Over the coming days, things got more and more fraught. Attacks of both humans and inhumans alike escalated as time went by. The authorities were finding it nigh near impossible to keep the violence in check. Some believed they were keeping out of the firing line out of fear. Others accused them of standing aside out of prejudice of once side or the other. More and more people were giving in to their hatred and their frustrations.

Kamala's parents had all but begged her to stay at home. Her father was trying to get more work at the bank to be able to afford to home-school her so she wouldn't need to risk going to school. He had little worry of her defending herself in a straight fight, she had faced many super-powered foes by now, but it always weighed heavily on his mind and his heart that she might find herself in a situation where she would have no choice but to reveal herself as an Inhuman.

There was, however, one person who was enjoying the show. Standing in her office building, overlooking DC, Monica was casually sipping a latte as she listened to the news reports.

"Mass riots have swept across large parts of the country with seemingly no end in sight." The news reporter said as images played of the various incidents tearing the country apart. "With authorities seemingly outnumbered and out-powered, people are starting to wonder who, if anyone, can contain this never-ending violence plaguing our great nation. The Avengers have been sighted at many incidents, but with them seeming to attack both Inhumans and humans, no one seems to be able to answer the one big question, whose side are they on? Which can only lead one to wonder, if we can't rely on Earth's Mightiest Heroes, who can we rely on?"

"What did I tell you?" Krieger asked as he flicked through some more channels on her television. "Stoke the fires and pretty soon people will be begging for a saviour."

"I have to hand it to you, you definitely have provided the chaos you said you would." Monica replied as she came around, sitting on the edge of her desk, facing him. "But I can't help noticing that it hasn't ended my little legal problems."

"All in good time." Krieger assured her. "Pretty soon, people will be BEGGING you to take over. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they're ready to call for full-on Martial Law just to stop all the big, scary Inhumans rampaging through their streets."

"I have to say, I never expected you to be so ruthless." Monica commented as she swirled her cup. "It almost makes me regret passing on that application you sent me all those years ago."

"All water under the bridge." Krieger assured her. "Every door closed opens a window, every crisis is an opportunity and all that other stuff."

"So, if you're so confident that this plan is working, why am I still having that big, green lawyer harassing every inch of my legal department with subpoena's the size of phone books?" She asked him.

"Walters is a crusader, you and I knew that long before she got her Gamma-Powered makeover." Krieger chuckled. "She certainly filed her share of suits against Roxxon back in the day, I can tell you."

"I want this finished, Krieger!" She reiterated.

"Don't worry, you'll get your hero moment soon enough." He assured her. "In fact, if I were you, I'd get ready to make some phone calls very soon."

Over in New Jersey, Kamala was sitting in the cafeteria, playing with her food absent-mindedly while her friends were talking. Their voices just kind of tuned out, sounding distant and distorted. She had barely slept in days. She had seen all the reports of the riots, and of her friends' attempts to stop them from turning into full-on battles. She'd wanted to go out to help them so many times, but they kept assuring her they'd call her if she was needed.

Kate had been helping Johnny with an incident in LA when she called her a couple of days ago. She'd told Kamala that she needed to stay put in case anything happened in Jersey, and to concentrate on her school work, with exams only a short time away. Some chance of that happening. Natasha had also encouraged her to stay at home and try to keep her mind on things there. She appreciated her friends trying to keep her safe, but a part of her worried that by not being there for them, she was leaving them short-handed. Many of their former comrades were still scattered throughout the world. Many of them had not returned from their various other responsibilities after A-Day.

She felt a nudge, and stared blankly at Nakia. It seemed she had been talking to her and she had missed what she said. She just shook her head.

"What?" She asked.

"I was asking if you were coming to my place to study tonight." Nakia beckoned her. Kamala just sighed and shook her head.

"Abu barely lets me come to school anymore." She admitted sadly. "I've heard him and Ami talking. I think they're seriously considering home-schooling."

"Home schooling?" Bruno asked incredulously. "What makes them think you're going to be any safer there than you are anywhere else?"

Kamala forced a little smile. Bruno was the only one of her friends that knew about her identity as Ms Marvel. He had already asked her about why she wasn't out there helping the other Avengers. Like her, he was starting to wonder if it was already too late to simply hope on the violence dying down on its own and was wondering if something worse was coming. Though she did suspect there was a part of him was at least happy that she was sticking close to home. Jersey did have its problems, and having its own superhero around was certainly something of a comfort.

"I know that, and you know that, but you also know what my folks are like." She reminded him. "I know they care, but I'm not sure there's much anyone can do."

"Well, if your parents do let you out, you're more than welcome to join us." Mike invited her warmly. "We'll have tacos!"

Just then, the bell rang. They all started to gather their things.

"Kamala, you barely touched your lunch." Nakia pointed out. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"The whole world's going to Hell on a skateboard." She responded, dumping her lunch in the trash. "Who feels like eating?"

Over in New York City, Dante and Theo were gathered with a large crowd of Inhumans, who were marching through the city in protest at the treatment of their kind. So far, it was peaceful, but there was no guarantee it was going to stay that way.

Peter was crouched on a flagpole some way up, keeping a close eye on things with his enhanced lenses.

"Pete, how are things looking?" Tony's voice came over his communicator.

"So far, no one's done anything dumb." Peter commented. "Things are looking pretty heated, and folks are more than a little edgy."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Tony commented. "When people get edgy, they do stupid things. We can't afford that right now. Especially with all the heavy hitters we have down there. I've seen a whole bunch of former Resistance on the feed."

"I guess we can only hope that with so much firepower they're more confident and less likely to panic and start anything over nothing." Peter responded. "Say what you will about them leaving, they did train under Hank, and that gave them a big old dose of responsibility."

"Many of them are kids." Steve chipped in. "That's a lot of responsibility."

"You forget, a lot of us were pretty young when we started too." Peter pointed out, firing out a web line. "I'll keep tabs."

Down on the streets, Dante and Theo led the crowd through the city as they made their voices heard. Inhumans were no longer willing to sit in the shadows and wait on the authorities finally taking the threat to their lives seriously.

The sight was something to behold. It wasn't even known how many Inhumans there really were. Not everyone exposed to the Terrigen on A-Day had turned into Inhumans. It was impossible to say for sure, since many were still in hiding, desperately keeping any abilities they had hidden for fear of reprisals.

Of course, a lot of them didn't have that choice. Many of them had already been exposed, and their identities known to those that would wish them harm. Some had been altered so drastically, that there was simply no way for them to hide their Inhuman status. For them, the option was now clear, to show that they were no longer willing to hide and wait in fear of people coming to harm them or their loved ones. Now they were out in force to show that while they had no intention of harming anyone, if push came to shove, they were willing to push back.

By the time they got to Times Square, they filed outwards, flooding the whole area. They wanted to make themselves seen and heard, to let the citizens of the nation know that the Inhumans' day of hiding in fear was over.

Others came into the area, seeing such a large group as a challenge, a threat to them. Peter took up a position on a rooftop overlooking the gathering.

"Pete, what's going on down there?" Steve asked him.

"Put it this way, if they wanted attention, it looks like they've got it." Peter told them. "It looks like half the cops and all the media in the city are here!"

"Thor, Jane and myself will be doing a fly by on the nearby streets before circling back." Tony informed him. "If this thing kicks off, we want to know people are going to have somewhere to run to."

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that." Steve replied. "Nat, Bruce, are you almost in position?"

"We're just trying to get to the ringleaders now." Natasha told him. "I just hope Dante's in a talking mood."

"He's a good kid." Steve responded. "He's angry, but he's a good kid."

"Are you trying to convince us or yourself?" Bucky asked him. Cap couldn't answer.

Down on the ground, Nat and Bruce managed to push their way through the crowd towards Dante, who was leading a chant, calling on Monica's prosecution. He saw them starting to come towards him and gestured to Theo. They both stood defiantly.

"Dante, you've made your point." Natasha tried to reason with him. "Send these people home before this thing gets out of control."

"The only way this gets out of control is if THEY let it!" Theo said, gesturing to people lining the streets around them, shouting back at them in anger. "We've been hiding way too long already."

"If there's anyone that understands anger it's me." Bruce told them. "You know the power you have here. If someone does something stupid, this whole thing will get out of hand really fast!"

"Which is why they shouldn't mess with us." Dante replied. "We're done hiding. You had your chance to convince people we have a right to be here, you failed! Now it's up to us!"

"Dante, please…"

"If you're that worried, go!" Dante responded. "We'll take care of our own!"

Just then, a shot rang out. No one could tell where from. The sound of screams and the echoes from the buildings made it impossible to place the shot. By the time they saw someone falling, one of the Injumans, it was already too late.

"Dante…"

Before Natasha could even try to stop him, flames erupted all around him, wreathing him in a blazing fire. Bruce snatched her away, while other Inhumans all looked around for the source of the attack.

"This is just what we didn't need!" Steve stated as he looked to Bucky and Clint. "Tony, you, Jane and Thor circle back as soon as you can! We need to separate these crowds before they tear the city apart!"

Watching from her office in DC, Monica could see the whole thing unfolding. Within moments, the whole area erupted. With so many Inhumans in one place at one time, there was little the authorities could do to even try and keep things under control. People were panicking, and those that moments before had been screaming and calling for the Inhumans to be driven out were themselves panicking and running scared, completely overpowered. She smiled as she watched the city going up in flames.

"This is even better than I'd expected." She stated. She knew what she was about to do was a gamble, but with so many scared, she hoped that she would be seen as the saviour. She picked up her phone and dialled. "Deploy."

Back in New York, The Avengers were fighting a desperate battle on all sides. There were people panicking and fleeing that they were trying to protect as they left. Steve leapt in front of some cops, blocking a blast with his shield, before looking to them.

"Go!" He called out. "Go! NOW!"

They didn't need any further instructions, turning tail and running for their lives. Steve quickly found himself rounded upon by the Inhuman who had fired the blast, seeing him as being an enemy for protecting those he saw as enemies. He blocked another blast, bracing against the impact. Clint fired an arrow that cast a wide electro net that took down a few of them.

"I really wish it didn't feel like we were on the wrong side." Clint commented. "But then again, which side is the wrong side?"

"There's plenty of blame to go around!" Bucky assured him, throwing an Inhuman aside with his bionic arm.

"Oh no." Steve remarked. "It looks like things just got a whole lot worse."

There were some cheers coming from the area as portals opened up. Soon, AIM bots were coming forth, marching into the streets. Steve watched on in horror.

"This feels way too familiar." Natasha commented. "And not in a good way."

"Alright, we need to get as many people out of here as we can!" Tony said as he started launching shots from the air. "Someone talk some sense into Theo!"

Cap and Bucky fought their way through the crowd, making their way towards Dante and Theo. Steve came up to them, smashing down an Adaptoid as he got to them.

"Dante, you started this, only you can end it!" Steve told him. "You need to get these people out of here!"

"You think we're going to run?" Dante yelled. "They just called in a freaking army! This is what will happen to us if we don't stand up now!"

"Most of these people aren't soldiers! They don't have the capabilities you do!" Steve tried to reason with him. "If you don't want a whole lot of dead Inhumans, you need to pull back!"

"Cap!" Bucky yelled. Steve turned in time to see three massive portals opening up in the sky. Three Warbots dropped through them into view. Steve turned back to Dante immediately in a panic.

"Dante! You need to get out of here!" Steve told him as they started to advance.

"They just dropped heavy military hardware in the middle of the city and you think they're going to stop?" Theo asked. "Whose side are you on?"

"He's on the side that wants to keep as many people alive as possible you fucking moron!" Bucky roared as he unloaded his rifle into one of the Warbots.

"Cap, this is looking really bad from up here!" Jane stated. "Thor and I can whip up a storm that'll make it harder for them to target, but you need to get people out of here!"

"We're working on it!" Steve assured her. "Dante, call them off!"

"We're not going anywhere!" Dante told them. Unfortunately, just then, the first of the Warbots fired its main weapon. It ripped through Times Square in a devastating blast. People flew in all directions. Dante was horrified as he saw dozens falling, lifeless on the ground, incinerated in a moment.

Thor and Jane whipped up a huge storm, trying as much as possible to blind the Warbots from unleashing another devastating attack. Hulk leapt onto one of them, beginning to hammer into its mechanical eye.

"Dante, we'll do what we can!" Steve told him. "Theo, you need to get as many of these people out of here as possible! We'll do what we can to get the injured to a hospital."

They could only look around at the desperate situation, seeing what had been unleashed. This was the ending that they had feared all along. Monica had declared all-out war on the Inhumans, right in the middle of the city. The worst part was, a lot of people seemed to be supporting her.

Hulk was finally thrown from the Warbot, smashing into the tarmac, sending pieces everywhere. Cap, Nat, Clint and Bucky all swarmed around him.

"How you doing, big guy?" Clint asked.

"Squash big spider!" He growled.

"And for once, I won't take that personally!" Peter said over the comms.

"Alright, this looks bad, but we've faced bad before!" Steve said. "We just need to hold them for as long as…"

"Sir, there appears to be a large energy signature incoming!" JARVIS warned them. They all looked up to the top of a nearby building as a flash of brilliant light dominated the sky. They all struggled to look as the light faded, and they could see some new arrivals.

"OK, who are they?" Tony asked.

"Is it just me or…is that a Bulldog?" Clint asked.

"A bulldog the size of a Land Rover!" Bucky added.

Up on the tallest building, three figures were standing. One was a Bulldog of truly massive proportions. The second was a woman with long, flowing red hair that extended all the way to her ankles, and flowed, weaving and moving with a life of its own.

The third was a muscular man, six and a half feet, and hugely muscled. He was wearing a black bodysuit and mask, with an emblem on the top of his head that looked somewhat like a tuning fork.

The man looked around the scene of devastation before him, all around the streets, and his jaw clenched tightly. He looked to the woman on his right, and nodded, before leaping off the building. He plummeted to the streets, splintering the concrete beneath him. He landed directly between the Avengers and the AIM forces.

The Avengers, the Inhumans and the AIM forces all watched as he strode confidently towards the Warbots. He stopped a few feet before them, looking upon Monica's army with an intent glare.

He turned back, looking at the fallen Inhumans, and those struggling to get the injured away. He then turned back towards the AIM forces, and spoke.

"ENOUGH!"

The whole city seemed to shake under the shockwave coming from the mysterious new arrival. The Avengers struggled to stay on their feet. Everything before him was obliterated! All three Warbots and every AIM bot before him exploded devastatingly. Every window in sight shattered, and within a single moment, the whole street fell silent once more.

The Avengers watched as the woman and the bulldog appeared beside him in a flash of light, before all three disappeared just as quickly as they had arrived.

"Did…did that guy just one-shot Monica's entire army?" Clint asked shakily.

"Whatever happened, we can't afford to miss this opportunity." Steve replied, looking to Theo. "You all need to go. The authorities will be here any moment."

This time, Theo just nodded wordlessly and started creating portals.