Disclaimer – Anything you see and recognise does not belong to me. Harry Potter is JK Rowling's; The Avengers and other related characters belong to Marvel. I'm simply playing in their sandboxes.
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A/N – Only the three chapters to go after this one. I would apologise for the nasty cliff-hanger at the end of this chapter but …
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Heroes Assemble!
Chapter 125 – Heroes Assembled
Harry dropped the last of the hula hoops in the pile and called for an elf.
"Can you please put these in the Bungalow? I wouldn't want them getting lost or used too early."
With a bow, the elf snapped its fingers and the hoops vanished.
"Alright, Luna, I'm all yours, thanks for waiting," he said, striding towards her.
"Now, that's what a wife likes to hear, her man telling another woman that he's all hers," Daisy stated, coming into the room with a small crowd at her back.
"Would you like me to hit him for you?" Crystal asked, a smile playing around her lips.
"Nah, if he needs it, I can do that myself," Daisy replied. "Besides, I know just how he likes it."
Harry grinned at her, stepped over to her and gave her a searing kiss.
"You didn't greet me like that, Harry," Luna mock-pouted, "and you said that I was all yours."
"You're a married woman, remember, Luna," Harry laughed. "It wouldn't be right."
"Hi, Luna," Daisy said, disentangling herself from her husband. "I'm guessing you got the message that big, dark and troublesome over there sent?"
"I did," Luna nodded.
"And it looks like your mission was a success as well," Harry commented. "Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, thank you for coming."
"Daisy explained the situation, there was no way that we wouldn't come to help," Medusa replied.
Black Bolt signed something with his hands and Medusa nodded at him.
"Black Bolt says to tell you that a very large space ship entered the solar system not ten minutes ago," she said.
"Merlin," Harry swore. "We were hoping we had more time."
"Where is everyone?" Daisy asked.
"New York," Harry replied grimly. "Or at least, what's left of it. It was bombarded from space and completely destroyed. There're millions dead and Tony and Matt are among the missing. The Compound's gone, too. We're doing what we can to help the survivors, finding as many as we can. Vision will bring you up to speed."
The Avenger in question stepped forward.
"If you would follow me, I will show you the images that we have and tell you everything that I know," he said.
Daisy, after one tight squeeze of Harry's hand and a hard, passionate kiss, nodded at him. He reached up and wiped away her tears.
"We'll have time to grieve later," he said. "Believe me, I know what you're feeling. I'm feeling it too."
"But you've already compartmentalised," she nodded. "You're right. Stay safe, Magic Man."
"I promise that I won't be leaving the island without you."
As she walked away with Vision and the Inhumans, Luna stepped forward.
"It's true? A city was destroyed from space?" she asked, more serious than Harry'd ever seen her.
"Yeah," he sighed.
"Can the people who did it be stopped?" she asked.
"I think so. I hope so," he said. "That's why I asked you to come here. I need your advice."
"Anything," she promised.
Harry stepped up to her side and placed a hand around her. Luna's nod told him that she understood his intensions. Thus, he twisted and the two of them apparated away.
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"Father," Ebony Maw said as the four of them walked into Thanos' throne room on the Sanctuary II. "I trust that your errand was successful?"
Thanos smiled at his children and held up his bejewelled, gauntleted hand.
"It was," he replied. "And what of the task that I set you?"
Ebony Maw dropped into a low bow as he began speaking.
"We found the Mind Stone, Father," he said. "However, we were unable to obtain it for you."
"You failed?" Thanos asked with a combination of disbelief and anger in his voice.
"We were prevented from attaining it by a group of humans," Proxima Midnight replied, disgust clear in her voice. "That fool Loki called them 'Avengers'. They managed to best us in battle."
"These were the same humans who battled my Chitauri to a standstill," Thanos mused. "Clearly they need to be taught to respect their betters. How was it that you, the best warriors in the galaxy, undefeated in more systems than I care to count, were beaten by mere humans?"
"They are unlike any that we have encountered before," Ebony Maw replied. "They have extraordinary gifts. They attacked in waves and put us on the backfoot, a position that we were unable to recover from."
"Hmm," Thanos replied, turning away and pacing. Finally, he looked back up at them. "You did see the Mind Stone at least, so you have knowledge of its whereabouts. Tell me."
"It is embedded in the head of an android," Ebony Maw replied. "It has worked out how to harness its power and use it. The Avengers defended it when they realised what we were sought."
"At least we have a target," Thanos mused.
"That is not all, Father," Corvus Glaive said. "We have found an ally here."
Thanos' head snapped up, piercing him with his gaze.
"An ally, tell me more," he commanded.
"An android that calls itself 'Ultron'. It has also fought these Avengers," Corvus replied. "It provided us with tactical knowledge in advance of what Loki had given us or what we gathered during our last attack on this planet."
"We used this knowledge to sow discord among the planet's population," Ebony Maw continued. "They are primitive with a political and social environment that could be exploited. We also delivered a pre-emptive strike against the Avengers, destroying their main bases, one of their cities, and hopefully also dealing a critical blow to any response that they could mount against us."
"Unorthodox," Thanos replied. "But perhaps this planet needs some unorthodox tactics. What of the Time Stone or the Soul Stone?"
"No sign as yet, Father," Proxima Midnight replied. "But if one or both are here, we will find them."
"I have faith in you, my children," Thanos replied. "Now, this ally. I would like to meet it."
"At once, Father," Ebony Maw replied. "I will send for it."
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Harry and Luna arrived outside a small cave. As he expected, their arrival garnered instant attention and thus, he waved at the three draconian heads that had emerged to see who had entered their territory and so close to their caves at that. Seeing that it was just Harry, they disappeared back inside their caves to do whatever it was that dragons liked to do.
"You know, Rolf and his grandfather would both love to come here and interact with your dragons," Luna commented. "I don't think that they've seen a dragon in their natural habitat before."
"After all this is over, assuming of course that the planet survives, feel free to bring them here and I'll make sure that they can interact with the dragons as much as they want," Harry said. "If you could just wait here for a moment?"
With that, Harry quickly ducked into the small crack in the rock and made his way to the end. Thankfully, he knew exactly what he was looking for and where it was otherwise it would have been impossible to find. Picking up the invisible bundle, he made his way back outside.
"Harry?" Luna asked, her head cocked to the side and her silver-blue eyes looking inquisitively at the way he held his arms.
At his gesture, she copied him and sank to the ground across from him.
Carefully, Harry felt for an edge of the Cloak and unwrapped it to reveal a very distinctive wand made of elder wood and a glowing orange stone.
"I would ask if that was the three Hallows united except that that is not the Resurrection Stone," Luna commented.
"Actually, Luna, it is," Harry corrected her. "I retrieved the Stone a few days ago from where I left it all those years ago. Then Daisy cracked its casing open to reveal this gem. It is the Resurrection Stone but it also has another name: the Soul Stone, one of the Infinity Stones that made up the building blocks of the entire universe."
Luna's eyes slowly lifted from the three objects to search Harry's own eyes. Obviously, she found what she was looking for for she slowly nodded.
"You are the Master of the Hallows," she stated.
"So, I gathered," Harry deadpanned. "What I'd like to know, though, is: what does that actually mean?"
Luna carefully reached out a hand and lightly touched each object – Stone, Wand and Cloak.
"I don't know," she replied.
"You don't?" Harry asked, his hopes sinking.
"No one has united the three since they were given to the Peverell brothers," she said. "And even back them, no one individual held all three, just the one that they were given."
"'Given'," Harry repeated, latching on to that word. "Can we start there? Maybe knowing how they ended up in the wizarding world would help. Who gave them to my ancestor and his brothers?"
"Your ancestor?" Luna asked. "Of course. Ignotus Peverell whose granddaughter married a Potter."
Harry nodded. "Yes, that's what I discovered, too."
"As for who gave the objects to the Brothers, the Tale is quite clear," Luna said. "Death."
Harry's eyes never left hers as he waited for the rest of it. Unfortunately, that was it.
"You don't know any more?" he asked.
"Sorry, Harry, but no. You've read the Tale yourself. You know as much as me," Luna replied. "The Stone was given to one brother; the wand fashioned from a nearby tree and given to another brother and Death's own Cloak was cut to fashion the Cloak that has been passed down through your family through all these generations. I'm sorry, Harry, but that's all I know."
"It's okay, Luna, I knew it was a long shot," he replied. "I had just thought that there might be more to it."
"There possibly is," she said. "Is there something that made you think that? Specifically, I mean."
"Well, once I placed the Stone with the Cloak, I could feel where the wand was, even though I already knew. And when I went there, I found that the wand had repaired itself," he told her.
"Repaired? I don't understand what you mean," Luna said with a shake of her head.
"I … I'd snapped it. Years ago. I'd thought that by doing that, I could break its power, stop it from being the cause of so much death," he admitted.
"Perhaps you had something there and you didn't even realise it," she mused. "The Cloak that has the ability to hide anyone from Death's gaze; the Stone that can call all souls to it, disregarding Death's own claim; and the Wand that holds the power of Life and Death over anyone who it is turned on. Death is a theme that runs through them all."
"Dumbledore did once say that whosoever wielded all three would be the Master of Death," Harry stated, still unsure how he felt about such a designation.
"Perhaps he was right," Luna said. "You are the Master of all three and the Master of different aspects of Death. With the Wand, you can send souls into Death's realm. With the Stone, you can summon them back if you so choose. And the Cloak that hides its wearer from Death himself? Perhaps that means that there's a way for you to enter Death's domain without fear of becoming trapped there. I'm sorry, Harry, I know it's not the answers that you were looking for and all I have is, at best, guesses."
"Luna, I have very often found that your guesses have more truth to them than you realise," Harry smiled. "I wouldn't be surprised if you're right. It's just a pity that I don't have more time to fully Master what having all three in my possession means before whatever is coming arrives."
"The Harry Potter that I know has always mastered spells and problems best when he was under pressure and fighting to save not only his own life but the lives of others," Luna smiled.
She leant forward then and kissed him on the cheek before sitting back upright again.
"I have faith in you, Harry Potter," she said. "Don't hide the Hallows away, keep them with you, you never know, their mysteries may be revealed to you when you least expect it."
Harry smiled back at one of his oldest, dearest friends and her unconventional wisdom.
"I'll do that, Luna. Thank you."
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As much as he didn't want to, Steve pressed a finger against his earpiece.
"Friday, sound an All-Avengers recall to the Island," he commanded.
"Are you sure, Captain?" the AI asked.
Steve could understand why she asked. He'd been out here searching for hours. They all had been.
It had actually been surprising how many people they'd managed to find and rescue or dig up out of the rubble. Hundreds at least, between the entire team, not to mention the others that were helping – the X-men, the Inhumans, the military, ordinary citizens. Even dozens and dozens of witches and wizards had arrived with a multitude of pops and begun waving their wands, levitating pieces of concrete and bits of building, vanishing detritus and saving lives.
Hundreds, though, wasn't many. Not in a city that had held millions just hours before. Of their own, Luke had been found and Wong, both with barely a scratch although Wong's leg had been broken. Matt, too had been dug out of the remains of his office not that long ago. The report that Steve had heard said that he, as well as the two who'd been with him, had been barely alive, with more bones in their body broken than there were whole ones.
Steve hadn't had as much success finding those who were still alive, which wasn't a surprise. He'd assigned himself the area of densest destruction – right where the Tower had once stood. Hour upon hour he'd searched the area, all to no avail.
In all that time, he had not once seen a hint of red and gold armour.
He'd only found one thing, one item that he wished he hadn't but knew that it'd be wanted. A wooden sign, blackened with soot and because of that both the words and the picture on it was almost impossible to read. Only the fact that he'd seen it so many times had allowed Steve to recognise it for what it was. A stag, a wolf and a dog on one side, the name of the building that it'd once hung proudly outside of on the other.
Every telemetry that Friday had had placed Tony, placed Iron Man right next to the Tower when it'd been bombarded and all connections to the armour had been lost.
Leaning over, Steve ran an arm across his forehead, spreading even more dust and dirt there than there already had been.
"Captain?" Friday prompted.
Steve took one long, last, careful look around the blackened concrete and bricks and twisted metal and the crater that he was standing on the edge of. Nothing. Not a sign.
"Confirm," he said.
While there might not be any Avengers within his sight, Steve knew what they would all be feeling right then. None would want to stop, to give up or risk not saving anyone. Unfortunately, they knew what was coming. They all knew what was coming. One city had already been lost. One hero, one friend as well. They couldn't allow the world to be next.
"I'm sorry, Tony," he whispered.
Then, with a single, whispered phrase, he picked up the battered sign at his feet and portkeyed away.
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The large living space was crowded with Avengers and support staff. Every single one of them looked dirty, tired and depressed. Most had obviously been crying. Shoulders were shaking and even hands and fingers were bloodied and red-raw. Not one didn't show the raw emotions that they were feeling.
"Alright everyone, I know you're tired and none of you want to be here," Steve began, gaining their attention simply by speaking into the still, deathly quiet room. "But we don't have a choice. We're Avengers. That means that it's our job to do the job that has to be done, that no one else can do and, in this case, actually avenge the fallen."
"There's no news on Tony?" Peter asked, his arm around Gwen.
Steve shook his head but it was Pepper who spoke.
"Don't count him out yet," she stated fiercely. "This is just like him, to want to make a big, grandstanding entrance at the last minute. He's done it before."
Her last sentence trailed off into sobs and it was only Rhodey and Lavender catching her that stopped her from crashing to her knees.
"We will keep looking," Steve promised. "Just as soon as we've dealt with saving the planet."
"You're not alone in this," Charles Xavier stated.
Steve looked across at the clustered X-men and nodded his thanks before moving on to the Fantastic Four, the Inhumans and the Guardians. The world's heroes, united.
"Harry?" Steve said, inviting the wizard to take over the briefing.
At once, Harry stepped forward and gestured to Gangee, the head House Elf of Paradis Noir. Gangee nodded at his master and snapped his fingers. Instantly, pops could be heard all through the room as the island's elves appeared amongst the heroes bearing trays.
"You'll find two types of vials on the trays," Harry stated. "One bearing a dark blue liquid, the other a deep red. Please take one of each but don't drink either just yet."
He waited as the elves did their job. Finally, when everyone had been served, they vanished.
"I'll explain what you've been given before I begin the briefing proper," he said. "Everyone here is exhausted, there's no debating that. And going into a battle tired is not a good thing. I did that way too many times when I was younger so I know what I'm talking about. As soon as this briefing is over, go find a room, have a shower and drink the blue potion. It's a vial of dreamless sleep. It'll give you a solid, uninterrupted three hours of sleep. I'd offer you more if I could but our window is short.
"That sleep, combined with the other potion – a pepper-up – which you'll take just before we leave, will give you the energy you need for the coming battle. Please make sure that you leave your uniforms out while you sleep; the elves will ensure that they're cleaned and ready for you."
"Useful critters," Logan muttered.
"Please, they are not 'critters'," Harry admonished. "House elves are sentient beings with their own culture and feelings and magic. You do not want to annoy one, believe me. They are also my friends and this is their home."
"You have Logan's apologies, he often opens his mouth without thinking," Scott Summers stated.
Harry's nod, put an end to that conversation.
"We all know that the battle is coming. Last time Thanos sent his forces to Earth, they arrived over New York City and millions in damage was done and thousands of people lost their lives. This time, those forces have already struck an even bigger blow. Now, it's our turn to dictate terms. We will be choosing the battle ground and it won't be anywhere near any civilian whatsoever."
"Where do you have in mind?" Reed Richards asked.
Harry tapping a button brought up the holographic display of Earth. He then used his hands to manipulate it, turning it on its side and magnifying one particular part of it.
"Antarctica?" Scott blanched. "Um, I hate to point this out, but isn't that going to be a mite cold for us to battle in?"
"Ordinarily, yes," Harry replied. "However, you've forgotten one minor detail. Magic. Ted, Lavender, Nico and I will be applying warming charms on everyone. Believe me, by the time that we're done, you won't even notice the cold."
"That's handy," Pietro commented and received a number of agreeing nods.
"I have portkeys to take everyone there," Harry continued. "Once we're in position, we'll use magic to give us a few extra advantages while Doctor Strange and Wong bring the Wakandan army to us to bolster our numbers."
"What makes you sure that Thanos is going to come to us?" Bruce asked.
"Simple. Thanos wants the Infinity Stones. We know he has two and we suspect that by now he probably has a third. The final three are here in this room," Harry stated. "He'll come to us."
"Vision, Doctor Strange and Harry are the Guardians of the Mind, Time and Soul Stones respectively," Steve stated. "It's our job to make sure that they remain safe. Our second goal is to get the Stones that Thanos already has away from him."
"And defeat his giant, alien army," Sam commented.
"And defeat his giant, alien army," Steve nodded. "Once we achieve that, we can work out what to do with the Stones. Remember, this isn't just a battle for Earth, it's a battle for the entire galaxy. If Thanos wins, he will wipe out half of life everywhere in one go."
A nervous shifting of bodies told him that his point had been received.
"Group leaders," Steve said, nodding at Black Bolt and Medusa, Peter Quill, Reed Richards, Charles, Harry, Bobbi, T'Challa, Nat and Clint, "if you could stay behind? The rest of you, go hit the showers and get some shuteye. We meet back here in four hours."
As most of the heroes dispersed, Steve brought up a holographic display of the specific part of Antarctica that they'd chosen for the battle, ready to brief the leaders on the plans that he'd come up with.
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They should have been cold. Freezing even. They knew it. There was snow all around them, as far as the eye could see. They'd even landed in a shallow snow drift, their feet sinking a couple of inches when the portkey released them.
And yet … they weren't cold. Not even in the slightest.
There was a slight breeze which should have been icy but instead it felt like a soft summer breeze.
"Magic really is cool," Karolina commented.
"You guys did awesome," Molly told Nico.
"Thanks," Nico smiled. "Gert's gonna be so pissed that she missed this."
"Couldn't be helped," Chase said. "Gert's one power is controlling Old Lace and not even Harry was sure if the magic would stick to Old Lace or his dragons."
"Alright, you lot, into position," Bobbi ordered.
While the Runaways turned and headed where indicated, Nico strode forwards, out into the open where the other magic users were gathering.
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T'Challa watched as Doctor Strange and Wong, standing nearly fifty feet apart, used their magic to produce massive portals. Instead of the white of Antarctica, through them, T'Challa could see the sweeping green hills of home.
Then, precisely as arranged, the Tribes of Wakanda began marching through the portals. As soon as Okoye had stepped through, her eyes darted about, taking in the terrain until they rested on him.
"My King," she said, slapping her arms across her chest in the Wakandan salute.
T'Challa copied her and nodded. "Are the Tribes ready."
"They are," she replied. "Our magic-users followed the instructions perfectly. I can see the snow, feel it under my feet and yet I am not cold."
"A good plan," T'Challa nodded. "Not one I would have thought of."
"If it'd been left to you, we would have fought these aliens at home, where we had the home field advantage."
"And the protection of our shields," Shuri added.
T'Challa nodded to his sister who, he was unsurprised to see, was working her kimoyo beads. The half dozen beads were circling above her palm as she stared at them, a perplexed expression on her face.
"Shuri? Is something the matter?" he asked.
"I am uncertain, brother," she replied.
And then she began walking off at an angle all by herself.
T'Challa and Okoye looked at each other, shared a shrug and strode off after her. The scientist in her tended to assert control sometimes and it was all that T'Challa could do to get his sister's mind back where it was supposed to be.
"Shuri, where are you going?" he asked.
"There is something strange here, brother," she replied, her eyes not leaving her beads for an instant.
Finally, nearly two hundred metres from the Tribes, she stopped. Her head came up, she looked around, frowned and stared at her beads once again. Finally, after doing this three times, she stretched out her hand and took two more steps.
The shimmering net that appeared under Shuri's hand had T'Challa's eyes widening and his paces quickening to join her.
"Shuri?" he asked.
"It's a force field, brother," she replied. "Not unlike our own around Wakanda."
"It's created using vibranium technology? How?" he asked, quite startled by the revelation and the feeling of it under his own hand.
It was strong, of that there was no doubt. It was also invisible unless it was touched.
"I did not say that," she replied. "I said that it was not unlike our own. Exactly how it has been made, I cannot say without a lot of testing and preferably getting inside it to examine its inner workings."
"Can you tell how far it extends?" Okoye asked.
Shuri pulled her hand from the shield, rendering it invisible once again and activated her kimoyo beads.
"If what I am reading is correct, then it spans an area at least fifty kilometres in diameter," she stated.
"That is amazing," T'Challa replied. "I wonder what it hides."
"A mystery for another day," Okoye said. "The Tribes need their King and the army their Black Panther."
"You are correct, as always," he replied. "Shuri, make sure that the other group leaders know of this shield. It could prove tactically advantageous to have it at our backs in the coming conflict."
"Yes, brother," she nodded.
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Thanos sat on the steps that lead to his throne, his elbows on his knees, his hands before him. It was, however, only one of them that he focussed on. Or, more precisely, the gauntlet that he wore on his left hand.
Gems of purple, blue and red glittered back at him and he studied them. Three of the Infinity Stones won. Half of them now his to command. But it was the remaining three that truly had his thoughts.
Where were they? One, at least was on the planet below. As for the other two, he was uncertain. They'd surface, of that he had no doubt. And when they did, they'd be his for the taking.
But it was the one on Earth that he most longed for. It was so close he could almost taste it, feel it.
Thanos blinked. He searched, reached out with his mind. Yes, yes he could feel the Mind Stone. It was on the planet below.
That way!
Not that he was exactly sure where that was on the planet. Not that it mattered.
How it came to be that he was connected to the Mind Stone, Thanos neither knew nor cared at that present time. A puzzle for later, after the Stone was beside its brethren on his gauntlet.
Standing, he smiled.
Soon, very, very soon, the Stone would be his. He knew exactly where to go.
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Their spells had just finished being cast when a beam of light spun them around.
The being was huge, maybe even slightly taller than Hulk and just as muscly. However, where the Hulk was green, this being was purple. His chin was divided into multiple vertical sections which none of them doubted that Tony would have had a field day with. The fact that he wore gleaming golden armour and carried not only a helmet but a huge double-ended sword told them that he meant business.
"His gauntlet," Harry muttered, knowing that his words would be heard by the others thanks to their tech.
Three gems of different colours sat on his golden gauntlet and they knew their ultimate target: get the gauntlet.
"I take it you're Thanos," Steve said, advancing slightly, Harry on one side of him, Thor on the other.
Behind them, the only ones left visible and not hidden by the combination of notice-me-not spells and illusions were Doctor Strange, Wong, Nico and Ted.
"You've heard of me. Good," Thanos said, planting his sword in the ground.
"We know who you are," Steve replied grimly. "I strongly suggest that you leave now; you're not going to get what you want."
Thanos laughed. "You are arrogant, I'll give you that. You are also wrong. There is no doubt that before I leave this planet, I will possess that which I have come for."
"You already destroyed more than one planet, including my own, we will not let you live past this day," Thor growled.
"Your planet?" Thanos asked, surprised. "And who are you, boy?"
"I am Thor, Son of Odin, god of Thunder and King of Asgard," Thor stated, Stormbreaker and Mjolnir shifting slightly in his hands as though he was ready to attack with them.
"Asgard, yes, a pity but it sealed its own fate when it failed to hand over that which I sought," Thanos replied, holding up his gauntlet to emphasise his point. "And now, when I come seeking another Stone, I find that not only is the Stone that I was expecting not here, but two others are."
Thanos' eyes shifted to pierce both Harry and Doctor Strange.
"Hand over the Stones and you and your planet doesn't have to die."
"Not going to happen," Harry stated.
"That was not a wise choice," Thanos replied.
They watched as he lifted his hand and clenched it into a fist.
Instantly, the sky above and behind him was filled with huge black objects, all plummeting straight towards the ground. Fourteen of them landed, crashing down and sending up great plumes of snow and ice. And then their doors opened and mayhem appeared.
Streams of Chitauri poured from the doors of six of them. making a racket with their howls. From another seven, demented hound-like beings with six legs, no tails and vicious mouths full of teeth burst forth, skittering on the ice and snow and bounding towards their master.
"Outriders," Thor stated.
Four beams of blue light hit the ground between Thanos and his army to leave behind his four generals, the Black Order, the ones that the Avengers had defeated not that long ago. And the ones that had most likely retaliated by destroying New York City.
Finally, the last great door of the dropship opened and from the inside metal men with red eyes either ran or flew out to join the battle.
"Ultrons!" Bruce's startled voice sounded in their ears. "I thought we killed him years ago."
"Apparently not," Vision replied.
"Exactly how is that possible" Nat asked.
"We sent the remains of Sokovia into space," Steve said slowly. "Is it possible that Thanos found an Ultron and revived him?"
"It does answer a number of questions, including why the Tower and the Compound were targeted and why only some of our identities were released to the public," Harry said. "Ultron's information was out of date."
"Enough chatter, there's an army that needs smiting," Thor broke in.
Thanos, though wasn't done assembling his force. From out of the clouds, his great spaceship, the Sanctuary II appeared, pushing the clouds aside to appear menacingly above. And from out of its maw flew some of the great flying leviathans that they'd first seen over the skies of New York the first time Thanos' army had attacked. And swarming around them were dozens, hundreds of the chariots that they'd seen that day as well.
"Do you think he's done?" Steve asked sarcastically.
"Maybe not," Clint replied. "There's a group of lights heading our way from your ten o'clock."
"I will ask just once more," Thanos said, not once having turned around to see his army's arrival. "Hand over the Infinity Stones that you possess."
The group of lights that Clint had pointed out were approaching with rapid speed. Even in the short time that Thanos was speaking, it'd allowed them to get close enough for the Avengers to see that there were dozens of them and every single one of them looked very familiar.
"Tony?" Steve asked.
"I'm afraid not, Sir," Friday replied. "It is however the House Party Protocol. Mister Stark ordered it just before his suit went off-line."
The plethora of Iron Man suits rocketed in and around, coming to a stop above and behind the Avengers in front of Thanos in a great arc. Every suit that Tony had ever built was there and all of them appeared ready to do what Tony had always done, to fight for what was right, to defend the planet and if needed, to avenge it.
Steve turned his attention back to Thanos, still waiting for his answer.
"You can come at us with your army. You can bring everything that you've got against us. That doesn't mean that you're going to get what you want. Your reign of terror stops here and now. You will not kill any more innocents. You won't destroy any more planets. And you certainly will not be getting the Stones that we are protecting."
Thanos stared at him for a moment before tilting back his head and laughing. Finally, he brought himself back under control and lifted his arms to either side.
"You see my strength and yet you do not understand. That's because you are tiny, insignificant. Yes, my army is large but it is not my true power. You, boy, have chosen unwisely. The seven of you and your tin cans against me and mine? Surrender now and I will be merciful," he said.
"Steve, I think it's time," Harry said.
Steve glanced at him and saw not just one but two wands in his hands, just as Thor on his other side had two weapons. Both were ready to battle.
Shifting his shield slightly, Steve prepared himself as well.
"Avengers, assemble!" he commanded.