Author's Note – I do not own any of the characters, Marvel and DC do.
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Chapter Nineteen
Gauntlet
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Tony slumped back in his seat as Sam finished the power-down process.
"Damn, that was tense." He muttered and Captain Britain nodded.
"There were a couple of iffy moments, yes."
"You Brits and your damned understatement." Tony snorted, watching as another flight of spacecraft ripped into visibility near the horizon. "Those are really odd ships."
"Dark Elves." Thor ground out from the door. "I have never seen them in person before today, but I have studied many records of them from my Father's battles."
"What sort of weapons do they mount?"
"Almost none, although their wing is as sharp as any blade." Thor said. "Many cultures place a great premium on fighting as warriors, you humans are one of the few that has learnt to fight as soldiers instead."
"Who are the others?" Sam asked, his curiosity roused.
"Of the existing races, the Shi-ar lead the way. The Kree and the Skrull are also on that path, as were the Kryptonians before they chose to retreat from the violence around them, fortifying themselves behind a shield that surrounded their entire solar system."
"A good explanation and one that my uncle wouldn't be able to deny." A new voice said and everyone looked round to see Lor-Zod standing in the doorway behind Thor.
"So, we're secure here." Tony said as he rose from his seat. "I think we should head to the main bay for the briefing."
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"This is going to be harder than we expected." Tony said as a holoscreen projected a map behind him. "We are here and our target is here. Those of you with HUD's will see a new icon, a golden gauntlet in a circle. That icon shows the direction that Thanos is in, your HUD is linked the sensors tuned to the energy emissions of the Infinity Gauntlet. Thor?"
"Even without the Gauntlet, Thanos is not one to underestimate." Thor said. "He is strong, at least on a level with an empowered Kryptonian and very probably stronger. According to my father, he is incredibly resistant to magic and is very intelligent. Compared to him, the top-ranking member of your Mensa would be a small naïve child. He has lived millenia and has learned many ways of fighting. If he has a weak point, it is his ego. On several occasions, he has simply let an attack strike him and relied on his near-invulnerability to protect him, thus proving to his enemies that similar attacks are… futile.
"With the Infinity Gauntlet, even an incomplete version, his threat level goes up from Omega to Ragnarok. Anything less than an all-out attack will do nothing to him. Attempting to hold back, even slightly, will lead to him simply over-powering you.
"It is possible that he may even rival the Living Tribunal." Thor added, earning confused looks from all but a few of the audience. "None as powerful as he have ever wielded the Gauntlet before."
"There are several ways to reach Thanos." Steve said as he stepped forwards to take over the presentation. "The Kryptonians and other flying types will fly through this area here."
"What about the valleys?" Someone called and Steve shook his head.
"They'll almost certainly be booby-trapped. No, the best way is through the military base at low level, destroying as many defence emplacements as possible. The Kryptonians will lead the way, followed by the other flying types who will also try to do as much damage as possible.
"The main ground force will follow while those with enhanced speed and agility will split into pairs or trios and spread out to try and penetrate the outer defences while the primary attack acts as a distraction for them. By using multiple axis of attack, the Chitouri and Dark Elves should find it harder to mount an effective counter-strike."
"I call Spider-man!" Doreen chirped, causing everyone to stare at her. "What? He's almost as agile as I am."
"Almost?" Peter repeated in shock.
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Clark looked round at the people standing with him. Kara Zor-El smiled at him while beside her, Karsta Wor-Ul stood, the unhappiness at what she was being asked to do evident on her face. Thara Ak-Var and her cousin Lor-Zod seemed almost eager to go while Mon-El stood almost immobile, his face showing no real emotion.
Around them were the other fliers. Captain Britain, energy pooling round his fists. Sunfire, a grin of eagerness on his face. Thor, his hammer dangling from one wrist and several others that he wished he knew as more than faces.
"People, it is time." Clark stated. "All of us Kryptonians are fully charged, so we don't hold back. Blast anything that looks military. Let's move."
Rising from the ground, Clark accelerated rapidly. An instant later, Thor appeared by his side, hammer extended.
"This will be a great battle!" Thor shouted and Clark shook his head.
"There is no such thing as a great battle." He countered. "It is good that war is so terrible, otherwise we might learn to love it."
Thor furrowed his brow in thought as the massed fliers rose above the ridge, coming into view of the teeming base.
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Thanos strode out of the portal and raised his gauntlet, showing all six stones mounted in it.
"At last, the Infinity Gauntlet is mine!" He roared, then he frowned as explosions started to erupt amongst the training grounds of his Chitauri forces. Closing his eyes in concentration, he remained motionless for a moment, then he growled.
"We are under attack! I need but a short while to become One with the power of the Gauntlet. Go, my army, destroy the attackers!"
The Chitauri and the Dark Elves scrambled to their vehicles and weapons even as the space-ships already in the air spun and raced towards the intruders.
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"Incoming starships!"
Clark spun round, then accelerated, Thor's description of them racing through his mind. Looping wide, he slammed straight through the side of one of them, catching a glimpse of a humanoid wearing a pale, white mask before erupting out of the other side in a hail of shrapnel and debris. Behind him, the bisected starship began its tumble towards the ground and Clark lined up on the next blade-ship even as another also suffered from a Kryptonian impact. As he smashed through the craft, his eyes widened at the sight of another blade-ship being grabbed out of the air.
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Rhodey ducked as a blast of lightning crackled past over his right shoulder, slamming into a platoon of Chitauri who had sprung out of nowhere.
"Dammit, Lightning, I had them!"
"Keep telling yourself that, old man." The black-skinned superhero laughed as he stepped up beside the armoured superhero and added his electrical powers to the cargange that War Machine was dealing out. "These things were Zerg rushing you."
"What rushing?"
"Dammit, War Machine, try to keep up with popular culture." Miguel Santos sighed as War Machine finished scrambling out of the crater caused by his unplanned landing. A moment later, a Dark-Elf blade-ship slammed into the ground, its top grasped by a huge pair of hands that were wielding it like a giant sword.
"Nice one, Giant Man!" Miguel cheered and the looming titan grinned before sweeping his improvised sword across the ground, sending the enemies flying.
"Recruiting him was a good move." Rhodey mused as he unleashed another barrage of repulsor-fired metal. "Despite the therapy bills."
"Hey, he's been calmer since going into therapy." Miguel argued. "I think it's money well spent."
War Machine shrugged and turned to the next attacking group of Chitauri.
"I think we need one of those ships." Miguel added. "We can use the hull to kludge together a proper giant sword for him."
"How would he carry it when he isn't huge?" War Machine countered and Miguel paused.
"Ummmm, pym particle generator in the hilt? I dunno."
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A Chitauri wailed in shock as a long, blue-clad arm plucked him out of his formation and catapulted him into the path of another group of Chitauri warriors. His squad-mates opened fire, only for the plasma bursts to explode against an invisible barrier, then a gravelly voice roared its war-cry.
"It's clobberin' time!"
An instant later the formation collapsed as what seemed to be an orange avalanche slammed into them, sending them into high-arc trajectories.
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"Wahoo!"
Spider-Man shook his head as he used his webbing to swing round one of the weapon-emplacement towers before firing a couple of webbing balls at the gunners. With the weapon thus temporarily disabled, he shot another web-line…
…only to find himself being jerked through the air as the tower crumpled to the ground!
Landing in a fluid roll that let him rise to his feet, he glared at Squirrel Girl, mentally cursing the fact that Forge hadn't fully finished the mask improvements that he had asked for and this he had to rely on body language rather than eye-mask shape.
"What?" Squirrel Girl shrugged as she dropped the support strut that she had wrenched out of the tower, thus causing its collapse.
"Let's… just keep moving." Spider-Man finally managed.
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"Ufff!"
Clark picked himself up and triggered his comm. "All flyers, watch out for the leading edges of those starships. Damned things are harder than we are."
A chorus of confirmations answered him and Clark nodded before absently backhanding away a Dark Elf that had tried to stab him in his side, then he pursed his lips and blew away a grenade that had been thrown at him. The result caused his eyes to widen and he triggered his comm again.
"Everyone, watch for the grenades! They're singularity generators that'll suck you in! If you see a grenade… get away from it!"
Clark crouched, then launched himself into the air. An instant afterwards, three of the grenades landed where he had just been and activated.
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On a ridge above the raging battle, three Dark Elves pulled red-glowing fist-sized crystals out of their belt-pouches. Holding them in their hands, they clenched their fists, shattering the crystals and driving the shards into the palms of their hands. Almost in unison, they roared with pain and rage as their bodies seemed to ignite from the inside, growing larger and stronger, then they leapt forwards, their bestial howling echoing as their burning forms solidified into monstrous forms adorned with bony spikes.
"Fall back! It's the Kursed!" Sif shouted as one of the monsters landed in front of her, then it was pulverised by a descending green fist.
"Puny Kursed!"
Sif stared, jaw dropped in shock as the Hulk proceeded to punch straight through the second of the Kursed, then ripped the third one in half.
"Wow." Sif breathed in amazement. "He's strong!"
"Hulk strongest one there is!" Hulk roared as he picked up a screeching Chitauri and hurled it like a skipping stone through an entire platoon, sending them flying and earning a nod of gratitude from Captain America.
Sif shook herself, then spun her sword before charging back into battle.
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"That… that thing just destroyed three of the Kursed like they were mere humans!" Malekith gasped as he stared into the scrying-screen.
"It is of no concern." The Other rasped. "Only a few more moments and our Lord and Master will be One with the Gauntlet. All we need is time and we will provide it, no matter the cost."
Malekith nodded slowly, then activated his communicator.
"All who carry the Curse of Darkness who are not directly engaged in combat but are within attacking range, become the Kursed and strike down our enemies!" He snarled.
The Other smirked appreciatively as on the scrying-screen, the plumes of smoke that marked the transformations began appearing all across the battlefield.
"A great power."
"And one that costs me a soldier each time it is used." Malekith growled. "Unlike the Chitauri, we Elves breed slowly. It will take millenia to fully recover from todays battle."
"You will have those millenia once our Master finishes claiming His Power." The Other countered.
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Thanos laughed triumphantly as he felt the Power stabilise within him, permeating every portion of his body, enhancing every cell.
"At last, the Power of the Infinity Gauntlet is mine!" He roared, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
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"Oh, fuck." Tony hissed.
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"It would seem that this may be my last battle." The Silver Samurai sighed as he absent-mindedly decapitated a trio of Chitauri with a single strike. "At least I shall die with honour."
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"By Odin's Beard, this is not good." Thor growled.
"Truly." Volstagg agreed.
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"This is bad, right?" Samuel asked and Rhodey nodded.
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"I doubt that this is a sign that we currently have the tactical advantage." Reed stated.
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"I say, this does not look good." Captain Britain commented as he blasted two of the Kursed.
"You think?" Mon-El snorted as he punched out another one.
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"Was that the bad man? Come on!"
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"We are in trouble." Clark stated. "All flying types, head for target NOW!"
Even as he finished his command, a massive blast of power slammed him out of the air. Pulling himself out of the resulting crater, he looked round at the cracked and shattered ground and the skies now clear of all flying things, ships or heroes.
"What just happened?"