Hello, and welcome to this crossover event! Please read the following important details:
I apologize for the massive delay, but it took a lot of time to get this right - 20,000 words across three separate fics, one of them brand new (go check out "From His Vantage Upon the Moon", an AO3 exclusive one-shot collection set in this universe!). Considering my average chapter is around 2.5-3K words, this was a doozy. But I'm very happy with the results, and I hope that you enjoy them!
The mechanics of this crossover event:
-Read this chapter, "Horizon" (ch. 28)
-Optionally, read the chapter, "Hammerfall, part 1" (ch. 18), over on Changing of the Guard
-Optionally, read the chapter, "Hammerfall, part 2" (ch. 19), also over on Changing of the Guard
-Optionally, read the first chapter of "From His Vantage Upon the Moon" over on AO3
This way, you'll have the most complete version of the events of the story! Of course, if you only want to read "The Girl Who Could Knock Out the Hulk", 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 over on Changing of the Guard, and more focused on Supergirl's perspective here, as she's obviously our protagonist).
I really hope you enjoy this XL chapter!
Steve leads the way down to the helipad, where the Odinson awaits – surrounded by tense-looking S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, their weapons pointed at the ground, but only just. The god of thunder looks amused at the agents' bravado, his mighty hammer idly hanging from his belt in an unmistakable gesture of contempt.
"Ah, my friends!" –Thor greets, grinning so widely he could give Kara a run for her usual sunshine-and-rainbows money. "It warms my heart to see you still united – and grown in numbers, too!" –he notes.
The Thunderer takes a fist to his armored chest. "Greetings, new companions! I am Thor, Lord of Thunder, Prince of Asgard, and Protector of the Nine Realms." –he says, then turns to Steve. "And hopefully one of the Avengers, still?"
Steve smiles. "As much as any of us, pal." –he drawls, clasping Thor's forearm in a warrior's greeting. "Good to see you again, Thor. We didn't expect you back for a while yet."
"Ah, the Allfather was able to complete the Rainbow Bridge's reforging much earlier than anticipated! In no small part due to your sensibility in returning the Tesseract to Asgard's Vaults, too." –he explains.
"So I have Odin to thank for my brand-spankin'-new helipad getting an Asgardian tattoo, huh?" –Tony narrows his eyes.
Thor smirks. "If you wish for retribution, my friend, I'm sure our coffers are ample enough."
"So are mine, Point Break." –he shrugs. "It's fine. Kinda metal, I like it. Gonna have to convince the FAA to look the other way, though."
"I thought you said you'd be fighting people all over for a long time." –Natasha says, raising an eyebrow.
Thor nods, somberly. "Aye, I have been. Most of the Nine were thrown into chaos upon the Brifröst's destruction – among other things, Asgard's peacekeeping endeavors getting cut off from the other Realms and news of Loki's attempt at taking Midgard for himself inspired a great many bandits and power-hungry warlords to seize the chance they saw in the power vacuum, but we have made great strides in beating them back to obscurity."
"And the latest stop on your magical ass-kicking tour is Earth, I take it." –Tony says.
"Indeed. I wish my visit were purely social in nature, but alas, Midgard is to come under siege once more." –he says.
Steve crosses his arms. "So we've heard." –he says. "What do you know?"
"All-Seeing Heimdall bore witness to a massive battle, just beyond Midgard's borders, scarce minutes ago." –he says. "A vessel of alien nature tearing through a blockade of sorts, above the planet. The warship is known to Asgard as the Chimeran Hammer, an old dreadnought under the command of an infamous interstellar warlord named Vilgax."
"Sounds like a brand of bug spray." –Tony mutters, sarcastically.
Thor hums. "He is rather more squid-like in nature, I believe." –he muses, entirely missing the point. "We must make haste; he will make landfall in a matter of minutes. Somewhere within the land you call 'California'."
Steve nods. "JARVIS, scan for this 'Vilgax' and prep the Quinjet. I want us in the air ASAP."
Tony snorts. "Uh-huh. I'll see you slowpokes when your slow-ass bird gets there." –he retorts. "You up for a race, Thor?"
"A tempting challenge, my friend – but alas, I must meet with the Lords of Olympus." –he says, like he's talking about a coffee date. Thunder rumbles in the distance, despite it being a bright and sunny day. "I've already trespassed on this world twice without acknowledging their sovereignty. It's rather bad form. I'll join you as I'm able."
Kara blinks. "The Lords of what, now?"
Most of the Avengers look weary at this. "Yeah, it's a thing." –Tony mutters. "Gods, monsters, magic…the whole nine yards. As fascinating as the existence of actual gods is, the atheist in me couldn't be more annoyed." –he laments, then turns to Thor. "It's your loss, Norse Lundgren."
The disparate pieces of Mark XLII zip by them, attaching themselves to Tony and extending to cover his body. Within seconds, Iron Man stands in their midst. "I'll try to save you guys a few aliens." –he says, and blasts off, bursting through the sound barrier before he even leaves their line of sight.
"I'll show you the way to Olympus, Odinson." –Strange says.
Thor raises an eyebrow. "Come now, Sorcerer. Surely I can find my way to their divine mountain, having visited in my youth?"
Strange snorts. "As amusing as it would be to see you travel all the way to Greece and futilely search every mountain peak in the Mediterranean, you do have a battle to join. The Greek gods have moved since the last time you were here. Fortunately, they're not far."
"Ah, I see." –Thor acknowledges. "Lead the way, then."
"You won't be joining us, Doctor?" –Steve asks.
Stephen shakes his head. "I apologize, Captain, but the duties of the Sorcerer Supreme don't allow for that kind of detour. Unless you face a powerful magical foe, or the world is truly on the brink of destruction by this…alien warlord, I'm afraid I must focus my attention elsewhere."
Rogers nods, albeit looking a little disappointed. "Understood." –he says. Steve turns to the others. "Avengers, gear up."
"You're not coming, Sue?" –Kara wonders, clasping on her cape. It's not too surprising – apparently Ben and Johnny are trying to track down a few leads on their missing fourth, but since Sue's still around, Kara figured she might've wanted to help.
The blonde shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but…I'm not like you, or the other Avengers. I'm not a hero." –she admits. "I'm just a really unlucky astrophysicist."
Kara purses her lips. "Is it the fighting? You don't actually need to fight, if you don't want to, but your powers could really help us keep people safe. I hear you did a great job against Centipede last week."
Sue manages a faint smile. "I…managed it. For you. I had to pay what you did for us forward." –she says, then rubs at her arm. "But being on a battlefield again was torture. I felt like Centipede was testing us again, throwing everything they could at me just to figure out my limits. Maybe it's selfish, but…the bullets, the blood, the dying men…I can't do that anymore."
The Kryptonian's expression softens. She places a comforting hand on Sue's shoulder. "Hey, it isn't selfish. The powers we have…it comes with certain responsibilities for some of us, but your first priority should be making sure you're okay. If being a hero isn't what you want to do, then we'll all respect it, I promise."
"You mean it?" –Sue wonders.
Kara nods. "Definitely. And please, Sue. You don't owe me anything. You don't need to put yourself in that situation for me, or any of the other Avengers ever again."
Sue hums. "Well, never say never, I guess. Like Doctor Strange said…if the world's about to end, I'll, um…" –she trails off.
"Manage it?" –Kara suggests.
Sue chuckles, sad. "Yeah. Good luck, Supergirl." –she whispers, disappearing from view.
Kara sighs, looking at herself in the mirror, waiting for JARVIS's summons. The new suit...it makes her look more the part of a Kryptonian, now, nearly identical to the underarmor worn by Kryptonian soldiers. She wonders what her parents, so vehemently against the violent life of Krypton's military class, would say if they saw her now. Lena walks up to her after a few moments, a twinkle of wonder in her eyes. "I like your new suit." –she says.
The Girl of Steel hums. "I'm gonna miss the skirt." –she admits. "It was very…Kara. But this is a better look for Supergirl, I think."
"Maybe you can have variants." –Lena suggests. "That's a thing in comic books, right? I think Stark was thinking about producing some winter gear, maybe some underwater equipment, too."
"That's going a little overboard." –Kara reposes. "For me, at least. I don't mind the cold. And I can move underwater just as easily as I can in the sky."
"Well, Stark's entire MO is going overboard, I've found." –Lena says, sarcastically. "Not that his entire public history suggested otherwise."
Kara chuckles. "Still not a fan, huh?"
Lena sighs. "We'll always disagree about some things. But I have grown to respect the man, now that I have the whole story. He's so relentlessly dedicated to using his money and brains to protect people – to the point of obsession, even. Every life lost, every mistake, every little thing he fails to foresee…he doesn't see it as a natural part of being a superhero – he sees it as a personal failure. I can understand that mentality."
"You kinda have that mentality, if I recall correctly." –Kara raises an eyebrow.
Lena agrees, though she doesn't look too pleased about it. "Guilty as charged, I suppose."
"Is that why you're commandeering Titanium Man's armor?" –Kara asks, giving her a meaningful look.
The ravenette looks surprised; Kara simply shrugs. "I caught a glimpse at the blueprints when Tony was showing me everything you guys developed while I was out. I thought he'd just recovered the wreckage, but when Skye talked about the 'GUARDIAN OS', I put two and two together." –she explains. "A quick review of JARVIS' footage of the fight confirmed my suspicions."
Lena gives her a calculating look. "You're not surprised? Or angry?" –she wonders.
"I'm worried." –Kara corrects. "But I'm not too surprised, no. You've always wanted to make a difference. Always wanted the Luthor name to be more than a reminder of a family that didn't want you."
"I thought heading OsCorp was the answer, but…clearly, I was blinded by my own ambition." –Lena says. "They only got away with their cruelty for so long because I was too proud of myself."
"Hmm. But being an Avenger, Lena? Is that really what you want?" –Kara asks, searching her eyes.
Lena chuckles. "I don't know that 'want' has any bearing on what I feel I must do." –she says. "And maybe piloting a four-thousand pound titanium exoskeleton isn't exactly the best way to go about it, but I'm willing to give it a shot." –she says. Lena looks back at Kara. "What do you think?"
Kara pensively nods. "Well, it'd be rather hypocritical of me to try and convince you out of the life. I don't think I can stop worrying, but I'll support you as long as you want." –she says. "Just…please, be safe. Alex was right – we good guys aren't the only ones growing in numbers and power."
"Oh, I'll be safe. Unlike some people, I'm actually keeping my identity a secret." –Lena teases.
Kara snorts. "We'll see how long that lasts." –she drawls. "Don't know if you've noticed, but the Avengers are notoriously terrible at secret identities."
JARVIS chimes in over them. "The Quinjet is performing pre-flight checks, Miss Danvers."
"Be right there, Jay." –she says.
"I wish I could join you." –Lena laments. "I have it on good authority that alien invasions are good for debuting as a superhero. The suit just isn't ready yet."
Kara smirks. "Next crisis, then." –she says. In a moment of daring, she leans down, and kisses Lena's cheek. She's rewarded with an intensely blushing Irish woman, sputtering as she rushes toward the landing pad, the Avengers filing into the aircraft.
Peter really, really wants to come with, for some reason.
"New York needs their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man." –Kara gently reminds him. "With the Avengers out of town, we're depending on you to hold down the fort."
"But it's an alien invasion! You know I can help with those." –he pouts.
"In New York, yeah." –Romanoff says, walking towards the pilot's seat. JARVIS could do the job, but Natasha insisted, broken arm and all. Something about being bored out of her mind for a week. "The town we're going to has literally no buildings tall enough for you to swing around. Sorry, Pete, but you'd just be swinging face-first into pavement every time."
Peter visibly deflates. Matt puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, Peter. Frank's back in town and someone needs to keep his usual trail of death and destruction to a minimum." –he says, sarcastically. "I'll even let you have the first swing at him, if he starts going off the chain. He's gonna be so annoyed."
The teenager perks up a little. The Quinjet's controls chime ready; Skye, Lena, Peter, and Matt step back as the hydraulic bay door seals with a hiss and the rotors roar to life. In just a few moments, they're given clearance by air traffic control, and they zoom out of the city.
Steve secures his helmet on a nearby rack as they reach cruising altitude. "What's our ETA?"
"Hour and a half." –Romanoff reports. "Would've been more, but President Ellis pulled out all the stops. All flights are being redirected out of our way and away from California, and Hill authorized us to, and I quote, 'burn the hell out of that bird's engines'. Stark should be there in about fifteen minutes."
"And the situation there?"
The redhead shakes her head, dour. "It's...bad. A single enemy warship, but it appears to have an endless supply of troops – probably fabricating them on the spot, since they all seem to be robots of some description. There's a small S.H.I.E.L.D. research team holding back the tide with some local reinforcements, but they'll be overwhelmed before we can get there. Maybe even before Tony gets there."
Kara frowns, crossing her arms. "What do you mean, 'local reinforcements'?"
"A handful of superpowered teenagers." –Natasha says, sarcastically. "They're the reason S.H.I.E.L.D. was there in the first place. Unregistered vigilante types – don't really know what their powers are, or why they're putting themselves on the line."
"I know why." –Steve mutters, concerned and approving in equal measure. Kara agrees with the sentiment.
Bruce sighs. He looks rather awkward in the oversized Chewbacca robe he's borrowed from Winn to conceal the fact that he's only wearing a pair of purple shorts, custom-made to fit him as both Banner and the Hulk. "So there's no chance I can skip this one, huh?" –he says.
Steve shakes his head, though his gaze is understanding. "I'm sorry, Bruce."
"S'alright. That's what Code Green is for." –the shaggy haired scientist mumbles. "And Hulk's been a little antsy lately, anyway. Think he's been missing his sparring partner." –he says, managing a small smirk for Kara.
"Happy to oblige, though it looks like we'll both get our fill of punching crap today." –Kara says. "Maybe we can invite Thor to our next sesh."
Bruce laughs nervously. "...Hulk does love punching and being punched by Thor."
Kara hums. She wonders what it'll feel like, to be struck by a god. Speaking of which..."So...the Greek gods are real, then?"
"I think the idea is that most myths are real, period." –Natasha says. "Gods, monsters, magic. The Olympians just seem to be the most hands-on pantheon in modern times."
"You certainly seem to have taken things in stride." –Kara raises an eyebrow.
"I'm Russian, ex-KGB, and S.H.I.E.L.D.; I've seen my fair share of weird crap along the years." –Romanoff shrugs. "Never seen a Minotaur before, but…it really wouldn't surprise me by now. Cap here wasn't so lucky." –she teases.
Steve sighs. "I was raised Catholic. I still practice, too – go to Sunday mass every week, if the job doesn't keep me from it." –he clarifies, before Kara can ask. "Thor and Loki were already hard to reconcile with, but...honestly, almost everything out of Strange's mouth in the last week has given me a headache."
"He's an asshole." –Natasha says, deadpan. "Which makes sense, considering he ran in Stark's 'pre-Iron Man' social circles. Tony says he used to be way worse, somehow, which would honestly be kind of impressive."
"Doctor Strange is a very blunt man." –Steve allows. "He's a talented sorcerer, and he seems to know virtually all there is to know about magic – and he tends to makes sure you know it. But he is a hero. He's seen things we could never imagine, and faced foes we couldn't hope to defeat, for no reason other than mankind's protection. I respect him, even if his attitude is a little...difficult to work with."
Kara leans back on her seat. "'Sorcerer Supreme' does kinda sound equal parts incredibly important and super conceited."
Rogers chuckles. "True enough, though I think there's an argument to be made that we're all a little conceited. We call ourselves 'superheroes', after all."
Romanoff rolls her eyes. "I think you're getting in your head a little. It's just short-hand for what we do, Rogers. We either have literal superpowers or superior abilities, and we put ourselves in harm's way to protect people. That'd be the literal definition of a superhero."
"I understand. It's just…hard to think of myself as anything but another soldier. We didn't have superheroes in the forties." –Steve admits. "The heroes I grew up with were just regular people trying their best to push back against the bullies of the world."
"People with powers have always existed." –Bruce argues. "There's evidence of superpowered beings going all the way back to the Neolithic. But I'm not surprised you find the concept of a superhero to be a little alien – after all, you were the first one. The ideal of a hero that most of us grew up with was you, Captain."
Kara agrees. "Can confirm. I think Alex still has her Captain America lunchbox somewhere."
"I'd say there was no love lost for the Sentinel of Liberty in the Soviet Union, but considering they tried making their own in Red Guardian, you gotta figure the notion was there." –Romanoff says, sarcastically. "Like it or not, Cap…you've always been the best of us."
Steve blushes a little. "I'll respectfully disagree." –he says, lightly bumping against Kara's shoulder. "I just have a knack for surrounding myself with the best." –he mutters, softly. "Just, uh…don't tell Tony I said that."
Aside from the groaning, speeding Quinjet – its myriad cries of alarm at performing well above its safety parameters having long been silenced by Natasha – the flight goes on in relative silence for the next twenty minutes. Widow reports that Iron Man has made it to Arcadia, and found the defenders mostly intact ten minutes into the flight. The Avengers present breathe a sigh of relief, but it only lasts a few minutes, as a pair of large, unknown high tech aircraft uncloak at either side of them. Kara immediately unbuckles herself from her seat, being their only flying member at present, ready to defend them if the need arises – even though she's never been able to push herself past Mach 1, admittedly.
"Bozhe moy, you've gotta be kidding me." –Romanoff hisses under her breath. "What the hell is S.W.O.R.D. doing here?"
Steve frowns. "S.W.O.R.D.?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s quirky little sister." –Natasha drawls. "A mostly independent spin-off dedicated to space exploration."
"Oh, we do a lot more than that, Agent Romanoff." –a woman says, over the comms. "I'm Abigail Brand, Director of S.W.O.R.D. Permission to come aboard?"
Steve purses his lips. "I…apologize, ma'am, but we're in a hurry, alien invasion and all. No time to land."
In their midst, a pair of figures coalesce from lightning and light. Thor grins like a madman, standing next to a woman in her mid-forties, leaning on a sort of futuristic looking cane, bearing an odd resemblance to the protagonist of the Alien films. "No landing necessary." –Abigail Brand says, smugly. "And besides, I brought a friend."
"Well met! Again!" –Thor says, like a kid who's just gotten off a sick rollercoaster ride.
The S.W.O.R.D. planes immediately hit the boosters, speeding off and upwards, vanishing into the stratosphere. "You couldn't have given us a ride on those? At this rate, we'll be lucky if the Quinjet doesn't break apart before we even make it to Nevada." –Romanoff complains.
"Or teleported us to Arcadia, since you can apparently do that?" –Kara narrows her eyes.
"Those MFE fighters are prototypes, and they can't carry passengers. Thor and I had to hitch a ride in their bomb bays just to catch up with y'all." –she reposes. "And I can only translocate three people at a time in a radius of three-hundred feet around this thing." –she says, shaking her cane a little for emphasis. "I suppose we could theoretically leapfrog all the way to California, but I'm pretty sure it'd take longer."
Director Brand walks over to the cockpit, and she jabs her cane into the controls before anyone can stop her. "This'll be much faster." –she assures them, as the black metal and green lines the cane is made of seem to seep out and fuse with the Quinjet itself.
"What the fuck are you doing?" –Romanoff demands, the Quinjet's controls being wrenched from her, and absorbed into a sleek, alien interface none of them can make much sense of.
Kara and Steve step forward, trying to stop her – and even Bruce looks a little green around the gills – but Thor holds up a hand. "Patience, my friends. Let the blade work its magic."
Sure enough, once the black and green have fully consumed the aircraft around them, the engines whine with power, and a sudden, monstrous boost nearly topples all of them, the upgraded Quinjet zooming off into the horizon.
"Okay." –Kara blinks. "So, like…what the heck just happened?"
"We got a new ETA, for one." –Natasha frowns. "Twenty minutes or so. I guess that thing really is magic. Where the hell did you get that?"
Director Brand sighs, limping over to Kara – clearly, the cane isn't just for show. "It was a gift from an old friend. It's not actually magic, it's alien technology – Galvan, to be precise. My cane can upgrade most technology it touches. The process is imperfect, and it'll most likely end up destroying this bird the moment I take my cane away, but it'll get us to California a lot quicker – maybe even quickly enough to make a difference." –she explains. She manages a tired smile, offering her hand. "It's…a pleasure to finally meet you, Supergirl."
Natasha raises an eyebrow, miffed at having the controls taken away from her. "'Finally'?"
Abigail takes a seat next to Kara. "Yes, finally. You have no idea how different Kara's life on Earth nearly was, because of S.W.O.R.D." –she laments.
Kara tilts her head. "What do you mean?"
"Well, as Agent Romanoff said, S.W.O.R.D. is the foremost human agency in charge of exploring our solar system and beyond, but we're also responsible for maintaining diplomatic relationships with the various political entities of the Milky Way, and we handle immigration proceedings for the few extraterrestrial refugees who choose – or are forced – to make Earth their home." –she explains. "As such, we were very nearly in charge of handling Kara's transition into life on our planet."
Director Brand turns to Kara. "Had your pod come in from space like a normal spacecraft instead of through an interdimensional portal in-atmo, you would've been our responsibility. Instead, you popped in out of nowhere – and Fury couldn't claim you fast enough. Beat us to the punch, unfortunately."
"Wow." –Kara mutters. "I had no idea."
Abigail shrugs. "Fury probably wouldn't want you to know. S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. don't cooperate much. We are both overseen by the World Security Council, but our operations rarely overlap, and we are both very territorial, when it comes to our respective jurisdictions." –she admits. "And we have a very different approach to securing the continued existence of the human race."
"Diplomacy isn't always enough, Director Brand." –Romanoff says, narrowing her eyes.
"No, it isn't. But neither should it be our last resort, the way Fury seems to think of it." –Brand shoots back. "Especially when your potential enemies far outclass you in terms of power and influence. Even with all that we've learned and derived from the alien technology that's reached Earth, we can only semi-comfortably move around our own solar system. Interstellar travel is still beyond our reach, let alone the ability to influence galactic politics or fend off major incursions, should we manage to piss off one of the major powers."
Thor raises an eyebrow. "Ah, but Midgard has some of the greatest champions this galaxy has ever seen, does it not?" –he asks. "The Avengers, of course, but Heimdall has also regaled me with tales of the Supergirl's valor and strength of late."
Kara blushes a little. "Thanks, but…I mean, Director Brand has a point. If Tony hadn't carried that nuke into the wormhole, I don't know that we would've been able to cope with the Chitauri invasion. Not at the rate they were coming."
"Not enough to prevent a massive death toll, if at all." –Steve gravely agrees.
"Which S.W.O.R.D. didn't seem to help prevent in any way, I might add." –Bruce adds, scornful.
"Unlike S.H.I.E.L.D., we have no dedicated troops to speak of. Starship pilots and armed astronauts meant to protect our scientific expeditions are all that we have in terms of trained military personnel." –Abigail defends. "We have four experimental spacecraft built for exo-atmospheric combat and a space station whose weapons are pointed away from Earth. If the Chitauri had invaded the traditional way, we might've been able to do something about it, but they obviously didn't."
Bruce seems unconvinced, but backs down with a grumble. His bias against any and all government law enforcement is alive and well, it seems, not that Kara can begrudge him for it. Far from it, considering the latest developments with S.H.I.E.L.D. "I wonder how different my life would be if you'd taken me in." –Kara admits.
"Well, we wouldn't have created a sword specifically to kill you, I can assure you." –Brand says, sarcastic. "In all likelihood, you would've been raised on our home base of Excalibur, or at one of the various Garrisons around the world where our pilots and staff are trained. Perhaps I would've asked you to be our ambassador to the various peoples of the galaxy, to represent the best that Earth has to offer."
"A Kryptonian representing humanity?" –Kara asks, raising an eyebrow.
"A Terran representing her home." –Abigail corrects. "Humans may be the most numerous sapient species on the planet by far, but we're not the only ones who call Earth home. That's why we use the term 'Terra', which the galaxy at large knows our planet by. We're all Terrans, no matter our species."
Steve crosses his arms. "Pardon me for saying so, ma'am, but I don't think this is the first time we should be hearing about these things. It's our job to protect the world as best we can – being aware of threats coming from space could only help us do it better. The lack of cooperation only helps our enemies."
"True enough, Captain. I apologize." –she allows. "To be honest, I wanted to make sure you were more than just Fury's personal hitmen. He's dreamt of putting together a force like the Avengers for decades, and he finally managed it with you – you'll forgive me if I couldn't bring myself to blindly trust that you had our best interests in mind."
Kara narrows her eyes. "I feel like there's a lot to unpack there." –she notes. "I thought the Avengers were more of a spontaneous thing?"
Natasha hesitates a little. "…in part, yeah. Thor wasn't ever considered for the Initiative, for example. Neither were you." –she says. "But it's true that Director Fury has tried to put together a team like ours since the nineties."
Abigail scoffs. "Oh, it's been going on a lot longer than that." –she says. "The Avengers Initiative proper exists since 1994, but Fury's had the idea since he was a junior agent, somewhere around the seventies – and he definitely tried to make something out of it before, often to disastrous results. You ought to pay a visit to Hank Pym, one of these days."
"Peggy sanctioned this?" –Steve frowns.
"For a time." –Abigail agrees. "Director Carter knew all too well how valuable even a single Enhanced individual could prove on the battlefield – as you'd best know, Captain Rogers. But the project's failures mounted, and good people were lost, so she eventually banned it altogether. Fury couldn't do anything about it until she retired."
A bit of relief softens the super soldier's stiff shoulders. Natasha sighs, clearly troubled by the revelations. "Well, as…educational as this has proven, we just entered Nevadan airspace. We should reach Arcadia in just a few minutes."
Steve grimly nods, grabbing his helmet from the rack. "Everyone ready up. We're gonna hit the ground running."
They almost do, in fact, literally hit the ground running.
Apparently, Director Brand can't really control the so-called alien upgrade – which means that they can't slow down as long as it's applied. It's a tricky thing, but they decide take the cane away a few dozen miles away from the battle, and hope the Quinjet holds together enough for a landing.
Almost immediately after removing the alien artifact, however, the bird starts shaking apart; the console all but explodes, the entire left wing rips away, and half of its drag surfaces are sheared off by the wind, like shingles in a tornado. The Quinjet plummets, half ablaze, towards the ground – thankfully far enough away from the alien warship in the distance to avoid its aggressive point defense systems. It's a mad scramble to steer the ship into a crash-landing, away from any residential areas, but the aircraft is so damaged that they have to ditch it. Abigail grabs onto Rogers and Romanoff, teleporting them out, leaving Kara to punch through the bay door, Thor haphazardly carrying Bruce out of the VTOL behind her before it crashes and explodes, moments later.
The Avengers regroup, taking stock of their situation; they're just outside of town, southeast of the main battleground. It's kind of a misnomer, though – the defenders have been pushed too far back, so all they can see is the unimpeded march of an alien drone army, slowly occupying Arcadia. Above them, a dogfight of sorts is unfolding – they can see Iron Man flitting around a massive alien creature, itself chasing around a vehicle that looks like a flying motor home.
It's…odd.
"Widow, get in touch with Hill and figure out where they're at with the evacuation." –Rogers orders. Natasha nods, taking Director Brand's offered hand, and the duo teleport away. "Bruce, I need the Hulk to stop that march. Don't let them reach the town, but don't wreck it either. Can you do that?"
Bruce sighs. "Yeah, alright. See you at the after party, guys." –he mutters, letting the transformation overtake him. The Hulk roars in glee, taking immediate advantage of his newfound freedom by leaping onto the battlefield and wreaking havoc amongst the no doubt confused drones.
"The rest of us are on Vilgax duty." –Cap says, then takes a hand to his earpiece. "Tony, is that the guy?"
Their comms crackle. "Oh, hey Cap – you guys sure got here soon. Yeah, the flying tentacle monster dude, that's Vilgax."
Kara cracks her knuckles. "I'm on it." –she says, and takes off. It's a simple matter, intercepting Vilgax; he's not so much piloting the drone he's hitched a ride on as much as he's taking advantage of its flight path to pursue the flying RV, keeping Tony at bay by shooting omnidirectional lasers out of his eyes, twisting and turning to track the armored Avenger. As such, he doesn't even see her coming, fists first, swiping him clean off the drone, and sending them both hurtling towards the ground.
The soil beneath them erupts upon their crash-landing. She flies away from the crater, surveying the scene; they've landed on a desolate part of town, reduced to rubble and flames. It's hard not to mentally be on Krypton, surrounded by so much destruction, but she stubbornly reminds herself that she's not helpless – not this time. Vilgax roars, defiantly, and she meets him in kind, yelling as she delivers a punch to his armored solar plexus. The metal dents, but to its credit, it doesn't break – and neither does the alien warlord. Vilgax recovers from staggering, grabs the burning wreck of a car, and bats her away with it. It's a decent attempt, but it only really serves to annoy her. He tries to do it again, but her heat vision bisects the car before it can hit her, leaving him clutching a useless car trunk, which he tosses aside.
Vilgax's red eyes glow incandescent, and he blasts her with those zig-zagging rays. They hurt like a sunburn – mild, passive, still very uncomfortable – so she blasts him right back. Vilgax hisses as the thin beams cut one of his arms off at the elbow; for a moment, Kara fears that she's gone too far, but the tentacles that make up whole body stretch out of the stump and grab onto the severed limb, fusing back with it.
Tony flies in then, repulsors blazing – the blasts sear off small sections of the alien's flesh, but they heal almost instantly. It annoys the warlord, though, letting her sneak in a couple of devastating punches, but even as the power of her fists clears the smoke and dust from the scene, Vilgax manages to remain upright. The alien is clearly in pain, but his discipline is admirable – he intercepts Kara's next blow, and lets her motion carry her into a throw that Iron Man barely dodges in time.
Unfortunately, throwing her was a feint, and Vilgax manages to jump and grab one of Tony's legs, unceremoniously slamming him into the ground. Kara's eyes widen – that was a bad hit, she realizes, so she charges in and sends the villain flying before he can attempt to finish Tony off. She searches the armor for damage, but the new suit seems to have held together just fine. "You alright, Tony?" –she asks, concerned.
"I'm good." –he says, though he definitely sounds a little dazed. Kara offers her hand, and lifts him upright. "But Squidward here isn't going down."
"He sure can take a punch." –Kara admits, but she nods at the sky above. "But we still have a few tricks up our sleeves."
Thor hovers in place above Arcadia, spinning his magic hammer unimaginably fast. Storm clouds form out of thin air, lightning bolts drawn to the divine weapon, clinging to the God of Thunder's body. Kara wonders if Zeus is a little bit jealous – or, perhaps, even helping Thor out a bit, boosting him just a smidge further than whatever counts as normal for the Norse God. Satisfied, Thor throws himself at the ground, hammer first, and a massive lightning bolt with a god at its core strikes Vilgax. She has to cover her ears as the ensuing thunderclap booms all around them.
But Vilgax isn't done; even charred to a crisp, and covered in Lichtenberg scarring, he roars defiantly, backhanding the Thunderer away with tremendous strength – not that Thor looks anything but excited to match strength with the alien warlord.
Steve jogs towards them, shield in hand and already covered in oil and grime from the battlefield. Tony's helmet retracts. He's sweaty and frazzled, but thankfully not even bleeding. "Hey Cap. Ready to take your turn on the Cthulhu-themed alien bucking bull?" –he asks, shit-eating grin on full display.
Kara snorts, and the Captain rolls his eyes. "I'll pass, thanks." –he says, deadpan.
"Where's Bruce?" –Tony asks.
Steve points back at the battlefield, where the Jade Giant's roars can be heard. "Wreaking havoc among the enemy forces. They were getting too close to the town, so I asked him to take a brief detour before taking on Vilgax. It, uh…it took some convincing." –he admits. "But truth be told, I don't think power alone is gonna get us through this one."
Thor joins them. "I agree; I can sense some dark magic about him. It sustains him, well past the point that he should perish, let alone remain conscious." –he says. Kara frowns; she'd figured Vilgax just had a really freakin' good healing factor. What kind of magic could do something like that?
"Then we restrain him." –Steve says. "And hope we can figure out a way to put him down after."
Tony hums, keeping an eye on the regenerating Vilgax. "Yeah, the kids probably know something." –he mutters.
Steve raises an eyebrow. "The local vigilantes?"
Tony shrugs. "I don't think 'vigilantes' is the right word, having spent some quality time with them, but yeah, those guys. Baby's First Eldritch Abomination here is attacking because they have something he wants." –he explains. "A device called the Omnitrix."
The Asgardian seems surprised at the news. "Surely you've misheard, Stark? The Omnitrix is a myth."
Kara tilts her head. "So are you, Thor." –she points out.
The warlord finally moves, the last of his injuries healing as he stumbles towards them. He looks pissed, even though all they can see of his expression is his narrowed red eyes. "So…the rumors are true." –he purrs, in perfectly live-translated English. That's odd; she would've expected to hear Kryptonian, the way translator implants usually work. She wonders what that says about her…or if, perhaps, Krypton has already faded into galactic obscurity. "I'll admit, I did not believe it, hearing it when I finally awoke after my defeat." –he continues. "Terran champions, powerful enough to resist the Black Order…however briefly."
Tony steps forward, never one to take a challenge lightly. "I think you'll find that we can do a lot better than briefly."
Vilgax sneers. "The Asgardian among you, perhaps. But you Terrans are famous for being…" –he trails off, waving all around them, at the destruction his forces have caused. "…easily broken. Tell me: how is it that you were able to fend off the Chitauri? How did you survive, where so many others have perished?"
A cold pit settles in her stomach; she didn't know the Chitauri were a widespread problem, one that evidently many throughout the Milky Way fear. It's a sobering thought – she knew they were on track to be overwhelmed by the alien invaders before Tony delivered the nuke, but she couldn't have imagined how close they apparently came to joining what appears to be a growing genocide.
"Maybe we're tougher than we look." –Steve retorts. "Are you sure you wanna try us?"
For a split second, it looks like Vilgax doesn't. But he soon covers it up with a mad, villainous cackle. "You say that like there's any other choice, human." –he claims. "No…the Omnitrix will be mine soon. I will have my revenge, and the galaxy will bask in my victory!"
Beside her, Tony rolls her eyes at the warlord's claims before replacing the helmet over his head. It's a bit much, she agrees, but the conviction in the alien's voice is genuine. Loathe as she is to admit it…it reminds her of Doom.
The wrecked torso of one of the larger drones slides, sparking, into view, right between Vilgax and them. Hulk roars, leaping onto the field, drenched in the synthetic blood of his robotic enemies. "NO MORE TALK! SMASH SQUID MAN NOW!"
She can't help but chuckle a little. The Hulk clearly has no time for banter. "Sounds like a plan to me." –she says.
Hulk charges forward; Vilgax meets him halfway, and the rest of them leap into action right after. It's a strange sort of organized chaos, what follows – perhaps they're still too early into their life as a team to be a well-oiled machine, but their teamwork has definitely improved. They keep the warlord guessing, taking every chance they get to sneak in a repulsor blast or a sweep of her heat vision – and they know they can reflect both with Cap's shield, so they don't even need to have direct line of sight sometimes. Hulk's game plan is mostly to wrestle the alien down, immobilize him enough that Thor can deliver a mighty blow with Mjolnir, or Kara can fly up and land a decent haymaker.
Vilgax gives as good as he gets, though; his massive size makes his sweeping blows difficult to avoid, and when he does manage to hit back, he demonstrates he's no slouch in the strength department. He may not have the raw strength she and Hulk have been gifted with – and indeed, it seems like Thor might edge him out, too – but he's got very good technique, even disoriented from being attacked on all sides. His omnidirectional laser blasts help, too; he soon learns that Cap is (technically) their weakest link, so he tries to focus the worst of his attacks on the Super Soldier, who's forced to stay on top of his game in order to avoid a fatal blow. There's a couple of times where only the timely repositioning of his shield manages to protect him from getting fried.
The fight is something of a stalemate; Vilgax can't match their teamwork, but they can't finish him off, either, and just as much as they learn his patterns and weaknesses, so too does the warlord begin to adapt. He even unfurls a few of the tentacles in his arms, using them as whips to keep Tony and Steve at bay, and as vines against her, Thor, and Hulk, to latch onto their arms and legs and limit their motion.
A few chaotic minutes pass, and Vilgax grows tired of the stalemate; he explodes his tentacles outward, forcing them all to back off, and when they reform into his arms, the cylinders that run along their length punch into his flesh, causing the limbs to swell dramatically, crackling with crimson electricity. Hulk tries to smash him, but Vilgax holds up one of his engorged arms and easily blocks the blow, and with his right hand, he uppercuts the Emerald Titan, sending him flying straight into her.
Both of them are tossed miles into the air, with such force that neither of them can make sense of their surroundings – even as they punch through the dreadnought's hull and come out the top. Kara finally manages to stabilize and reorient herself, grabbing onto Hulk's leg.
"Did Hulk see…?" –he trails off, upside down and mildly disoriented.
"…the flying RV from before and a bunch of people diving out of our way about six decks deep inside the ship?" –she completes for him, equally befuddled. "Yeah, I think so."
"Weird fight." –Hulk surmises. "PUNCH SOME MORE!"
Kara smirks. "You got it, buddy."
They fly back to the battle, but almost as soon as they arrive, the underside of the alien dreadnought starts exploding – they must've damaged something critical as they pierced its innards, Kara realizes. Hulk doesn't really care, immediately leaping towards Vilgax again, but she knows enough about astrophysics and starship engineering to know that this is a much bigger problem than the heat and pressure that reaches them a few seconds after; a ship that size can't be held aloft in-atmosphere by its maneuvering thrusters alone – it probably houses a vast array of anti-gravity projectors to reduce the stress on that system. The explosions wracking the warship are spread throughout exactly where she might expect to find those anti-gravity projectors, and that means that the vessel won't be able to hover much longer.
"Well, that's not good." –she manages.
Tony's helmet retracts. He looks appropriately grim. "A hundred million tons free-falling half a dozen miles isn't good by any stretch of the imagination, no." –Tony agrees.
Hulk and Thor keep Vilgax occupied as they evaluate the situation. "Can you stop it?" –Steve asks, hitting his shoulder against a nearby semi-intact wall. It must've gotten dislocated while they were flying.
"I can lift a couple hundred tons, Cap." –Tony snorts. "Kinda falling short of the tonnage of an entire alien warship."
Rogers sighs. "I was talking to Kara." –he clarifies, distinctly unimpressed.
She winces; she was afraid this was coming. "I…honestly don't know." –she admits. "I've never tried lifting anything remotely as heavy as that."
The heaviest thing S.H.I.E.L.D. had her successfully lift (and only for a few seconds, at that) was a decommissioned Nimitz-class aircraft carrier – a mere hundred thousand tons or so, less than one percent the weight of the falling alien ship, if Stark's scans of it are accurate. She honestly doubts that she could manage it – but the vessel has very obviously started to lose altitude, and judging by the explosions still rocking its hull, the situation isn't getting any better.
"It looks like you're gonna have to try." –Rogers confirms her fears.
The warship lurches forward, its main thrusters roaring to life and propelling it away from the town – the team inside probably knows there's no helping the fall, so they must be trying to crash it away from civilization, minimizing the damage.
"Go talk to the kids." –Tony suggests. "Maybe you don't have to lift the whole thing. And if you do, they'll probably be able to tell you the best way to do it."
She takes a deep breath, nervous but resolute. "Got it." –she nods. "You guys good with Vilgax?"
Hulk sails over them, cackling like a madman even though he's been absolutely decked by the warlord. Another thunderbolt strikes Vilgax, who howls in pain in the distance. "I think we'll be fine." –Stark says, sarcastically.
Supergirl shakes her head, and takes off as fast as she dares to. The ship's descent is slow, so it takes her only a half-minute or so to catch up; she punches through the hole she and Hulk made, following it until she encounters the hallway she saw the flying RV at, ever so fleetingly. Tire tracks lead towards the heart of the ship, which she follows – along with the trail of wrecked bots, until she finds a destroyed blast door, inside of which the people she's looking for are frantically trying to keep the warship from falling.
"Supergirl!" –the violet, crystalline one says, awed.
"That's me." –she smiles reassuringly. "How can I help?"
The blue and bloody one scoffs, derisively. "Unless you can somehow lift millions of tons on a whim, there's nothing you can do."
She doesn't appreciate the alien's tone, but she also has to admit that she's not entirely sure. "I mean, I haven't tried yet, but…it's a solid 'maybe'." –she shrugs.
The boy in the white and black shirt with the alien wristwatch – the fabled Omnitrix, no doubt – pipes up. "Supergirl is strong, Hala. Like, incredibly strong." –he tells the blue alien, apparently named Hala. Kara wonders if she might not be Kree, like Hawkeye and Widow told her about. "If anyone can do it, it's her."
He looks at her in wonder as he jogs over, offering his hand in greeting. She shakes it, careful not to break it. She doesn't get to thank him for his confidence, though, as the Omnitrix's inner green glow suddenly becomes yellow, and its faceplate starts spinning rapidly. "Uh…is your watch supposed to do that?" –she asks, frowning.
The teen looks equally befuddled, shaking his head. "It's never done it before…but I'm sure it's fine?" –he tries to reassure them both. The problem is, the amber light spills out of the Omnitrix, consuming his entire body. Her hand is stuck in place, and indeed, she feels like she can't move for a few seconds; the kid's body starts changing, becoming taller, more filled out…and decidedly feminine. The yellow light turns green, and she can finally let go, taking a step back as the emerald light bursts out and finally subsides. Where the boy once stood, now stands a young woman.
No, that's not quite right. It's not just any young woman – it's her, her own face and body identically replicated, except for the boy's short, wavy brown hair and bright green eyes replacing her own, and the white leotard she wears instead of her suit. The shield of her House is gone, replaced by nothing but a wide oval cut out of the leotard's chest; instead, the Omnitrix's symbol adorns her left shoulder, and a black belt sits at her waist, but that's all she wears – she doesn't even have shoes.
Kara can't help it; she covers her mouth in horror and confusion. She barely even hears the newcomer yell 'Power Girl!' as she strikes a heroic pose, fists at her hips and chest puffed out the way Kara herself has been known to announce herself. The others are no less surprised, if less horrified to see a clone of her stand in their midst. "Wh-what just happened!?" –she demands. "Why is there another one of me!?"
"And why does she have a boob window?" –the long haired young man mutters, earning him an elbow to the ribs from the crystalline woman.
The Kryptonian blushes despite herself. Her doppelganger does too, when she looks down and sees what she's wearing. "Oh my gosh." –Power Girl says, and if Kara thought she'd be less freaked out, she's swiftly corrected when she hears her own voice come out of her lookalike. "I'm so sorry, I didn't pick the suit!"
Kara scoffs. "The suit? What about my voice? What about my face!?" –she asks. "What in Rao's name is going on here?"
The Omnitrix symbol on Power Girl's shoulder glows, and the projected hologram of a tiny little frog man, stands sternly beside her head. "No need to panic…huh, Kryptonian, eh? Never heard of your kind before." –the minuscule amphibian notes. Obscurity it is, Kara thinks to herself, though it still doesn't make sense to her. Krypton was a massive empire, once, after all. "I simply took the liberty of having the Omnitrix scan your genetic profile, fill a gap in its database – and perhaps allow young Ben here to aid you in keeping Vilgax's flaming, misshapen lump of metal from wiping out half a continent."
Power Girl scowls. "Jesus, Azmuth, didn't you ever hear of consent? Haven't you learned anything since Tetrax?" –she shakes her head.
The frog man, Azmuth, scoffs, though he seems to have the decency to look slightly ashamed. "Berate me if you must, Tennyson – after you stop the Hammer from crashing." –he retorts.
The ship's innards groan as more explosions rock its structure. "Whatever it is that you two can supposedly do, you must do it now." –Hala urges. "The warship is about to lose all vertical lift."
She knows that, though it's no small ask to expect her to just accept Power Girl's sudden existence without a second thought. Still, they have much more pressing matters to worry about, so she decides to suck it up until after the fight. "I'm not gonna lie. This is…extremely weird." –she admits, sighing. "But I know this isn't your fault, erm…Power Girl. And besides, they're right – we need to keep this ship from crashing, no matter what."
Power Girl nods, determined. "Alright. How do we do this?"
The way they do it is admittedly a bit unorthodox; Gwen, the young woman seemingly made of a flexible, amethyst-like material, is an alien of the Anodite race. Kara hasn't heard about them before, but the way their powers work keenly reminds her of the Green Lantern Corps – she can create magical energy constructs in any shape she wants, and they're as durable as she wills them to be. She proposes creating a series of tethers tied to the strongest points of the dreadnought's superstructure, evenly spreading the ship's weight, and tied to Power Girl and Supergirl above and below the ship, respectively pulling and pushing it up. She's volunteered to be on the bottom; Power Girl assures her that their abilities are exactly the same, but Kara isn't about to let anyone else bear that (literal) weight.
If they fail, she'll be the one crushed under a hundred million tons of metal. It's not exactly a pleasant prospect, but at least there would be another part-time Kryptonian out there to take her place, right?
Right.
Hala identifies all the strongest spots, and a few extra in case the ship is too damaged. Then, they exit the vessel, heading to their respective positions, and wait as the Anodite forges the energy tethers, and when they're ready, they get to work.
She almost gives out instantly; the weight is...indescribable, beyond anything she's ever experienced – and hopefully beyond anything she'll ever experience. Every single muscle in her body (and her bones, and her tendons, and probably her organs, too) protests, the load she bears pushing her to her absolute limit. She hates to admit it, but she's not sure she could've done this alone; perhaps Thor could've helped, if push came to shove, but she has to begrudgingly appreciate the turn of fate that created Power Girl, because without her...well, she'd rather not think about it.
The vessel does climb, though. It's not the fastest method, of course, and Earth's gravity fights them for every inch, but the Chimeran Hammer flies further and further up into the atmosphere. She's drenched in sweat, her eyes feel like they're about to pop out of their sockets, her scars stretch uncomfortably wide, and she's pretty sure she won't be able to move her arms for a whole, but she's doing it. After a few minutes – during which Tony comes to check on her before going up and meeting Power Girl – the warship is high enough that its maneuvering thrusters can take over, and the Hammer begins limping to a stable orbit.
Kara drifts a bit as she lets go of the makeshift platform above her, itself disintegrating into pink particles. Her cheeks are stained with tears from the sheer effort she exerted, and her spine, neck, shoulders, and arms are screaming at her in pain. She wonders if this is what Atlas might feel like, should he get a break from holding up the sky – maybe she should ask him, now that she knows the Titan most likely exists somewhere. Facing and losing to Doom may have been more terrifying, but this is, by far, the hardest thing she's had to do as Supergirl.
Still, there is a sense of contentedness in her accomplishment. The dreadnought cruises away from the vibrant curvature of planet Earth, extending all around her. She's not so high up that she can't breathe – does she even need to? She doesn't feel like she's asphyxiating – but the air is so thin here that if she shouted, it'd come out as a murmur. She's technically in freefall, but she's so far from the surface that she's got a good few minutes before she actually feels like she's falling.
She realizes, in a sobering moment, that she's never been here, at the edge of space – never tried to leave Earth, even just to see if she could. It's tempting now, technically within reach, but she fears the consequences. Ever since she came to this planet, ever since she developed her powers, she's always feared them.
Then again, she did just shatter her weight-lifting personal best, a thousand times over.
The flying RV winks in the distance, glinting with the unfiltered sunlight. It flies up to her, Power Girl and Iron Man clinging to each side of the makeshift spacecraft. For now, she turns away from the void that beckons her – there's still a job to finish, after all, a warlord to defeat, and a city to save. But she can't help but glance back as she grabs onto the vehicle's roof and they take off towards Arcadia for the final confrontation.
Something tells her she'll be back, sooner or later.
There you have it, ladies, gents, and everone in between! Supergirl is no longer the sole Kryptonian alive - but what does it mean, going forward? How to reconcile with someone who's ostensibly her part-time clone, devoid of any attachment to Krypton, her people, and her culture? It's going to be interesting to explore, for sure! Of course, we have more pressing matters to attend to with Doctor Doom and his nebulous plans, but rest assured, this plot thread will be followed here and there.
Power Girl is visually based on Galatea/Supergirl's clone from Justice League Unlimited, more so than any of her usual comics looks!
I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I gave it my all! And I hope that you'll check out my Ko-fi (darthkvzn) and consider donating - it's been a rough year, and I remain unemployed. If not, no worries! Please, consider checking out the rest of this crossover event, the new one-shot collection, and this universe as a whole! It's all one big place, and it's only getting bigger. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take a days long nap.
Until next time!