Chapter 42: The Kang Dynasty

"Stark, we're out of time. Kang's forces have taken over three fourths of the planet, and for every city we're holding, four more fall."

"Please don't tell me you only called so you could give me a pep talk, Hill."

"No, I called because that base you found is on the move. My people have detected a massive energy surge coming from that ship, and it looks like it's ready to fire. If that thing goes off… a whole lot of people are gonna die."

"Not gonna happen, Hill. we're on it."

In the Mansions hanger bay, the Avengers were all suited up in red and white space suits, each one reflective of his or her usual costume, though Hulk mostly just had shorts and a breathing mask. They all boarded the Quinjet, with Black Widow at the controls and Iron Man sitting next to her. The Quinjet was then submerged before the exit tunnel opened up, allowing the Quinjet to rocket out of the hanger and through the tunnel. Within seconds, the Quinjet shot out of the river and upwards towards space, its occupants ready to take the fight to Kang.

Onboard the Damocles, Kang was at his command deck when one of his subordinates came up to him.

"My lord, the target is locked."

"You may fire when ready."

Back with the Avengers, they continued flying upwards, with Cap feeling more than a little anxious.

"How much time do we have until Kang's weapon is ready?"

Just then, three green beams shot down past them, much to their shock.

"Not enough," Iron Man lamented.

"What was that thing?" Wasp asked.

Hawkeye looked out one of the windows and took a look.

"It's a targeting laser. And a big one. Stark, any idea where it's aiming?"

"Uh… at us."

"But we're over the city," Ant-Man realized. "A blast that size would destroy everything!"

"Something tells me Kang doesn't care," Wolverine remarked. "Kang wants the Avengers gone… no matter what."

"... Nay!" Thor declared, getting out of his seat and opening the door.

"Thor, wait!" Wasp called out as Thor flew off.

Thor took off like a shot upwards, leaving the jet and its occupants in the dust.

"I've never seen him go that fast before," Iron Man marvelled.

"What's he doing?" Widow asked.

"He's saving us all," Cap answered.

Up on the Damocles, a massive surge of energy was building up on the outside, before finally shooting off towards the planet. Thor saw the energy blast coming, prompting to spin his hammer, charging it with energy.

"For Midgard!" He proclaimed, swinging his hammer as the shot came down.

There was a sudden stop before the shot bounced back at the Damocles, hitting it and causing its systems to go haywire. Thor, meanwhile, was falling back to Earth at an alarming speed, much to the dismay of the Avengers as he fell past them.

"He's not slowing down!" Spider-Man noted.

"We have to go back!" Wasp insisted.

"We can't," Widow shot down. "We have to keep moving before Kang gets the chance to fire again."

"I hate to admit it, but Widow's right," Cap admitted. "Thor gave us this chance, we have to take it."

"I'll get him," Falcon volunteered. "You guys keep going!"

Falcon then opened the door and dove out, extending his wings as he chased after Thor. As the ground got closer and closer, Falcon did his best to speed up to the unconscious Asgardian. Finally, Falcon reached his hand out and grabbed Thor's arm, veering upwards to keep him from falling.

"Talk to me, Sam," Cap insisted. "Is he alive?"

"Yeah. He's out like a light, but he's still breathing. I'm taking him back to the Mansion."

"Thank you, Sam."

"Good luck, guys."

The Quinjet continued its flight, breaking free of the atmosphere and heading straight towards the Damocles.

"Report!" Kang demanded.

"Something… something deflected the Damocles' weapon right at us," a technician reported. "The weapon is offline. It doesn't make sense, though. This era's technology is incapable of-"

"It was no technology," Kang cut off, looking at the screen. "It was the Avengers. Launch scarabs! Destroy them!"

Outside the Damocles, several ships shot out, opening fire on the Quinjet. Widow did her best to veer around the blasts, but some got a little too close for comfort.

"Uh, not to backseat drive or anything," Hawkeye spoke up. "But maybe you should consider shooting back?"

Widow responded by pressing a button on the control console, opening the slot for a turret right next to Hawkeye.

"By all means, knock yourself out."

"Cool," Clint replied, taking the turret controls and opening fire.

The shots instantly made contact with several ships, destroying them instantly. Despite Hawkeye's exceptional aim, the enemy ships still pressed their attack.

"We can't keep this up forever," Cap let out.

"Agreed," Iron Man concurred, getting up out of his seat. "Wasp, let's go!"

Wasp went wide eyed, looking on either side of her.

"You mean me?"

Seconds later, the two of them were jetting out of the Quinjet and into space. Wasp was in slight awe of it all.

"I can't believe it… I'm in space."

"Focus up, Wasp," Iron Man insisted. "We need to clear a path for the others."

"Love to, but last time I checked, my stingers don't do much against those things."

"They do now. I gave them a little upgrade."

Curious by this, Wasp fired a blast at one of the oncoming ships, completely destroying it.

"Ok, that is awesome! Let's do this!"

The two of them instantly began flying around space, blasting at every ship that came their way.

Onboard the Quinjet, Hawkeye continued blasting ships left and right.

"Welp, that clinches it," He declared. "I'm an ace shot with anything."

"Cut the chatter, Red 2," Spidey quipped. "We got more incoming."

"Did you seriously just make a Star Wars reference?"

"What? I quip in a crisis."

"Stay focused," Cap insisted. "Hawkeye, we need a place to land this bird."

"Working on it," Hawkeye replied, looking at a readout of the ship. "There's an airlock on the port side, just below the bridge."

"I'm on it," Widow replied, steering the ship towards the airlock.

The Quinjet skimmed alongside the surface of the ship before reaching the entrance, which unfortunately was sealed off.

"Somehow, I doubt they're just gonna open it for us," Ant-Man lamented.

"Hey Hulk," Hawkeye spoke up. "Why don't you knock?"

Hulk grinned before leaping out of the ship towards the entrance, smashing through it like it was nothing. The Quinjet quickly flew inside after the jade giant.

"Iron Man, Wasp, we have an opening," Cap reported. "We're going in."

Iron Man and Wasp quickly flew towards the opening as the Quinjet landed inside. Before they could get inside though, a forcefield suddenly appeared, sealing the hole and cutting off the two heroes from the rest of the group.

"Great," Iron Man lamented. "Guys, we're cut off. A force field sealed the breach."

"Hang on," Ant-Man told them. "We'll try and find a way to shut it down."

"No, stick to the plan. We'll find another way inside."

"We will?" Wasp questioned.

"I don't know, I'm making this up as I go."

Suddenly, the two were fired upon by more ships.

"Looks like we've got company," Iron Man lamented.

"Swell," Wasp remarked.

Inside the Damocles, the Avengers disembarked from the Quinjet and readied themselves for the fight ahead.

"I'm in a spaceship from the future about to fight a time traveling maniac," Spidey marveled. "You know, if it wasn't for the almost certain death, this would be so amazing."

"I know how you feel," Ant-Man agreed.

"You two can geek out over it after we defeat Kang," Widow reminded.

"Right," Ant-Man replied. "Violence first, scientific progress later."

Just then, something fast zoomed out of nowhere and knocked Hawkeye to the ground. As the rest of the group looked around to find the source, Cap was knocked aside too. He shook his head and looked for the cause, only to find three imposing individuals on top of the Quinjet. One was in a light purple full bodysuit with a mask and sword. A second had green and purple armor reminiscent of Kang's with a gladiator helmet and blaster, and the third was a behemoth had a purple and black suit with spikes on the shoulders, a green and gold chest piece, and a spiked mace.

"Kang the Conqueror welcomes you to Damocles Base," the gladiator greeted. "It will be your tomb."

The gladiator opened fire on the group, causing Hulk to leap out of the way and Ant-Man to shrink down. Hulk landed on the ground and charged at the behemoth, but he easily swung his axe at Hulk, knocking him aside. Hawkeye slowly picked himself up as he took note of the battle going on. He quickly took out an arrow and fired it at the gladiator as he tried shooting at Cap, but it was quickly cut into by the swordsman. He then ran up to Hawkeye and punched him in the face repeatedly before hitting him so hard, he fell to the ground.

Black Widow meanwhile was unleashing her widow stings on the behemoth, but they didn't seem to be making much impact. The behemoth tried bringing his mace down on her, but she quickly flipped out of the way and onto his shoulders. She tried shooting him in the face, but it did little more than annoy him as he grabbed her by the arm and threw her off.

After dodging one of the gladiators' blasts, Cap tried throwing his shield at him, only for him to disappear right in front of him. As Cap reclaimed his shield, the gladiator appeared behind him, blasting him in the back. Just then, Ant-Man grew normal sized and tried punching him across the face, only for him to blast him in the chest. Wolverine leapt towards the swordsman and tried to slash at him, but he easily sped out of the way. He sped behind him and slashed at his back, prompting him to spin around and slash at the swordsman but only slicing at air. This continued several times with the swordsman slicing at Wolverine and Wolverine slicing at the air around him.

The behemoth meanwhile was trying to crush Spider-Man under his mace, only for the webhead to leap out of the way every time. As Spidey landed, he tried webbing the behemoth, but he simply disappeared in front of his eyes.

"Ok, that's just cheating," Spidey commented as the behemoth appeared behind him and smacked him to the ground.

As Spidey landed with a thud, he looked up and saw the swordsman heading over to Hawkeye. Thinking fast, he pulled out one of his web cartridges from his belt.

"Hawkeye! Heads up!"

Spidey tossed the cartridge over to Hawkeye, who caught it and quickly attached it to one of his arrows.

"Thanks, kid!" he called back, firing the arrow at the swordsman.

The swordsman quickly sliced through the arrow, only for the web cartridge to explode on him and entangle him in a cocoon of webbing. Hawkeye smirked at the sight as he got back to his feet. Just as he drew another arrow, the gladiator appeared behind him and grabbed his arms.

"Do you honestly believe you can defeat us by throwing sticks at us?" he boasted.

"Hey, they're very cool sticks," Hawkeye remarked, activating the flashbang arrow he drew.

The gladiator stumbled back as he held his eyes, leaving him open for Cap to throw his shield at him, knocking him out. The behemoth narrowed his eyes at Cap as he charged towards him, only to be rammed into by Hulk, knocking him to the ground. Before even having the chance to react to it, Giant-Man's massive hand came crashing down on him, knocking him out.

Outside the ship, Iron Man and Wasp found an alternate route inside the ship, only for it to be sealed off as well.

"I could try my unibeam on it," Iron Man suggested.

"Or we could knock and pretend to be Girl Scouts," Wasp suggested. "Everyone opens the door for Girl Scouts."

"Not helping."

Wasp just rolled her eyes before looking out and seeing some ships heading their way.

"You want help? I'll get you help."

Wasp then flew off, much to Iron Man's confusion.

"Jan? Jan?! Great, now I have to deal with Wasp going nuts."

Wasp then flew right in front of the passing ships, giving them a playful wave.

"Hi."

The ships instantly chased after her, prompting her to fly back towards Iron Man.

"Incoming!"

Iron Man saw the approaching ships and instantly flew upwards, allowing them to crash into the side of the ship and unblock the opening.

"Ok… that was good work," Iron Man commended as he floated next to Wasp.

"Thanks," She replied, flying towards the ship. "Now come on."

"Sir, we've detected multiple breaches along the ship," one of the deck hands reported. "The elite guard have not responded from the airlock breach and-"

Suddenly, an alert on the screen he was manning popped up.

"Another intruder alarm was reported on Deck 7-2."

"I. Need. Confirmation," Kang demanded.

"Yes sir."

"Sir," another deckhand chimed in. "the fleet over what was known as Wakanda is gone. All time drives have been reported destroyed."

Kang just clenched his fists in response.

"I will not be beaten by a bunch of neanderthals!" Kang proclaimed as he began to disappear. "Hold the line!"

Back in the hanger, the Avengers managed to use the behemoth's mace to tie them all up as they pulled themselves together.

"You know, this whole experience is not helping my annoyance with speedsters," Hawkeye commented.

"Maybe you're just too slow for them," Widow teased.

"So, now what?" Spidey asked. "Find Kang and punch him until he surrenders?"

"Maybe not," Ant-Man replied. "We need to find the ship's Time Drive. If I'm right, if we destroy it, it will send not just Kang's ship, but all of his remaining fleets back to his timeline."

"Uh… I say we do that," Spidey spoke.

"Any idea on how to find it?" Cap asked.

"Just need a moment," Ant-Man replied, pressing a few buttons on the screen of his console. "I'm reprogramming my helmet to scan for tachyon particles. The other drives were giving them off, big time."

"Sweet," Spidey remarked. "Does it have wifi too?"

"Uh… no. down this way."

"What?" Spider-Man asked as everyone started walking off. "You know, some of us have a life outside of the costume, you know."

"Just move it, bub."

"Ah, there it is," Spider-Man noted as he swung up to the others. "Missed that."

Meanwhile, Wasp had made her way into one of the ship's ventilation ducts, leaving Iron Man behind.

"You know, we were supposed to stay together."

"I'm scouting ahead. Besides, you're too big, and if I'm being honest, too slow."

As she kept moving, a sudden burst of air sent her flying out of the vent and into a random room. As Jan got herself stabilized, she came face to face with Princess Ravonna, who was now sealed inside some kind of stasis tube unconscious.

"Oh!" Wasp let out. "Uh… hi." no response. "Are you ok?"

"Princess Ravonna is dying."

Wasp turned around and saw three soldiers with guns in hand.

"A victim of the destruction of her timeline. She is not 'ok'. And neither are you."

Meanwhile, the Avengers fought their way through Kang's forces until they reached the Time Drive, which seemed like a massive tube of green energy stretching across the room.

"This is it," Ant-Man informed. "The Time Drive."

"Heh," Wolverine remarked. "Bigger than I thought it would be."

"I don't care how big it is," Hulk replied. "It's getting smashed!"

Hulk then ran up to the Drive and punched it, only for an energy barrier to block him and knock him back. Just then, an alarm started sounding, prompting the heroes to look up and see four panels on the ceiling fire electric beams at the group. Cap used his shield to block one while Ant-Man got hit by one of the others. Hulk used his body to block the others as Widow and Hawkeye shot down the panels, giving them a brief reprieve. It didn't last long though as the robots that invaded New York began popping out of the walls, much to their annoyance.

"Oh, give me a break," Spider-Man commented.

Cap immediately threw his shield at one as Wolverine ran forward and slashed another. The other Avengers did their best to fight off the invading robots, but their numbers continued to increase with each one they took down.

"We can't get past the Time Drive's shield!" Widow let out, firing her widow stings. "Now what?!"

After dispatching another robot, Cap went over to Ant-Man, still out cold on the floor.

"Hank!" He called out, kneeling over him. "Hank, come on!"

"He's out Cap," Hawkeye told him. "We need to think of something! Maybe we can reprogram the computer systems!"

"I… I wouldn't even know where to begin," Cap admitted. "Spider-Man?!"

"Would love to," Spidey replied, webbing a robot down to the ground. "But I don't even see a terminal to work with."

Before long the Avengers were surrounded on all sides by robots, seemingly ready to destroy them by any means.

"Enough!"

Suddenly, the robots halted, and began parting on either side of each other, allowing Kang to float towards them.

"You came to fight me, Avengers?" Kang boasted. "Here I am!"

Wolverine just scoffed as he popped his neck.

"So you're what all the fuss is about, huh? Have to say, I'm not impressed."

"You will learn to fear me soon enough, animal!"

"Alright, Hawkeye spoke up, drawing an arrow. "You know what, I'm glad we're gonna wipe out your timeline! Cause any future ruled by you must suck!"

Hawkeye fired the arrow at Kang, only for him to telekinetically redirect it back at Hawkeye. Hawkeye quickly dove out of the way before the arrow went off, knocking him into a wall and knocking him out. Hulk leapt at the conqueror, but was instantly blocked by a forcefield that sent him flying back into the fray of robots. Wolverine tried running at him, but Kang simply levitated him and slammed him into the energy shield, causing him to cry out in pain before dropping to the ground.

Spider-Man and Black Widow both fired at Kang, but he easily shielded himself from the attacks before blasting Spider-Man in the chest, knocking him out. Widow meanwhile ran towards him, leaping off some of the robots until she could leap up to him and kick him in the face. He however, simply swatted her aside, causing her to fall hard onto the floor.

Cap was the only one left as he tossed his shield at Kang, only for him to knock it aside as he trapped Cap in an energy bubble.

"You and your teammates have fought well, Steven Rogers," Kang commended. "But this outcome was inevitable. I will do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of my timeline."

"We want the same thing Kang," Cap reasoned. "We can work together to make sure Earth survives this war."

Kang paused for a second.

"Perhaps… there is a way."

That caught Cap's attention, though he remained incredibly skeptical.

"What are you suggesting, Kang?"

"The Avengers formed because of a threat that existed in your time, but if the threat were removed beforehand, the Avengers would have no cause to assemble. I could give you that chance."

"What are you talking about?"

"What if I could send you back? Back to 1945. You could stop the plane from crashing, keep HYDRA from getting their hands on the tesseract. Why, you could even prevent Sergeant Barnes from ever becoming the Winter Soldier. You could have the life you've always wanted."

Cap would have been lying if he said the idea wasn't tempting. He imagined pulling Bucky from the ice, meeting Peggy at the Stork Club for that dance, and even keeping Logan from ending up with Weapon X. Still, something inside of him kept him from jumping at the chance, something that kept him from immediately saying yes.

"If I did this… I could stop a lot of horrors and death… but I would also be forsaking a lot of people here and now. People who count on me. People who need Captain America. Going back would be nice… but it would be a lie."

Kang just scowled before tossing him aside, knocking him to the ground.

"You fool! I extend you an olive branch and you cast it aside?!

"Sorry, but I'll take my chances."

"Then you invite your own demise. I do enjoy the irony of you, a man out of time, thinking he can beat the master of time."

"Cept I'm not the one who's out of time."

"What are you-"

Just then, a repulsor blast shot across the room, knocking Kang into the Time Drive, shocking him a bit before letting him drop to the floor.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting," Iron Man remarked as he walked in the room.

"No more so than usual," Cap replied, grabbing his shield. "The Time Drive's behind a force field, so we can't destroy it."

"Force field huh? Definitely a hiccup in the plan," Iron Man turned towards the Time Drive. "J.A.R.V.I.S, talk to me. Think you can disable. it?"

"Accessing Damocles data stream."

"You, fool!" Kang let out. "Do you think any invention of yours can surpass my technology?"

"My tech might not be as advanced as yours Kang," Iron Man admitted, sending out an energy wave that caused the robots to crumble into pieces. "But I'm a quick study. As for JARVIS? He was designed to be a virtual simulation of the human mind, allowing him to adapt to any system. Which I'm betting, includes yours."

"The base seems to be attempting a lockout sir, one moment… override of lockout successful. Will have full control of systems shortly."

"Knew I could count on ya, buddy."

Enraged, Kang tried blasting at Iron Man, but Cap quickly leapt in the way and blocked the blast with his shield. Iron Man blasted back at Kang, knocking him back.

"You wish to fight me?" Kang asked, opening two portals and pulling out an ake and a sword. "Then so be it!"

Kang then charged towards them, prompting Iron Man to fly up as Cap fought him head on. The two clashed for a bit as Iron Man flew around them, firing repulsor blasts at Kang. Kang quickly kicked Cap aside as he fired energy blasts from the axe at Iron Man, forcing him to dodge and weave around him. Cap quickly recovered and tried swinging his shield at Kang, which he easily ducked under before swinging his axe at him. Cap easily dodged and spun around so he could use his shield to knock the axe out of his hands.

Kang quickly recovered, elbowing Cap in the ribs before kicking him in the head, knocking him back. Iron Man flew in close and tried to blast at Kang, but Kang swung his sword at Iron Man, making a crack in the mask and knocking him to the ground. Kang then tried bringing his sword down on Iron Man, but Cap quickly tossed him his shield so he could block the sword before blasting Kang in the face. Kang tumbled back and fell hard as Iron Man and Cap regrouped.

"Sir, all systems are under my control, and the fleet is ready for chronal travel."

"Do it!"

"No!"

All around the world, Kang's forces vanished as if they were never there in the first place. This included London as the Thing was pinned by one of the robots, only for it to vanish in an instant, much to his confusion.

"Uh… Reed, any clue what the hell just happened?"

"I will admit… I'm not sure."

Back on the Damocles, Kang tried blasting at the two one last time, only for Iron Man to use his shield to block it.

"Figured your shield could use a rest," He remarked to Cap. "JARVIS?"

"Damocles ready for time jump in five, four, three-"

"Stop!" Wasps voice called out, causing everyone to cease fighting.

"JARVIS, wait!" Iron Man insisted as Wasp entered with the three soldiers from before. "Wasp, what are you doing?"

"You can't send Kang's ship back to the future," she insisted. "If you do, Princess Ravonna will die."

"Who is Princess Ravonna?" Captain asked.

"Shoot her!" Kang demanded, turning to the three soldiers with Wasp. "Shoot her now!"

The soldiers failed to respond, merely exchanging looks before lowering their weapons. Wasp gave them all appreciative nods before turning back to the Avengers.

"She's Kang's wife, and when his timeline got wiped out, she was nearly taken with it. She's now in a state of flux, just barely sustained by their tech. If you send her back, then she will cease to exist."

Wasp then turned to Kang, who was holding the broken pieces of his armor in slight pain.

"Kang, we can stop this. We can help you save her."

"No!" Kang proclaimed, blasting at her as Ant-Man started waking up.

"Jan!" He let out.

"You Avengers are the problem, not the solution! Conquest is the solution!"

"Last chance Kang," Iron Man warned, aiming a repulsor at him. "We want to help you, but we're not gonna let you take over our world to do it. Let us work with you, or be taken down."

"I will never side with-"

Just then, Giant-Man's massive fist came down on top of Kang, much to the shock of everyone.

"He was done."

Clean-up efforts began almost immediately. The robots that were not sent back to the future were all rounded up by S.H.I.E.L.D. while Damocles was taken in by the Sentient World Observation and Response Department, or S.W.O.R.D. In the medical bay of the Avengers mansion, Thor slowly came to, finding Sam standing in the corner and Jane sitting by the bed, holding Thor's hand. Both of them smiled as he came to.

"How ya doin, big guy?" Sam asked.

"A slight aching," Thor admitted. "But otherwise, I am alright. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"I'm just glad you're ok," Jane told him.

"Indeed. Sam, would you give us a moment?"

"Oh sure," Sam replied, exiting the room.

"What was that?" Jane asked. "Why'd you-"

"Jane," Thor cut off, tightening his grip on her hand. "When I went out there to stop Kang from firing at the city, I did so without fear or hesitation. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because of you. As I flew out there, I knew I could survive the worst this mad man could come up with, as long as I had you to return to. You've always been there, motivating me to fight harder. You helped me become the hero I am today. And I would be honored… if you would stand by my side for the rest of our lives."

Jane felt like she had to do a double take after hearing that. She stared at him, a hand to her mouth as tears of joy trickled from her eyes.

"Yes..." she said before throwing herself onto Thor. "Yes. Yes!"

The two kissed instantly, holding each other lovingly as Sam gave them a friendly smirk from outside.

At the secret supervillain prison, the Raft, Cap and Tony were talking as Kang and his forces were locked away.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Tony told him. "For all the grief I gave you before about your old way of doing things. I pride myself on my intelligence, my tech. I think of myself as a futurist, but to someone like Kang, I'm living in the past just like you."

"The past isn't so bad," Cap replied. "So long as it doesn't distract us from what we're really fighting for. The future."

"Along those lines, if you really had the chance to go back, would you?"

Cap rubbed the back of his neck in response.

"Honestly, I don't know. Part of me wants to say yes, but after coming out of the ice… I found a new life. The Avengers… they helped me feel whole again. Just couldn't see myself giving that up."

"Well, I'm certainly glad you didn't, as is the rest of the world."

"A world you will destroy," Kang's voice insisted from his cell.

"Is that so?" Tony asked as he and Cap turned to his cell.

"Oh, yes. I know. I've seen what your actions will wrought. Your betrayal, your fall, and your ultimate destruction, along with everything else. The worst… is yet to come."

Meanwhile, Hank Pym entered his lab at the mansion, moving some things aside and picking up some old blueprints. He dusted them off, seeing that they were labeled "project ULTRON".