Hello, everyone! Please read:
I apologize for the long wait between updates, but this was a much larger task than I'd anticipated! This little simultaneous crossover event (which I'm calling "Horizon" behind the scenes, just for my own reference) ended up being a whopping 20,000 words across three fanfiction works, one of them brand new (go check out "From His Vantage Upon the Moon", a new AO3 exclusive short story anthology series set in this universe!); considering my average chapter length is around 2-3K words. Still, I'm pretty satisfied with the results, and it's of course been very cathartic to finally get down some concepts I've been throwing around my brain since the very beginning of this fic, two years ago.
The mechanics of this crossover event are as follows:
-Read this chapter, "Hammerfall, part 1" (ch. 18),
-Read the next chapter, "Hammerfall, part 2" (ch. 19) which should go up shortly afterwards,
-Optionally, read "Horizon" (ch. 28) over on "The Girl Who Could Knock Out the Hulk", which should go up simultaneously with "Hammerfall, part 2"
-Optionally, read the unnamed first chapter of "From His Vantage Upon the Moon"
This way, you'll have the most complete version of the events of the story! Of course, if you only want to read Changing of the Guard, that's totally fair, and I've tried my best to make it so you don't really miss out on anything - there's even repeated dialogue, albeit with differing context surrounding it (more generalized here, and more focused on Supergirl's perspective over on "The Girl Who Could Knock Out the Hulk", as she's obviously the protagonist there).
And that's about it! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and remember, the next chapter will go up today as well. Be sure to keep an eye out!
Trolls, Coulson finds, are weird. Possibly the weirdest thing he's encountered in nearly three decades of service.
They're a mismatched bunch to begin with; some are large, and almost reptilian in form. Others follow a more humanoid shape, albeit oddly proportioned, with large heads and arms, and small stubby legs. A few of them are on the short side, with gangly arms and legs that couldn't possibly support a bone structure, let alone muscles and ligaments.
He's pretty sure he even spots one shaped like a dragon, or a misshapen pterodactyl, staring hungrily at him from a crevice in the walls of this underground city.
The only things they all seem to have in common are the presence of horns on their heads, the stone that substitutes their skin...and the mistrust with which they all stare at him, even more so than at Julie.
"Welcoming bunch." -Coulson notes, quietly. Far above the cavern's ceiling, he can hear the muted sounds of battle.
"At least they aren't actively trying to eat us, which was apparently an option in the past." -Julie shrugs. "We'll be fine; Claire and Toby are some kind of heroes among their people, and we're with them."
They stop outside a chamber of some description, leading into the base of the massive crystal at the city's heart. Julie clarifies that they have to wait for Claire to fetch them - and seeing the ten foot tall Troll guards growling at them to stay put, Coulson isn't about to argue.
Coulson hums. "I gotta thank you, Julie; you saved me from having to duck out, or disguise myself as a regular S.H.I.E.L.D. agent." -he confesses. "The Avengers can't find out I'm alive."
Julie frowns. "What? Why?"
"Let's just say their first team-up didn't go as smoothly as it could've." -he says, chagrined. "They needed something to rally behind, and I ended up being that motivation. Unintentionally, mind you - I straight up died for a little while."
The teenager looks at him through narrowed eyes. "This feels like a bigger deal than you're making it out to be." -she says, deadpan.
He chuckles. "Yeah, I don't recommend it." -he says, unconsciously taking a hand to his scarred chest. "I got better, though. Helped that I got some nice post-op downtime out of it." -he reassures her. "Tahiti. It's a beautiful place."
"Uh-huh." -Julie says, unconvinced. "Still, the Avengers are pretty solidly together by now; why keep the secret still?"
"They're already wary of S.H.I.E.L.D., maybe with good reason." -he admits. "It might've been the World Security Council that decided it, but it was still a S.H.I.E.L.D. warhead that almost nuked New York. Their first post-Manhattan mission saw them recovering Chitauri tech - stolen from the Department of Damage Control, but of course, salvaged by S.H.I.E.L.D. And their latest mission at OsCorp, a week ago…" -he trails off.
"Let me guess: S.H.I.E.L.D. dipped its grubby little fingers in that particular pie, too?"
He sighs. "Yes and no. We weren't involved with OsCorp's shady dealings, to my knowledge, but one of the Avengers was seriously injured by stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. weaponry." -he shakes his head. "It would completely shatter their trust in the agency to see me up and about."
"I mean, maybe? But...since I'm assuming they cared about you enough to get over their differences in the first place, wouldn't it make them a whole lot happier to see you survived? Probably enough to off-set how angry they'd be at S.H.I.E.L.D. for keeping it a secret?" -Julie reasons.
"It's a possibility, I suppose. And I care about them, too." -he admits. "But I still trust the system. More importantly, I trust Director Fury with my life, and he was exceedingly clear about this. I can't show myself around them until he gives the green light. Maybe even never again."
Julie scoffs. "God, that's such bullshit."
"That's just the kind of sacrifices you have to make in this line of work, Julie." -he argues, though he seems a little unconvinced.
"Maybe don't lecture the girl who lost her arm trying to protect her boyfriend about sacrifices, y'know?" -she says, unimpressed, waving her prosthetic hand in front of her face. "I would never keep something like that from my friends, duty or no duty."
Coulson deflates a little, thinking of everyone he's keeping in the dark. He thinks of his odd friendship with Stark, of half-drunk venting sessions with Pepper and Happy. He thinks of Audrey, the cellist he dated for nearly half a year before his unfortunate run-in with Loki, so patient with his whirlwind lifestyle, so understanding of his need for secrecy. He thinks of Clint and Natasha, so closed off and wary around almost everyone but himself. He misses them all - misses his old life, no matter how grateful he is for this second chance he's been given.
The Núñez girl jogs up to them, interrupting his train of thought. She looks rather grim. "Hey, Julie. Agent Coulson." -she says.
"Bad news?" -Julie surmises.
"Unfortunately. Vendel won't agree to help the people up top; as long as they remain anonymously underground, they're safe both from the alien invaders and the humans. He thinks the people of Arcadia will flip when they realize the Trolls have been living under them all along - maybe even turn violent." -Claire explains.
"Valid concerns." -Coulson admits. "But the people of Arcadia could very well die if we don't do something, pronto."
Claire sighs. "I don't see how you could convince him, but you're welcome to try. Follow me."
To his credit, Iron Man only almost blasts Gwen as she limps towards them.
They've been working on unlocking the Rust Bucket's upgrades; according to the specs in Max's old Plumber's Badge, they should render the unassuming, decades old RV durable enough to survive the trip towards the Hammer - because of course the damn thing can fly, it has a Nova starfighter engine, after all. The problem is, anything beyond the normal operation of the Rust Bucket is locked behind a sophisticated biometric lock that answers only to a Tennyson, and though Max left Kevin the figurative keys to the kingdom, he apparently forgot to make an exception for him in the permitted pilot roster before he blasted off into space to fight a war.
It's kinda sweet that he just instinctively thinks of Kevin as one of their own, sure, but it's also a hell of an inopportune time to be reminded that Max is seventy-two years old, and getting a little bit forgetful in his old age.
Having Iron Man around has definitely made an impact, at least, enough that they can afford to fiddle with the Rust Bucket; almost immediately, he proves even better capable of holding the line all on his own than him, Julie, and all of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents combined. Kevin has never had anywhere near the level of hero worship Ben has, but seeing the armored Avenger in action, he can understand it; there is a practiced ease to his motions, to the way he easily prioritizes and destroys his enemies, seemingly unfazed by their numbers, tactics, and firepower. Their little Alien Force team can hold its own, of course - they'd be dead by now if they couldn't - but it's hard to even begin to compare to an actual, professional superhero.
If not for the fact that Vilgax's ship can seemingly produce troops about as fast as Iron Man can destroy them - and that, y'know, his best friend is most likely trapped in the bowels of an alien dreadnought by an incredibly powerful warlord - Kevin might just let him handle the rest of Vilgax's forces.
At any rate, that's where they're at when Gwen returns to them - Kevin and Stuart cursing at the Rust Bucket's console, Maria Hill keeping watch for any stray alien drones, and Iron Man raining death all around them.
Stark pipes up first. "Huh, that's a new one." -he mutters into their comms. "This one came out pink."
Agent Hill snorts. "What, is he running out of toner?" -she snarks.
"Well, it's shaped like a naked woman, so I'm gonna go with no." -Stark retorts, sarcastically. "Maybe Vilgax is actually trying to kill us because he got on the Internet for all of five seconds. Anyway, I'm gonna blow it up."
Kevin's eyes widen as he figures it out. "Wait! I think that's Gwen!" -he shouts into the comlink. "Don't shoot her!"
He doesn't, though it's a close thing; Iron Man still lands between them, repulsors charged and ready to fire, clearly skeptical of the newcomer's intentions.
Gwen walks up to them, clearly exhausted, even limping. Kevin's eyes widen in shock - like Stark said, she's been completely stripped of her human skin, reduced to the crystalline violet material that makes up an Anodite's true form. The superhero did exaggerate a bit about her nudity, though - though Gwen's clothes are definitely gone, her body is smooth and nearly featureless, akin to a living mannequin. Only her face is still distinctly recognizable, even if her eyebrows are gone and her trademark red hair has become a magenta energy construct, seemingly detached from the effects of gravity.
"Vilgax took Ben." -she announces, slumping forward. Kevin barely manages to catch her, both of them falling awkwardly to the ground. "He's inside the ship."
"Yeah, we figured." -Stark says, begrudgingly powering down his weapons. "You okay, kid? You're looking a little...pink."
Gwen looks up, annoyed, heedless of Stark's celebrity status. "I just lost my humanity trying and failing to keep an alien warlord from killing my cousin and destroying my town, so zip it."
"I'm so sorry, Gwen." -Kevin laments. "I should've been there with you."
She shakes her head. "No, no. I hate to say it, but Vilgax would've killed you. You did the right thing, staying behind and helping evacuate the town."
It definitely stings to hear it, but Kevin knows she wouldn't say something like that if it weren't true. Gwen sighs. "We hurt him a lot, but he can regenerate. I don't even know if there's a limit to it - Heatblast partially melted him down to a skeleton, and he still bounced back in a matter of moments."
Stark's helmet retracts. "What's a Heatblast?"
"The name of one of Ben's ten alien forms." -Kevin explains. "They all have superhero names. He's just that big of a dork." -he says, equal parts exasperated and fond.
The older man smirks. "Sounds like Ben's got the branding part of being a hero down."
Kevin snorts as he helps Gwen up, leading them both to the Rust Bucket. Stuart is trying his hardest to figure out the Plumber Badge, but it won't respond to him. That changes, though, once Gwen steps inside - but not because she's Gwen Tennyson, apparently.
"Registered Anodite energy signature detected." -the dashboard chimes in. "Loading user profile: Verdona."
The RV shudders, its whole frame shifting and rearranging, transparent hard-light armor enveloping the fiberglass panels of the GMC Royale, a golden energy shield settling over the 'hull' of the converted starship like a film made of stardust. The Nova engine rumbles, shaking off decades of inactivity. It's not exactly the most aerodynamic design - the front of the RV has become a sort of battering ram, looking like the head of a hammerhead shark, and the stabilizers at either side would make for terrible wings, if push came to shove. Still, Kevin has no doubt that the old girl is spaceworthy - now they just have to make it to the Chimeran Hammer.
"You guys are just full of surprises, aren't you?" -Stark snarks. Kevin grins, smug.
"Ah, blast. I almost had it, too." -Stuart jokes. "Oh, well. All aboard the flying brick, then?"
"What, you're coming with?" -Kevin raises an eyebrow.
"Someone with a driver's license oughta." -the Durian shrugs. "You lot have no experience piloting a starship. I'm no Max Tennyson, but I can do it. Er, if you'll have me, of course."
Kevin shrugs. "No time to argue about it." -he mutters, turning to Gwen. "Can you still fight?"
"It's just about all I can do now." -she says, darkly. "Don't you dare leave me behind, Kevin."
"I'll escort you there." -Iron Man suggests. "I think I can take a few more hits than this old hunk-a-junk."
"Are you sure? You might be surprised." -Kevin taunts.
"Oh, at this point, I think I'll buy anything you tell me, kid. Like I said, you're the experts here." -Stark counters. "But, more importantly, I'm the Avenger in the room, quote-unquote. I'm the one supposed to be taking hits."
"Tony's right, for once." -Hill agrees. "Just focus on rescuing your friend, in and out. Don't take any unnecessary risks - and if you run into Vilgax, bail. We'll figure something out." -she says, turning to Stark. "I'll lead a fighting retreat downtown with Domzalski; circle back around once they're inside, Stark. Good luck, everyone."
Iron Man rolls his eyes at Hill ordering him around, but he ultimately nods, the helmet reassembling itself around his head. He blasts off into the distance, clearing them a runway for takeoff as he goes.
Stuart cracks his knuckles. "Right. On with the show, you two."
The teens strap into their seats, and the Rust Bucket flies.
"How do you know so much about the Omnitrix, anyway?" -Ben asks. Part of him is trying to distract Vilgax - stall him, hoping against hope that the Avengers will be here sooner than Coulson predicted - but he's also genuinely curious. Vilgax may be his enemy, but he's also taught him more than anyone else about what the galaxy is truly like.
It's...a complicated feeling.
Vilgax grumbles, annoyed. The Omnitrix has been rather uncooperative so far. "The Omnitrix's legend has been told for thousands of years; I have spent the better part of the past few centuries researching it. Tracking it down." -he says. "Even then, I would still be unsuccessful, had I not stumbled upon the ruins of the Galvan homeworld. I found one of my own kind - encased in Petrosapien crystal, untouched by time - and studied her files." -Vilgax reveals.
Ben gasps. "Myaxx?"
The Chimera turns, intrigued. "Indeed. How do you know of her, Tennyson?" -he wonders.
"The Omnitrix showed me a vision of Azmuth's death." -he says. He decides not to reveal that the Galvan inventor's mental imprint survives inside the Watch. "I saw him get cut down by a Petrosapien named Tetrax. He's the one who trapped Myaxx - and the genetic source for my own Petrosapien transformation, I'm pretty sure."
Vilgax grunts. "They were the first victims of Azmuth's hubris." -he says, darkly. "But certainly not the last."
"You say that like your hands are clean, Vilgax." -Ben calls out. "But no matter how noble you claim your crusade is, you're destroying homes and taking innocent lives."
"A mere few for the sake of the many." -Vilgax simply retorts.
"Ten worlds' worth of people doesn't sound like 'a few' to me."
"And yet it is, in the context of an entire galaxy." -Vilgax purrs. "My conquest was merely getting started when your elder foolishly decided to oppose me. Much like you, he came and challenged me, completely ignorant of the larger context surrounding my crusade. Oh, how he fussed and wallowed about the worlds I had subjugated into my forces - and yet, when I tried to teach him the truth of Thanos' madness, he did not listen. In this, you are his better."
"Yeah, well. Maybe he was smarter than me. Maybe I'm just a sucker for buying your tragic backstory."
Vilgax cackles. "Maybe so, Tennyson." -he says, turning back to his readings. "What I could have achieved, by now, had he not interfered…"
"Maybe if your plan weren't 'creating an army of genetic superweapons answering only to you', he might've given you a chance. I'm only helping you because I care too much about the people of Arcadia to let you wipe them out." -Ben says, scathing.
Vilgax sneers at him. "Oh? And what would you propose I do, instead?"
Ben shrugs, as much as the apparatus he's bound to allows him. "If I were you, I'd use the Omnitrix to bring back my people. Even if I couldn't specifically bring back my loved ones, humanity would have a chance to start over, live on in the spirit of everyone we lost."
The Chimera's face tentacles twitch a little. "The gods must enjoy their cycles." -he grumbles, after a moment. "Your predecessor suggested something similar, when he confronted me. I would love nothing more, Tennyson, than to give the Chimera a second chance at life - but I cannot, so long as the Mad Titan lives on."
"What, you think he'd go back to get it right by his current standards?" -Ben asks, sarcastically.
"I'd not put it past him, but that is not the reason." -he says. Vilgax stares at his closed fist. "The curse I willingly took into myself in order to defeat Thanos - the dark magics that allow me to survive most any injury - is entirely reliant on the Chimera race staying dead. My strength, my immortality…they are fueled by their raging souls. Even a single surviving Chimera would significantly reduce my power."
Ben's eyes widen. "But then...what about Myaxx? Don't tell me you killed her!"
Vilgax rumbles. "No, Tennyson, I did not harm her. But I didn't rescue her, either. She remains a prisoner among the ruins of Galvan Prime, unmoored from the flow of time. I could not risk her liberty affecting my abilities." -he says, then looks down. "And...I could not stand the possibility of losing yet another member of my species. Had I freed her, she would've been a target because of my actions. The Nova, the Kree, and of course, the Black Order...they would stand to gain much by using her against me as a bargaining token."
Ben sighs. He's getting real tired of the whiplash between Vilgax's noble warrior schtick and his violent, warmongering tendencies. He doesn't get to berate him this time, though, as one of his screens flashes red and displays a pair of approaching objects.
...is that the Rust Bucket?, he silently wonders.
"It seems I have been too slow." -Vilgax grumbles. "Your allies come to your rescue."
His stomach drops. "Don't you dare hurt them!" -he warns.
Vilgax turns toward him. "You have been most cooperative, Tennyson. In that spirit, I will try to refrain from slaying them." -he claims. "But I don't like being interrupted...and rebellion must be punished."
He stomps away, leaving him alone with the hum of the machine trying to take the Omnitrix away from him. Ben grunts, willing himself to become Four Arms; he's surprised to find that he can even do it, but it wears off when the machine immediately zaps the crap out of him. He tries to endure the shock long enough to pull himself out, but even the Tetramand's incredibly high pain threshold gives out, and he's forcibly swapped back to human.
"Goddamn it, Ben." -he hisses, gasping for breath. "Think, think!"
So he does, cycling through his available transformations in his head; his first plan is to turn into Big Chill and phase out of the restraints, but even as they manage to last long enough through the pain that they become intangible, the energy field enveloping their body still renders them largely immobile, keeping them in place. His second idea is to turn into Diamondhead and burst through the restraints using a crystal construct; the Petrosapien can weather the pain better than the others - even though it still hurts like hell - but the device won't budge, presumably forged from the same metal as Vilgax's own armor.
Third time's the charm, though, as he realizes he does have one alien incapable of feeling pain; he becomes Goop, its viscous body completely unfazed by the electrical current running through it - and though it remains trapped within the confines of the energy field, its gravity projector actually spawns above the device. Goop wills the device to pull its gelatinous mass upward, rubbing up against the metal arch projecting the field, and becomes acidic; it takes a few moments, but the substance eats through the metal as surely as it had started to damage the warlord's armor, and the delicate inner wiring swiftly follows.
Goop lands in a puddle below the damaged apparatus. After a green flash, Ben shudders and shakes his head, disoriented - even with all the extra practice, becoming the Polymorph remains a supremely weird experience.
Ben takes stock of his situation; he could just fly himself out as Big Chill and rejoin the defenders back at Arcadia, hoping that their combined power will be enough to finally take down Vilgax, but the town would be no safer than it is now - if anything, he's secured its doom, by destroying the machine trying to take the Omnitrix off of him. Part of him almost goes, anyway - Vilgax has personally gone after his family now, and as much as he hates to admit it, only Gwen has the power to keep him at bay.
Still, he's in a somewhat privileged position; he's inside the dreadnought, and the warlord probably won't be back for a while. This is his chance to try and make sure that the Chimeran Hammer can't threaten his home any longer - and perhaps, to even prevent it from leaving Earth at all.
He's in the middle of trying to figure out where exactly he is in the ship when the door to the lab - at least, he thinks this is a lab - bursts open, smoldering, twisted metal punched through by a powerful energy weapon. He becomes Diamondhead, ready for trouble - but when the smoke clears, his jaw drops.
Hala limps in, struggling to lift the severed arm of one of Vilgax's big drones. She looks exactly like you might expect someone who went down with the ship to look - drying blue blood and burns all over her body, minor pieces of shrapnel embedded into her skin, and most gruesome of all, a missing left eye.
Diamondhead can't believe the Kree Accuser is still alive. "And here I thought I needed to save you, Tennyson." -she grunts, dropping her makeshift weapon. He runs over, just in time to catch her before she collapses completely. She shoots him a dirty look, though it's clearly fraught with pain. "Don't you give me that look, boy. I'll survive this battle yet."
"Hey, I believe it." -he says, though he's not too sure he means it. "We need to disable this thing's weapons. Do you have any idea how to do that?"
Hala snorts. "I'm no expert on centuries old Chimeran dreadnoughts." -she says, deadpan. "But I'm sure we can destroy enough important-looking things on the way to the escape pods. Are you game, as Terrans say?"
The Petrosapien grins. "Oh, I'm game."
The plan goes to hell about ten seconds in.
All things considered, Stuart is actually a hell of a pilot; he deftly dodges most of the incoming laserfire, clunky as the Rust Bucket probably is, and the shields easily take care of whatever manages to hit them. He's kind of annoying in that he does it while running a nervous monologue, ranting about the last time he piloted a starship of any description - it was a rental, a classic really, and half the reason he won't leave Earth is so he doesn't have to pay his deductible for crashing it - but keeping them alive earns him the right to ramble, as far as Kevin is concerned.
Unfortunately, it seems like their daring endeavor has drawn the attention of the main man; Vilgax flies out of the dreadnought's ventral hangar bay, sat astride a Gamma drone that clearly struggles to hold his weight. He wields an oversized blaster, and he's gunning for them.
Their reckless charge becomes something of a desperate chase sequence, as Stuart tries his best to avoid Vilgax's shots; Tony tries to help, but Vilgax manages to keep him at bay by blasting him with some kind of tracking eye beams the armored Avenger barely manages to evade.
"This isn't working." -Gwen says. Kevin has tried not to comment on it, but the (former) redhead has been muttering under her breath the whole time, trying to figure out a spell that'll return her human form to her. So far, she has been completely unsuccessful. "We need to stick to the original plan, charge straight in there."
"Apologies, Gwen." -Stuart winces. "But Mr. Stark was right; the Rust Bucket's shields are powerful, but they're not meant to take on a dreadnought. We'd only be able to take two, maybe three hits before they'd break."
The Rust Bucket shudders, momentarily knocked off course by one of the Hammer's point-defense cannons. Vilgax is clearly trying to corral them towards them. "And there went one of 'em." -Kevin laments.
"Well, maybe I can give us a few more." -she says, unbuckling herself and heading for the sunroof. She climbs outside, heedless of the howling wind, and concentrates all her energy on creating a bubble around the RV.
It makes them a much bigger target, unfortunately - Vilgax almost immediately scores a trio of hits where before he was missing almost all of them - but even the power of a juvenile Anodite is nothing to scoff at; hairline fractures appear with every blow, but Gwen swiftly mends them.
"Brilliant!" -Stuart cheers. "Now, if only we had some sort of opening…"
As if by an act of providence, a blur of blue and red flies past them, and Kevin watches as Supergirl herself slams into Vilgax, sending them both plummeting down towards the surface.
"That good enough for ya?" -Kevin raises an eyebrow.
The Durian grins like a madman. "Hold onto your horses, kids!" -he yells, the Rust Bucket blasting forward, straight towards one of thinner sections of the hull. Kevin braces for impact, and they crash through the alien metal.
There you go! I didn't originally plan to split this chapter in half - in fact, it messed up my simultaneous release schedule - but I ran into a very spoilery problem that should become obvious when you read the next chapter (which should be up in just a little while!). Had I released all three chapters simultaneously, anyone who read the Supergirl chapter over on "The Girl Who Could Knock Out the Hulk" would've gotten a MAJOR spoiler for this story.
That being said, I do highly recommend you read all four chapters as suggested in the notes at the top! Even though I tried my best to make it so you could just stick to the story of your preference, this is still one big, interconnected universe. I really hope you give the other stories a chance!
As always, thank you for your attention! Make sure to comment or message me if you have any questions about this story. Look me up on Twitter as Darthkvzn or Tumblr as darthkvznblogs if you'd like - and on Ko-fi, as Darthkvzn, if you like what I do and have a buck to spare.
Until next time!