bum-rush Loki with incredible speeds, slamming him into the streets, a massive crater. The Captain then blasted the Asgardian with a vicious photon blast. Loki countered with a blast from his sceptre, hitting Carol dead-on, and then blasting her again with another hex-empowered magic blast. Carol refused to fall, however, and fired another barrage of photon blasts.
A vicious roar signaled the return of the Hulk as he again smashed Loki into the ground. He began a vicious punching assault on the Trickster, only for Loki to thrust his scepter' tips into the titan's chest. The Hulk reared back in pain, allowing Loki to rip his weapon back out and deliver a punch into Hulk's stomach. Carol then struck again with an axe kick, stunning Loki enough for the Hulk to grab him and punch him into the skies. The Captain raced after the Trickster, all her hand-to-hand training from her days as CIA, USAF and SHIELD on full display. Higher and higher she hit Loki, both now high above the New York skyline.
"FACE IT, LOKI! YOU CAN'T BEAT US! NO MATTER WHAT, WE'LL STOP YOU! AND WITH THE POWER OF THE DESTROYER IN ME, I CAN TAKE YOU JUST AS-!"
She was interrupted with a vicious hit with the scepter's head and then blasted with an arcane blast. Surprised and rattled, she was easy picking as Loki struck her with a trio of punches before grabbed her by the throat, squeezing tightly. Carol tried to rip his grip off her, but to no avail.
"You pathetic feeble minded fool!" Loki snarled. "You truly believe you had the better of me just now?! You are a very formidable opponent, powerful as I never imagined, but you are nothing compared to my power. You may have the power of the Destroyer flowing within you…"
Loki then smirked suddenly, a look that actually sent a chill down Carol's spine.
"...but what use is it to you...how formidable does it make you, if you cannot even use it?"
With that, Loki unleashed a devastating blast of arcane magic, chanting in a language unknown to Carol. It wouldn't have mattered, however, as she was too busy screaming in pain to notice. A small part of her wondered if this was the same pain Wanda had felt moments ago. It was as if something was being ripped away from inside of her, as if her very essence was being torn apart. The pain was too much for her, her body feeling as if it would tear itself apart.
Then, the pain suddenly subsided, disappearing from her. Carol found herself gasping for air, tears flowing from her eyes, her voice hoarse from her screams. It was a moment, however, before she suddenly realized several things. She could the extreme cold of high altitudes. She could the extremely tight grip Loki had on her throat. She couldn't feel, however, the energy flowing in her body. She couldn't feel her flight. And she found herself with a shortness of breath.
Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel, suddenly felt fear, and for good reason.
Loki had neutralized her powers.
"Now, this is where I say goodbye," the Trickster sneered. "I have grand and glorious victories to win in this realm. You powers will return, do not fret...but you won't live long enough for them to." And with that, he teleported away, his laughter echoing in the air where he had just been.
Leaving Captain Marvel to plummet to her demise.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
"OH MY GOD!" Wasp yelled in horror down on the streets of Times Square. The heroes had been watching from below the battle between Carol and Loki. She and the others were shocked at the sight of Captain Marvel falling to her death.
"CAROL!" Jessica yelled out, fear taking over.
"STARK, FLY UP THERE!" Natalia quickly ordered.
"I can't! My armor's flight capacity is messed up!"
"I can try to-!" Wanda began.
"No," Loki sneered as he reappeared beside her, grabbing her wrist. "You, wench, are coming with me." And with that, before anyone else could react, they both vanished in a puff of green smoke.
"WANDA!" Pietro screamed in horror.
"This is not good…" Hawkeye said.
"YA THINK?!" Logan replied.
"Oh my god...CAROL!" Jessica yelled, starting to fly up before Natalia and Bobbi stopped her.
"Drew, you can't! You won't-!"
"I CAN'T JUST LET HER DIE!"
"Hulk can try to-!"
"Wait, what is that?!" Pym yelled, pointing up. They all looked up to where the hero was pointing. They could see a figure in the distance near the top of one of the buildings, crawling up at a remarkable speed. They could just make out the red and blue of his body.
"Wait, is that…?" Mockingbird began.
"It is," Wolverine replied with a small nod, instantly recognizing the colors.
The figure reached the top of the tower he was scaling and looked up at the rapidly falling form of Captain Marvel. He then jumped back off the tower, but not before firing two web lines at said tower and the one across from it. Down he plummeted, the webs stretching as he did.
"Is he-?!" Stark said.
The figure then catapulted right into the skies, heading straight for the heroine plummeting to her doom.
"Yep, he is," Logan smirked.
Meanwhile, Carol was still screaming as she fell faster and faster. This couldn't be the end, she desperately thought. It just couldn't be! There was still so much she had wanted to do with her life, so much she had yet to accomplish! She couldn't go out like this, not like this! There was still so much she left undone, so much she left unsaid, so much left that she had to do. So caught up in the fact that she was apparently about to die, Carol only barely registered a red and blue clad figure flying right towards her from the ground.
The heroes below were in awe as the figure caught Captain Marvel. Now both were plummeting down towards Earth. But once they were close enough to the tower skylines, the figure shot another line of webbing at one of the surrounding towers. He got himself and Carol into a rapid swing, both now heading for the other assembled heroes. Once they were close enough, they could all see clearly who had saved their ally. He wore red & blue spandex, ripped and tattered in various places, and he wore a full face mask with large white eye lenses. On his chest was a black spider insignia.
Wolverine knew him as Peter Parker.
The other heroes, and most of the rest of the world, knew him only as the Amazing Spider-Man. The modern world's first true superhero.
XXXXX
TO BE CONTINUED...
Notes:
Loki's sceptre. It is based off of the sceptre used by his Avengers: EMH counterpart. It is NOT the sceptre used by the MCU Loki.