EARTH

The Kronan advanced with heavy steps, their feet cracking the ice beneath them with each step, the powerful storm wrestling with the rock-giants to try and hold them back, debris from nature and mankind flying at them with strength enough to knock over a tree. But none the less, the Kronan advanced on Paris steadily.

Magneto flung a car at the Kronan, smashing one of them to the ground; but to the dismay of everyone present, the Kronan warrior soon got back on his feet, slowly crawling back up from the ground. The Kronan next to him took aim with his large club-like cannon and fired; the blast of energy flying straight at Nuklo, the member of V-battalion. As the bolt of energy struck Nuklo, the blast was instantly absorbed into the mans chest and within a second the man split into three separate individuals of the original. In turn, the three Nuklo's reached out with all their arms and unleashed six beams of concentrated radiation at the Kronan's; striking their protective shields like water splashing against a wall. One of Magneto's students, known by the name Scarlet Witch, unleashed a blast of energy from her hands, causing an explosion against the protective energy-shield worn by a Kronan, the alien warrior taking a step back from the force of impact.

Out of the clouds came the winged friend of Scott Summers, Warren Worthington, aka Angel. Diving like a hawk, he turned at the last second his feet at a Kronan and delivered a drop-kick at full speed, bouncing off the aliens chest as he forced the rock-giant to fall over and taking flight once more, dodging retaliatory fire from the Kronan's fellow warriors as he took to the skies; but was unable to avoid the incoming fire, his one wing getting disintegrated as it was struck by a blast of energy from the Kronan weaponry, forcing Angel to crash out of control towards the ground. Jean Grey ran forward and aimed a palm at Angel while she pushed two fingers against her lobe; catching Angel in a field of telekinesis that slowed his fall to prevent him from dying on impact. As he landed on all fours, they both looked at each other and smiled. Two sudden blasts from Kronan weapons ripped Angel apart, turning the ground into a large crater, dirt and mud raining down all around, the stationary target Angel had become an easy kill. Jean stood in chock, mouth agape, unable to say a word, eyes wide with horror at the sight of seeing a close friend being ripped apart in a geyser of fire and blood.

Magneto flung two more cars and three light-posts at the advancing enemy, one car blown apart by incoming fire, the other pieces merely slowing down the Kronan without doing any damage. A young woman from the Xavier Institute ran up next to Magneto and caught an incoming blast from a Kronan weapon, catching it with her hands and absorbed it all into her body; a fierce frown on her features, Jubilee clenched her fists, closed her eyes and concentrated. The ground surrounding one of the Kronan erupted as if the ground itself exploded, forcing the huge warrior to fall into a deep chasm.

"Good work, Jubilee!" Hank McCoy said to the young woman, he himself useless as long as the battle was conducted at range.

Piotr, codenamed Colossus, took on his metallic form and ran up to Jean Grey and grabbed her, the woman caught in a state of chock, and carried her over his shoulder, running at full speed back to the others while Kronan energy-bolts detonated against the ground around them. Gambit, one of the members of Xaviers students, ran up to an abandoned truck and placed his hands against it, the entire thing starting to glow bright pink as he sucked all the stored energy within its molecular structure into his palms and then unleashed it, sending the truck flying across the terrain and crashing into one of the Kronan warriors; but once again, the alien slowly got back up on his feet.

"This is futile!" Hank McCoy, also known as Beast, growled and then covered his face with an arm to shield him from the debris thrown about by a Kronan energy-blast detonating not far from him.

"We have to draw them in!" Magneto called out to the rest, then focused his powers through his extended arms and ripped cables right out of the ground and snared six of the Kronan's legs and feet with hundreds of yards of wires and cable. "Slow them down any way we can!"

Iceman used his hands to throw great spikes of ice at one of the Kronan, the oversized icecles shattering on impact without causing any damage. Iceman in turn was vaporized by incoming fire, leaving nothing but a smoking crater where he once had stood.

Jubilee cried out with fear and emotional pain, "NO!" and ran for all her worth towards where Iceman had stood. "Bobby! No!"

Beast saw what was happening. "Jubilee! Don't!"

Jubilee was a heartbeat away from taking a blast from the enemy weapons, thrown to the ground by the explosion. Looking up, she saw Siv standing next to her, the female warriors shield having taken the full force of the blast. Siv said nothing, merely gave Jubilee a wink and then proceeded by throwing one of her axes at the advancing Kronan's; the axe lodging itself in the neck-joint of one of the rock-men, magma'ish blood bubbling out of the wound and the monstrous creature fell to a knee before crashing to the ground. Jubilee watched as Volstagg walked past her, amazed at the Aesir's ability to kill what had withstood the mutants incredible powers.

"My turn" Volstagg said and then ran forward, unleashing a mighty warcry on the charge.

Fandral growled at the sight. "Wait, you big oaf!"

Hogun frowned and hurried after Volstagg as the huge warrior charged towards the Kronan line, explosions erupting all around them.

Magneto turned to his fellow mutants. "Protect the aliens! Give them what cover you can!"

The mutants and the members of V-battalion used all of their combined powers to distract the Kronan warriors as Siv, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg charged forth, their warcries sounding over the thunder of battle. Volstagg jumped and landed a strike across the face of a Kronan, cracking the rock where the jaw connected with the skull, the axe digging itself deep into the huge creature, the Kronan and Volstagg both falling to the ground. Hogun and Siv took cover behind their shields as Kronan weapons fired upon them, allowing them to get close enough to lash out at the enemy with their weapons, striking them across the knees. Fandral, holding his sword with both hands high over his head, threw it with all his strength in midstep on the charge; the exquisite weapon spun as it flew towards its intended target, striking a Kronan right in the eye, lodging itself so deep that the hilt pressed against the stone-skin of the Kronan warrior.

Magneto turned to one of his close friends. "Mastermind! Now!"

Jason Wyngarde, a suave looking fellow, placed all his fingers against his head and closed his eyes. One of the Kronan turned his weapon on a compatriot and fired it point blank, the explosion throwing the other Kronan off his feet; the confused Kronan warrior walked up to his fallen friend and began pounding him with his club-like blaster-weapon. Mastermind fell to his knees and screamed with pain, loosing his hold on the Kronan and ended up writhing with agony. Magneto hurried over to his old friend and helped him on his feet.

"Jason!" Magneto said. "What's wrong?"

"Alien" Mastermind whispered. "Their minds… so alien…"

An intense bright red beam of pure energy erupted from behind the Kronan lines, severing a Kronan's leg completely. Emerging out of hiding, Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops, used his powers once more, using the visor he wore over his eyes to focus intense energy through his eyes into a directed beam of deadly particles; slicing an arm clean off from another Kronan.

The Kronan were now properly confused, bombarded by the strange powers of the mutants, harassed by the might of the Aesir and their one Vanir friend, and outflanked by a powerful cannon in the shape of a lone human.

The Kronan captain in command of the forces moving on Paris, turned to look at the warship that was slowly following them. "Kill them!" he spoke into his handheld communications-device.

A bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens, a terrible blast of thunder sending a shockwave across the battlefield, striking the warship in question. On deck, the pirates looked up after having been thrown off their feet, finding to their great horror that the prince of Asgård himself, Thor, the son of Odin, was standing among them. Thor was one giant grin, his eyes glowing blue with electricity, as he raised Mjölner over his head and then struck it with all his might against the large vessel he was standing upon. From afar, Thor's allies and friends saw the warship split apart in two as half a dozen bolts of lightning spread out from it in the blink of an eye, shaking the very ground with the resulting thunder.

Quicksilver, one of Magneto's students, moving at the speed of sound itself, ran up to the Kronan warriors, one by one, and pushed their weapons to be aimed at other Kronan's, all happening in the blink of an eye. To everyone else, it all appeared as if the alien invaders all of a sudden turned and opened fire on one another at close range.

Volstagg ducked an incoming blow from a Kronan's weapon, swung his axe and chipped away at the rock by its knee. Fandral pulled his marvelous bastard-sword free from the eye-socket of his downed foe and was quick to move on before another Kronan managed to step on him with its heavy foot. Siv and Hogun used their shields to protect them from incoming attacks, dealing out wounding blows with axe and mace when the opportunity presented itself.

Storm kept up the bad weather, winds blowing to distract the Kronan, rain falling to make their aim worse. Colossus and Beast tried to help Jean recover in cover behind an abandoned car.

"We must do something!" Colossus said.

Beast looked at the Kronan and then at the sky. "Not until the satellite has disabled their shields."

Destroyer, aka Colonel Aubrey, spoke over his com-unit. "We're ready! The enemy are in position! We have them locked in place! Fire! I repeat! Fire!"

At that moment, Colonel Aubrey was torn apart in a blast of fire that was caused by incoming bolts energy launched by a Kronan weapon.

XXX XXX

Director Fury turned to the people overseeing the operations of the satellite. "Do it!" he ordered. "Fire the god damn weapon!"

Both General Ross and General Ryker took a step forward in anticipation of the weapon being used over Europe.

EARTH ORBIT

The crew on the Stark Orbiter watched as a bright flash of light erupted from the nozzle of the satellite, furious static electricity erupting along its two mandibles as particles were released down towards the continent of Europe down below.

Sue Strom quickly turned to check her screens and displays. "Successful ignition! Particle-density at optimal levels! Area of effect within parameters!"

"Satellite integrity holding" Reed Richards said, looking over his own work-station. "Particle-accelerator recharging. We'll have another blast ready in thirty minutes."

Ben Grimm turned away from the viewport. "Let's hope it worked and took out those damned shields."

Johnny Strom nodded. "Yeah. Cos right now, I don't wanna stay up one minute longer than I have to."

ASGÅRD

Heimdall grabbed Algrim by the throat and threw him high over his head and slammed the beast down hard against the stone-floor of the platform, cracking it severely as the body of the transformed Alfir struck with all the force that the Gatekeep could muster. Before Algrim could recover, Heimdall removed his own helmet and, using both hands, rammed its two horns into Algrims chest; the changed Svart Alfir roaring from the pain. Heimdall found the hilt of his broken sword and picked it up and used its severed blade to pierce Algrim's chest once more, pressing with all his might the weapon into his enemy until the crossbar prevented the weapon from going any deeper. Roaring, flailing wildly with arms and legs, Algrim managed to claw Heimdall across the face one last time, leaving another set of deep gashes.

Wé struck down four enemies in quick succession with as many strikes from his sword. Throwing his shield, he decapitated a Frost Giant that was pounding at the Bifrost, the shield lodging itself deep in the stones of the ring of the powerful portal. The cracked stone lit up like a sun from within.

Heimdall, sensing something was amiss, turned to watch the Bifrost erupt with uncontrolled energies, sending a blast of bright lights of all colors imaginable out into the universe at random.

EARTH ORBIT

Sue Strom let go of her work-station, pulling herself away from it as all of her readings went out of control. "Whatta hell?"

Reed Richards experienced the same malfunction. "Telemetry is down. Severe interference."

Johnny Strom looked over the controls of the Stark Orbiter. "Navigation is down. Power is fluctuating. Computers are crashing!"

Ben Grimm pushed himself against the hull and floated over to his own work-station. "Whatta hell is going on?!"

Sue quickly tried to get some readings she could interprite. "Massive power build-up, five miles out, at three o'clock!"

Doctor Richards nodded as he too saw the same readings. "SSC, we need Doctor Foster to look at these readings! SSC, please respond!"

"Communications are down!" Johnny said over his shoulder.

"I'm on it!" Ben replied and hurried to leave the cockpit to go and oversee repairs of the systems in the adjacent compartment.

"Oh my god" Sue said as she watched her screens. "What ever it is, it's reaching critical levels."

Reed unstrapped himself and floated over to a viewport to get a better look. What he saw was an amazing phenomenon out in space, a vortex of bright lights, all the colors of the rainbow swirling in a violent torrent of energies. Then, as he was looking, the event shot out a beam of energy right at them.

Reed turned to Sue. "I love you."

Sue, pale from the intense severity of their situation, swallowed. "I know."

The beam washed over the Stark Orbiter and pulled it with it, sending it out of control towards reentry into Earth's atmosphere.