Chapter 4: Assemble! Part 4
*Daily Bugle, Manhattan*
15:46 EST May 4, 2012 AD
"PARKER!"
"He's not here!"
"THEN WHO THE HELL IS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PHOTOS OF WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE?!"
"ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?!" Robbie Robertson yelled back. They may have been on the top floor of the building, but that didn't mean there was still a whole bunch of danger. The Daily Bugle rattled and rumbled again as the creatures continued to lay waste to the city. A few of them were bashing into the infrastructure repeatedly, and smashing away with their weapons. Across the entire floor, employees were screeching and screaming and panicking away, terrified for their very lives as the damaged continued to rein across the island of Manhattan. "WE'RE FACING AN INVASION OF GIANT ALIENS AND POSSIBLY THE END OF THE WORLD, AND YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT GETTING PICTURES ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON OF ALL THINGS?! ARE YOU TRYING TO SENT A YOUNG MAN TO HIS DEATH OUT THERE?!"
This made J. Jonah Jameson, editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle and New York's largest advocate against Spider-Man, stop and think for a minute. Sure, he could be mean and a jackass, but he wasn't heartless. Maybe sending a photographer into the carnage out there wasn't exactly the smartest of ideas…
"Sir!" a brunette woman in her early thirties yelled as she came into Jameson's office, cringing at the explosions occurring outside below as the creatures destroyed a bus filled with people and its gas tank exploded.
"What is it, Ms. Brant?!" the editor yelled out.
"I just got a call from Peter's aunt!" Betty Brant replied. "She's watching the news about what's going on and she's horrified! She wants to know if Peter's ok!"
"HOW THE HELL DO I TELL HER I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE HE IS?!" Jameson frantically yelled at Robbie. That old woman terrified him. He was suddenly partly hoping the creatures would find a way up here and kill him.
*Times Square*
16:04 EST May 4, 2012 AD
"ANYONE HAVE A PLAN?!" Hawkeye yelled out as he, Natalia, Spider Woman, Iron Man, Wasp and Captain Marvel fired repeatedly at the unstoppable juggernaut lumbering in their direction. As it had been happening for the last twenty minutes, all their combined attacks were completely ineffective as the Destroyer shrugged off the arrows, bullets, bio-sting blasts, photon blasts and repulsor blasts. In retaliation, it fired another blast from its face at the heroes. Stark barely had any time to put up a massive deflector shield, and it barely held up against the blast, the force of impact sending the assembled heroes flying back. As they struggled to get up, Quicksilver raced up and began creating a vortex around the metallic titan as it continued to advance. Going faster and faster and faster, the mutant thought he could successfully entrap the behemoth in the vortex and force it into the air with the suction. That plan completely backfired as the Destroyer unleashed another devastating blast of energy, aiming right at the ground. The explosion completely took the speedster by surprise and he skidded to a stop, and would've been hit with a devastatingly powerful metallic kick if Captain America didn't ram into him, both of them barely escaping the impact. Black Panther, Wolverine and Mockingbird then proceeded to attack with melee techniques, jumping with bo staffs, claws and daggers ready-only to be swatted away like flies as they all crashed into a nearby abandoned bus. Yellowjacket then attacked from behind, grabbing it from behind as he grew to its height, grabbing its arms and trying to force its head down. This backfired completely as the Destroyer somehow turned every joint in its body around so that it was now facing Pym. The scientist barely had time to shrink down to avoid the energy attack meant for his face. Carol and Stark then slammed into the metallic juggernaut, their impact actually managing to force the Destroyer into the ground. They then unleashed devastating hits with his uni-beam and her photon blasts.
All the while, Enchantress was engaged in a vicious magics battle with Scarlet Witch. Hexes, energy blasts, arcane blasts and magical blasts flew left and right as the mutant witch and the Asgardian sorceress continued their relentless attacks against one another. Wanda had much to keep her going-the fate of the city and possibly the world, and her own mutant powers and arcane arts abilities. If this woman was dangerous as she was already, adding her powers to her own would probably spell doom for Earth. With that in mind, the mutant refused to let up. Her hands fired hexes after spells as she did her best to fight off the Enchantress.
Executioner was watching the battles from the side, the four other villains-Wrecker, Piledriver, Bulldozer and Thunderball-by his side. "Shouldn't we be joining in the fight?" Wrecker asked the axeman. Silence was his only answer. "Um...look, man, I know they're getting their asses kicked by your giant robot, but still, maybe we should join in?" Still no answer.
"Screw him, man," Bulldozer said as he walked forward. "Let's just join in! Power of the gods, remember?! We just go in and whoop-!" He was silenced by Skurge's ax in front of him as he tried to pass the Asgardian, threatening to stay back.
"We enter battle," the Executioner snarled, "when we are needed in battle."
"...right, right, got it," Bulldozer said, unnerved by the fact that this guy was able to walk away from a fight with the Hulk. They then were caught by surprise as with a resonating boom, the Destroyer not only got up, but fired its devastating energy attack at Iron Man and Captain Marvel, who barely dodged. In retaliation, they combined their two attacks again and fired at the juggernaut.
"Don't stop, you two!" Steve yelled as he, Hawkeye, Widow and Logan ran over, ready to engage. "We need to keep it off balance to get in more hits!"
"Yeah, I kind of figured that!" Stark yelled back. "Captain Marvel, absorbing energy makes you stronger and your attacks more so, right?"
"Yeah, why?" the heroine yelled.
"Let's see how heavy you can dish out when you absorb my repulsors and uni-beam!" the billionaire replied. Carol smirked.
"Do it!" With that, Stark bombarded the heroine with his energy weapons, and as Carol absorbed the blasts, she felt her body tingling and flowing and gushing with the adrenaline and power. With a yell, she channeled all the energy already in her body and the energy Stark was blasting into her through her hands, and she fired one of the most powerful blasts she had unleashed in her life. The impact sound of the blast echoed for miles as it collided with the Destroyer's armor. The titan staggered back against the sudden force, and for a few moments, the heroes assembled thought they had actually managed to find a way to destroy the Destroyer.
"Holy crap, it's working!" Bobbi yelled.
"JARVIS, increase arc put out by 50%!" Stark ordered. The AI did as instructed and Carol felt even more empowered.
"THIS IS WORKING!" she yelled. "We might actually-!"
"Captain, it's still coming!" Quicksilver yelled suddenly. To her horror, Carol saw he was right. The Destroyer had only been momentarily caught off guard, and now was walking in her direction, ignoring the devastating and enhanced photon blasts as if she were merely shooting water at it.
"Everyone, attack as one!" Iron Man yelled out as he stopped firing on Captain Marvel and fired his weapons at the Destroyer. All the other heroes joined in, whether with ranged or melee attacks. They attacked with a frenzy, but the Destroyer merely shrugged it all off. And it retaliated hard. Another energy blast sent all the heroes flying into the various buildings and cars and such.
"NO!" Wanda yelled out, momentarily distracted by the battle her allies were in, as she watched in horror as they were all sent flying. This was all the distraction that Amora the Enchantress needed as she fired a rather painful blast of magic at her, too quick for the mutant to see until too late. Wanda slammed into a nearby car, crying out in pain.
"Your compassion for the mortals proves to be your downfall, witch," Amora smirked as she sauntered over to Wanda. "You, with such power in your hands, attempting to fit in and aid them...that is why such power doesn't belong in your hands. You will fall before me, and with your power and magics, Lord Loki shall rule not just Midgard, but the entirety of the Nine Realms of the Cosmos!"
"Ow…." Jan groaned as she was helped up by Jessica.
"Is everyone ok?" Stark yelled out.
"We're good here," Logan replied as he, Clint, Natalia and T'Challa got out of the building they crashed in.
"I'm alright…" Steve groaned as he struggled to get back up. He realized his shield wasn't in near proximity. "Ok, we need to regroup and come up with a new-"
"CAP, WATCH OUT!" Pym yelled. Steve immediately looked up to see the unstoppable Destroyer mere feet away from him, lumbering towards him and preparing to fire another devastating blast. He saw that his shield was near a smoking car….15 feet away from him. Even with the Super Soldier serum pumping in his veins, the WWII veteran knew that there was not going to be any way for him to get to it and dodge the blast at the same time. Seeing no other way to save himself, Captain America stared defiantly at the metallic behemoth.
"C'mon, tin can. Do your worst."
The Destroyer prepared to fire….
"HULK SMASH METAL ROBOT!"
CRAKAKABOOOOMM!
A thunderous boom rang out as the Hulk jumped back into the fray from the far distance that the Destroyer had shot him to-and he….was...MAD.
Hulk smashed the Destroyer directly into the ground. Unbeknownst to the human heroes, the Destroyer, when forged, was made to withstand any and all blows and impact and force. Its armor was designed to withstand hits from the Goddess of War, from the God of Thunder…even from the All-Father himself. The magic behind the armor made it resilient to just about anything. The Hulk, however, was a being made of science and technology, and the madder Hulk got, the stronger Hulk got...strong enough to actually give the Destroyer a run for its money. The metallic juggernaut sank to its knees, the blows from the Hulk actually making it stagger badly. Hulk continued his brutal and fierce assault, dealing haymaker after haymaker, each blow more earth-shattering than the last. With a roar, he picked it up by the head and threw it right into the Times Square Jumbotron, with an electrifying and thunderous explosion.
Enchantress saw this and straightened up in shock. This was all Wanda needed to get the upper hand and blast Amora in the face with a powerful hex blast. "You will never take my power, and let's get one thing straight," she snarled as she fired more arcane hex blasts. "You're the witch here, not me!"
Executioner twirled his ax. "Now, mortals…now we enter the battle."
"Against HIM?" Thunderball exclaimed, gesturing to the Hulk.
"Do you wish to rule this world by Loki's side?"
"Well, yeah…" Piledriver said.
Skurge's reply was a simply war cry as he leapt at the Hulk once more, slamming the blade into his shoulder. With a ferocious roar, the titan grabbed the Asgardian and slammed him into the ground, only to be bum rushed by Wrecker, Piledriver, Bulldozer and Thunderball.
"OH, COME ON!" Hawkeye yelled with his trademark complaint. "Again, our biggest gun gets taken out of the fight-!"
FRABOOM!
The other heroes turned in shock as the Destroyer jumped down from the Jumbotron remains onto the streets. It raised its faceless head at them, and the visor began to glow orange again. They barely managed to get out of the way as it unleashed its hell, destroying the central area of Times Square.
"So, this looks like this is going bad!" Wasp yelled out as she swiftly fired her stingers, to no avail.
"No kidding!" Mockingbird yelled back as she, Hawkeye and Cap stuck their heads out from their cover position. "Nothing we through at this thing seems to work! We can't hurt it!"
"Stow that talk, Bobbi!" Steve replied. "We need to find a way-we have to! If we fail to stop them here, these things could spread out across the country, and then the globe! We make our stand here!"
"Captain, we're not arguing that," Stark replied as he flew into the air, charging his uni-beam. "But we're doing everything we can to bring this thing down-!" Stark then fired his uni-beam, which didn't even faze the Destroyer. It fired its energy blasts at the armored hero, who flew away just in time. "But everything we throw at it just bounces right back off! I still can't even analyze what kind of metal this thing is made out of or try to stop it! It's even stronger than vibranium and adamantium!"
"Rich boy's right," Logan snarled as he again unleashed his claws. "My claws ain' makin' any kinda dent on that thing."
"Neither are my vibranium claws or daggers," Panther added.
"The only one of us actually able to do something to it is the Hulk, and he's kind of busy right now!" Carol said, pointing at the Hulk facing the five supervillains. "We need to lead it away from here-too much damage to the area! Not to mention that Scarlet Witch is still fighting the blonde witch over theeeeeEEEEAAAAAAUUUUGHHHHH!"
"CAROL!" Jessica yelled out as Captain Marvel, one of the most powerful superhumans on the planet, was devastated by a direct hit from the Destroyer's energy blast. Carol's screams and roars of pain were like nothing any of them had heard before, almost feral like. The force and monstrous blast of the impact sent the heroine flying into the streets, a crater forming from her impact as the Destroyer continued to unleash its energy attack on her. Logan had to restrain Spider Woman from racing onto the scene herself. The Destroyer continued, and soon, Carol's screams grew weaker and weaker until they stopped completely. The others couldn't see anything as smoke billowed from the crater, right from where Captain Marvel had been slammed. The others were shocked and stunned at the spectacle before them….until-
"TAKE IT DOWN!" Captain America and Iron Man yelled out, and at that, the other heroes rushed forward, unadulterated fury in their eyes. Their opponent had felled one of their own, and that would not go unpunished, no matter what. Iron Man fired his repulsors in unison with Wasp and Spider Woman's stinger blasts. Logan and Panther sliced away with their claws. Captain America and Mockingbird slammed their melee weapons into the Destroyer's head. Hawkeye and Black Widow fired volley after volley of arrows and bullets. Quicksilver dealt a merciless vortex of high velocity, momentum empowered punches. Yellowjacket dealt powerful haymakers and right hooks at the titan's back.
Everything just bounced off.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Wolverine roared. Suddenly, the Destroyer turned and blasted Iron Man right into Yellowjacket, Spider Woman and Quicksilver. Another blast was aimed at the other three SHIELD agents, blocked only by Cap's shield. The Destroyer then made to fire one more powerful blast-
KRAPOW!
A mighty punch echoed out for miles as the Destroyer was actually sent flying into the skies, its blast going wild and hitting the perch where the ball would be at New Year's. The impact went for miles. The heroes turned to the source…and were all shocked as before them stood a Captain Marvel billowing with smoke and full on glowing with every inch of her body. The most energy glow came from her fists, which actually were giving a bit of heat and a great deal of light. Her eyes were no longer visible, with only white light coming from it. On her face was a grin, and a very devious grin at that.
"Whoa…" Hawkeye muttered.
"Carol?" Jess asked, making to come forward before Stark stopped her.
"Captain Marvel," he asked. "Are you ok?"
"Am I ok?!" Carol yelled in glee as she flew up into the air. "I HAVEN'T FELT LIKE THIS SINCE I WAS BINARY! That blasts has so much energy in it-it's fucking AMAZING! I've never felt this strong for years!" Indeed, the all-powerful energy blasts of the Destroyer had not done any harm to Carol at all, except for the initial impact of force. On the contrary, her body started to absorb the energy, and as it surged through her body, it was as if Carol had drunk an entire tub of adrenaline. "I feel like I can take on the entire Kree army a hundred times over!"
"Well, how about the next best thing?!" Captain America replied as the Destroyer jumped down from where it had been blasted. It landed with a monstrous boom and as it got up, it looked again towards the heroes.
Carol grinned evilly. "Oh, yeah, baby."
FAKRAKABOOM!
Captain Marvel slammed right into the Destroyer, sending it crashing through the ground, past the subways and into the sewage system, dealing haymaker after haymaker. Grabbing it by the neck, she then threw it into the skies through the hole both had made and fired a barrage of newly empowered and devastating photon blasts that hit the Destroyer with a powerful boom. Flying faster, she out sped the flying form of the titan and once it was close enough, she dealt a devastating ax kick, sending it smashing into the ground with a resonating boom.
"I'll handle the Destroyer!" Carol yelled to her allies as she dealt a combo of right hooks and face punches. "Help Hulk!" As the others did just that, she turned in time to receive another energy blast to the face. This time, however, she absorbed it outright and flew through the energy and right into the Destroyer and dealt a roundhouse kick to its face. "Oh, you just made it even worse for yourself!"
Amora was stupefied by the spectacle before her; merely moments ago, the mortals were being annihilated by the Destroyer. All of a sudden, the tables had been turned. The flying female with the star on her chest had somehow absorbed the Destroyer's attacks and her power increased, allowing her to actually stand against it as Thor or Odin would. No mortal was supposed to do such a thing! Their weapon's power was being used against it and-!
"AAUGHHH!"
"Word of advice, Enchantress," Scarlet Witch snarled as she hit the Asgardian with a devastating hex blasts, sending her onto her knees in pain. "Do not turn your back on an opponent much stronger than you!"
"You dare insult me?!" Amora spat back as she fired a magic blast.
Wanda smirked back as she easily blocked the attack and retaliated with her own arcane hex blast. Amora screams in pain as she was sent flying into a nearby car. "From what I see, I think I am clearly the better of us!"
Hulk, meanwhile, had been barely holding his own against the combined might of Executioner, Wrecker, Piledriver, Bulldozer and Thunderball. The only thing keeping him through the fight was his ever increasing strength as his anger increased as well. The fact that Wrecker was also half blind also helped out, too. His hits were harder and harder with each passing moment; no matter how strong you are, though, one on five isn't the kind of odds you'd want in a fight. Luckily, Hulk wasn't alone.
"Need a hand, Jade Jaws!?" Hawkeye yelled as he and the others joined into the fray. He fired an explosive arrow right at Skurge's hand. The explosion shook the ax out of it, allowing Hulk to take advantage of the momentary surprise and punch the villain in the face, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Jade Jaws?" Hulk replied.
"Just thought of it right now!" Hawkeye grinned.
"Sounds stupid," Hulk said.
"Oh like you could do better!"
"How about Cupid?" Hulk smirked.
"Ok, now that's low," Clint muttered.
"You didn't complain last night," Bobbi teased as she and Cap dodged a hit from Thunderball, allowing Iron Man to blast him.
"OK, guys, not the best time!" Cap yelled. "Hulk, you handle the axe man while we take these goons off your back!"
"That makes things a lot easier," Hulk replied. "Now...HULK SMASH!" With that, and a roar of power, Hulk slammed his two fists into the back of the Executioner, forcing him onto the ground. The villain quickly retaliated with a sweep kick, and once more the titans began another all-out battle.
Logan sunk his claws into the back of Piledriver, enticing an agonizing scream of pain from the villain. Before he could try to pull away the mutant, however, Spider Woman and Wasp unleashed a barrage of bio-sting in Piledriver's face. Blinded, he blindly threw wild punches, hoping to hit something, as the two femme fatales dished out more and more hits. Logan continued to hack and slash away at his back, making the villains cry out in pain even more.
Thunderball, meanwhile, was slammed into the ground by Yellowjacket's enlarged fist and then whacked repeatedly by Mockingbird's bo staffs and Captain America's shield. No matter what, his wrecking ball never got in close enough proximity to hit the two normal sized humans. Enraged, he threw it at Pym, who caught it and slammed it back into his face.
Wrecker, still blind, was unable to fully fight as he couldn't see to his left side. Blindly swinging, he was easy picking for Iron Man's repulsors, Black Widow's bullets & stingers, and Quicksilver's punches.
Bulldozer's bruiser like bulk was no match for the agility of Black Panther and Hawkeye. With their smaller size, they were easily able to dodge each and every one of the villain's fists and punches and kicks (especially Hawkeye, who didn't want a repeat of what had happened not too long ago). Arrows and claws and daggers attacked in rapid succession, exploding and slashing and burning on the villain's body, as he got more and more enraged, further making his attacks blinder.
All the while, Hulk was decimating Executioner one haymaker at a time, while Captain Marvel was holding her own against the Destroyer, forcing on the defensive with each hit she landed, finally landing a powerful enough hit that it sent the behemoth flying dozens of blocks away.
Amora the Enchantress saw all this and her mouth was agape. Struggling to get up from Scarlet Witch's latest blast, she couldn't believe her eyes. These mortals were defeating them. If they fell, the Jotun would be next, and then their invasion would fail...she would fail...she had already failed… It was shameful to her, losing to such worms as these humans.
"Forgive me, my Lord," Amora muttered as she relayed her words to her master. "I have failed you…"
"No Amora...you have not failed me...you have simply given me weary opponents to destroy. You have proven yourself a most dedicated follower. But your quest for this wench's power blinded you."
"My Lord?"
"Do not fret, my lovely Enchantress...I shall deal with these mortals, and obtain the witch's power for the both of us. Today, they shall know the true power of chaos and mischief."
"Ready to surrender now, bitch?" Wanda said, her hands glowing with hex energy and pointed at Amora. She was sure she had beaten the sorceress. So she was utterly shocked when Amora began laughing.
"On the contrary, mortal," Enchantress sneered as the clouds above began rumbling. "It is you and your allies who shall fall!"
SCREAKABOOMM!
Green lightning struck the ground, stopping all fights as the heroes and villains turned to see just what was happening. The lightning continued to crackle and rumble, and within its light and where it met with the ground, a figure started to become visible. What unnerved the heroes, however, was the laughter...it was a maniacal and sinister laughter, one fit for the Devil himself. The laughter echoed for blocks around, sending chills in the spines of the four human villains. Suddenly, the lightning dispersed with a boom, leaving behind a green aura. The figure was now clearly visible, and now they could all see that the laugher was coming from him. It was a man...or something that at least had a man's appearance, for could a man show off that much power? He wore a golden helmet with curved horns with long & shiny sleek black hair on his head. Adorning his body was a green and golden armor jacket/cloak fusion outfit with fabric here and there, and golden gauntlets on his wrists. Underneath the outer wear was an all-black armor and leather outfit, shirt and pants, and his boots were also black. From his back billowed a long emerald green cape, and in one hand was a golden sceptre with a glowing blue jewel at the tip, giving off a plasma feel to it. What stuck out most, however, was the fact that he looked absolutely gorgeous. He was definitely a prime example of male physical beauty, which made Black Widow, Mockingbird, Spider Woman, Wasp, Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel extra wary-they knew it was villains that looked like this that were the most dangerous.
And he continued to cackle and laugh maniacally.
"NOW, MORTALS, YOU WILL FACE TRUE POWER AND CHAOS, AND YOU WILL FALL BEFORE THE POWER OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF!"
*Park Avenue & East 2nd Street, Lower Manhattan*
16:12 EST May 4, 2012
"How many injured?" her superior officer asked as she tightened her makeshift bandage over her arm gash.
"About seven," Carlie Cooper replied as she reloaded her gun with a fresh cartridge. "Gomez and Jason are tending to them now. We lost Tyson and Javeric, though." She lowered her head at the mention of those names, names of fallen comrades and brethren on the force. "They were good cops, Sergeant...they didn't deserve to die like that."
"I know, Cooper, but we can't dwell on that now," her sergeant replied, a pained expression forming on his face as he said it. "I wish we could take a moment, but we're at war right now, something I'd never thought I'd be saying as a cop. We need to keep focus on what's happening now...and that means getting anyone we find to safety and doing our jobs and protecting the innocent." He then turned to see the unconscious and webbed up forms of the Frost Giants littering the streets. "Each of us in our own way, and the best we can."
Carlie followed the man's gaze and smirked softly to herself, despite still upset over the death of two of her buddies. Peter definitely had done his part in going up against this invasion. Sure, he didn't have to come and help, being that there were so many other people in the city who needed more help than them. But he had arrived nonetheless, just when they were about to be slaughtered by the Jotun, overpowered, outnumbered and outmatched. With SHIELD and the US military still nowhere nearby, it had been up to the police to face these invaders, them and any superheroes who had joined in the fight. Daredevil was apparently defending Hell's Kitchen; the Punisher was out there joining in, too, from what she had heard; the Fantastic Four were apparently not even on Earth at the moment. She was sure that some of the other local vigilantes were out there fighting too. Radio chatter confirmed a bunch of heroes had gathered in Times Square, fighting something else that had to do with the invasion. At least they had help in fighting off this attack, Carlie mused to herself. Peter was definitely not going to stand by and not do anything; it just wasn't like him to do that. She remembered how he had arrived, swinging through the city helping anyone he found and fighting off the creatures, and fought with her and the other cops on her unit against these things, webbing them and punching them. He felt he had to protect these people...and he did, because it was what he both had to do and needed to do. He had a responsibility to keep going, no matter what the cost or price, and he was going to fulfill that responsibility. She remembered their brief conversation before he had gone off.
"How're your hands?"
"They're fine…ok fine, they still hurt...stop giving me the look."
"Then stop lying to me...that's why we broke up remember?"
"It's the end of the world and you're bringing up THAT?" he smirked.
"Ok, maybe not," she replied. "You're still going to go out there?"
"I have to...it's what I do. If not me, then who?"
"There are other heroes."
"Even they can't be everywhere at once."
"You know, sometimes, I wonder if things would be different if you stopped being Spider-Man."
"You know I won't stop. With great power must come great responsibility."
She hated that he had lied to her in the "Spider Island" Incident, and she hated that he had deceived her about his life...but Carlie understood her ex for it. And it made being mad a bit harder to do.
"You're right, Sarge," she said as she took another gun. A green flash of lightning burst through the skies, descending in the distance somewhere in Midtown Manhattan. Carlie knew Peter had been heading in that direction. He'd probably go right for it. Hopefully, he'd survive it. "We each got to do our part."
*Times Square*
16:12 EST May 4, 2012 AD
"Ok…" Hawkeye said as he aimed an arrow. "Who is THAT?!"
"Who cares?!" Hulk snarled. "Let's just smash him!"
"At ease, Hulk," Captain America cautioned. "We don't know anything about this joker."
"Joker?" the man in emerald & gold armor said in feigned hurt. "You sting me with your words, mortal. I am not a joker...I am a trickster. There is a well-defined difference. And as to your other question...I am Loki, Norse God of Mischief and the rightful heir to the throne of Asgard...and I am burdened with glorious purpose."
"Egoistic much?" Wasp muttered.
"Why the hell are you here?" Iron Man demanded, his repulsors at the ready and JARVIS trying to scan anything from this...Loki. "Why are you invading our world?"
"I come with glad tidings, mortal," Loki replied. "Of a world made free."
"Free from what, exactly?" Quicksilver snapped.
"Life's greatest lie...freedom. It is a plague upon your world. Once you accept that, then in your heart, you will know peace. I have come to bring you that peace. I am your savior...as well as the one who will conquer your world."
"So to bring peace, you begin war?" Captain Marvel snarled. "You expect us to grovel at your feet?!"
"Of course, wench," Loki sneered. "You are weak, pathetic creatures, unfit for anything. You are below the attention of all the nine realms. You slaughter each other by the thousands, all in a mad bid for power. Is submission not your natural state? You worms were made to be ruled. In the end, when this is over, and I stand victorious over you...you shall kneel and know submission."
"Not as long as we're still alive, pal," Cap retorted.
"An obstacle easily remedied," Loki replied. With a rapid flowing movement, he pointed his sceptre at the heroes. Instantly, a devastating blast of blue energy shot out from it, and it was very powerful. The blast sent the heroes flying, and flying far.
"Ok, he's got a shiny and shooting glow stick of destiny!" Stark yelled as he began firing a merciless barrage of repulsor blasts at Loki. To his shock, Loki simply disappeared and the blasts hit nothing.
'WARNING, ATTACK COMING FROM THE REAR, SIR!' JARVIS said, but it was too late. Loki had reappeared floating behind Stark and blasted him with a devastating arcane blast from his hands, sending the armored hero crashing down to the ground. An arrow suddenly flew at Loki, but the Norse God simply caught it inches from his face and threw it at a leaping Wolverine, and it exploded upon impact, sending the mutant crashing down to the pavement. Bullets, stings and daggers bombarded the Trickster, but again, he disappeared, only to reappear by the attackers. He grabbed Natalia by the hair and threw her into Panther, sending them both flying into the nearby theater. Spider Woman tried to land a punch, only for him to sidestep out of the way and have her crashing into a charging Hawkeye. To Wasp he fired another arcane blast and sent her crashing into Logan, who had just gotten back up. Captain America then charged with his shield, only for Loki to use his sceptre to smack it out of his hands. Cap still went on undeterred and delivered a right hook, which did absolutely nothing. Loki then grabbed Steve by the throat and slammed him into the ground. Grabbing his sceptre, he rammed it into his neck, keeping him down.
"Yield...and kneel before me," Loki commanded.
"Not today!" the Sentinel of Liberty yelled defiantly as he sweep kicked the villain, sending him staggering back enough for Mockingbird to deliver a ram to his head with her bo staffs. "Take this joker down, team!" Cap yelled, delivering a jumping snap kick to Loki.
"My genuine pleasure!" Barton yelled back as he fired five explosive arrows at Loki's back, joined by Natalia's stingers.
"HAHAHAHA!" Loki cackled. "IS THAT REALLY THE BEST YOU CAN-?!" He was interrupted by a slash to the face, courtesy of Wolverine's claws.
"More where that came from, bub," the mutant snarled.
"You dare strike your master?!" Loki roared. With strength that it didn't appear he had, Loki backhanded Logan right into Stark, who had just gotten up. "You think you mortals can stand against me?! I am a god, you dull pathetic creatures! I will not be hassled by-!"
POW POW POW-POW POW!
"You talk too much," Hulk snarled as he finished smashing Loki into the ground.
"Oh on the contrary, you brutish monster," Loki sneered as he got up, revealing that he wasn't harmed at all. "Talking is an art to be mastered." In a blink of an eye, the one Loki became dozens more, illusions that took Hulk by utter surprise. "Now, can you even try to find the real Trickster?" Loki taunted, but it seemed like his voice was coming from all directions. "As my voice echoes across the illusions, you cannot ever hope to try and find where I truly am, brutish oaf."
The Hulk looked confused for a few moments, then sneered. With a thunderous boom, he unleashed a resonating thunderclap, destroying all the illusions with the sonic waves-only for the real Loki to appear from behind and blast the Hulk with his sceptre. While the Hulk went flying, Pym managed to land in a good sucker punch on Loki and made to slam him down into the ground, but Loki turned at the last second and blasted the giant directly in the face with an arcane blast, enticing a cry of pain as Yellowjacket came toppling down. Iron Man then tackled Loki, managing to crash into the ground, and flying off with uni-beam blast. Loki fired both his sceptre and his arcane blasts at Stark, sending him flying into the Jumbotron remains. Loki was then hit with an abandoned bus, courtesy of Captain Marvel. Black Panther then tried to jump onto the Trickster but was grabbed mid leap and thrown into a charging Wolverine. Captain Marvel made to land an axe kick, but Loki disappeared again, appearing again to grab her and throw her into the skies. Bullets again sprayed in his direction, as did bio-stings, and in retaliation, Loki threw a volley of glistening daggers, forcing Wasp and Spider Woman to dodge, but a dagger managed to nick Black Widow in the shoulder. With a roar, Hulk charged and made to ram a haymaker into Loki's mouth-only for the Trickster to grab his fist mid-punch, causing a resonating boom to echo out.
"Stupid creature," Loki sneered. "You may be an incredibly strong monster, but do you honestly believe you can stand and fight with a god?!" Loki then hit the Hulk with his own fist, sending the titan staggering back-only for Hulk to backhand Loki into the skies, right into Captain Marvel's fist. Unfortunately, as he was falling, Loki again disappeared, only to reappear above Carol and whack her with his sceptre. Landing while the heroine crashed, Loki fired another barrage of magic blasts and an oncoming Iron Man. Suddenly, Loki was repeatedly punched and hit with an incredibly fast combo of punches, signaling that Quicksilver had now engaged the Trickster. Loki simply stuck out a dagger, and it cut along Pietro's thigh, enticing a scream as he was forced to slow down in pain, allowing Loki to blast him with his sceptre. This only earned him a painful blast of arcane hex energy, and Loki finally brought his attention to the Scarlet Witch.
"So...you are the witch that the Enchantress saw unlimited power within," he mused. "I must agree, the magics within you...they are powerful indeed, truly fit for me."
"You're insane if you think I'll let you take my powers," Wanda snarled, her fists glowing with hex energy as hex spheres and chaos fields formed around her. "I just wiped the floor with your blonde skank. You'll be no problem."
"Ha! My powers surpass that of Karnilla! How can you hope to stand against me?!"
"With a friend," Wanda smirked with a wink before unleashing her attack. Loki barely had time to turn around to see Captain Marvel (still souped up from the blasts of the Destroyer) fire her photon blasts at him at the same time. In an instant, the place where Loki stood was consumed by a devastatingly powerful explosion of energy and hex magic that rang out for miles. Once the smoke cleared, there was nothing left.
"Did we get him?" Carol asked.
"I'm afraid not," Loki taunted as he teleported again by the Enchantress, who by now had recovered to full strength. Executioner had also recovered, as had the Wrecker, Piledriver, Bulldozer and Thunderball.
"Oh, come on!" Wanda yelled out.
"I must admit, these mortals aren't as worthy opponents as you let on, Amora," Loki remarked.
"I advise you not to be so quick to judge, milord," Enchantress replied. "They are truly formidable foes, worthy of the tales that Thor would boast of."
"Do not mention my oaf of a brother, Amora...we are in victory, so I would rather it not be spoiled."
"Is...ow...is everyone ok?" Stark groaned as he got up. "JARVIS?"
'Armor repairs are in progress.'
"We're good here…" Bobbi called out as she and Clint helped up T'Challa.
"But same ain' gonna be said for Golden Horns," Logan snarled.
"Logan, easy," Steve said. "This guy just mopped the floor with all of us; especially you, Captain Marvel and the Hulk, and you three are our biggest guns."
"Actually, you're forgettin' Wanda."
"Me?" she gasped as she helped Pietro up.
"You were one of Magneto's strongest members back when you were Brotherhood. You can manipulate probability, yeah?"
"Well, yes."
"Then consider yourself one of our biggest guns," Stark said as he readjusted his visor.
"Let's go smash him," Hulk snarled.
"I'm not through with this rush I have yet," Carol grinned, her body still flowing with the Destroyer's energy.
"They gather again," Skurge stated.
"Indeed," Loki mused. "Amora, find Ymir. Tell him...we have prepared him a welcoming gift. Bring these new loyal servants of ours with you. You four have proven your loyalty, and as such…" Loki waved his hand and Wrecker's eye was enveloped in green energy, healed as soon as it dispersed. "Now go, and continue to earn your rightful place in this world."
"Oh, man, thanks, Loki, sir!" Wrecker exclaimed. "We won't fail you, we swear." And with a puff of green arcane smoke, Enchantress, Skurge and the four empowered villains vanished, leaving Loki alone against the assembled heroes.
"Now...do you really believe you can attempt to best me as second time?" he smirked, his staff glowing. "After I humbled you the first time?"
"Hulk, take the front," Carol ordered. "Logan and I come from the sides. Then we all jump for Wanda to give him hell." She paused for a second. "Logan, any blasts and you deflect."
"Got it," Logan said.
"Ok…" Wanda said.
"Time to smash," Hulk sneered.
"The rest of us, we get ready to jump in if things go south," Captain America said. The other heroes got together to be ready.
"BOW BEFORE ME!" Loki yelled, firing his sceptre.
"LOGAN!" Captain Marvel yelled. At that, Wolverine dashed forward and deflected the blast with his claws. As he did, Hulk then charged at Loki and landed a powerful punch right to the face, sending Loki flying into the nearby supersized McDonalds. Wolverine and Captain Marvel raced after him and as Loki was getting up, he saw them coming and with a smirk teleported right in front of them to catch them off guard. They were expecting this, however, and Logan's claws lashed out and drew blood from Loki's cheek. Carol's fist connected in an uppercut. "WANDA, NOW!" she yelled. At that, she, Logan and Hulk got out of the mutant's way, which was good being that Wanda had spent the last 15 seconds charging up a very powerful cyclone of hex spheres and her fists were pumping with arcane blasts. Loki managed to get himself up in time to see this.
"WELCOME TO EARTH, ASSHOLE!" Wanda yelled as she unleashed her hexes and arcane blasts, throwing them at the Trickster. Loki was seemingly about to get blasted to Kingdom Come, and appeared frozen in place-
Until he smirked.
With a raised hand, Loki met the oncoming onslaught head on. His hand began glowing green, and as Wanda's attacks approached Loki, his hand glowed even brighter as the massive attack bombarded him...yet did nothing. Loki absorbed the entire brunt of Wanda's attack. The heroes stood flabbergasted.
"No…" Wanda murmured, shocked to her core. "That's not possible…no one has ever done that…"
"Ahhhh, yes!" Loki laughed as he prepared his own attack. "Amora was right-that is very potent magic, indeed! With that power, I can truly and easily conquer the entirety of the Nine Realms! Not even Odin will be able to stand against me! Now...let us see how powerful this magic is….when under the command of the God of Mischief!" Loki fired his sceptre and his own arcane blasts, both enhanced greatly by the power Loki absorbed through Wanda's arcane hexes. The blasts sent them all flying back. "YOUR POWER NOW BELONGS TO ME, WITCH!" Loki screamed in sinister glee. "AND YOU SHALL DELIVER IT UNTO ME!"
"Wanda!" Quicksilver yelled as Loki attacked his sister. Instinct drilled in for almost 20 years kicked in as he sped right into Loki, delivering rapid blows at the Norse God, but Loki would not be deterred and simply blasted him away.
"Everyone, PROTECT SCARLET WITCH!" Iron Man and Captain America yelled in unison. At once, all the other heroes attacked as one, unrelenting and unfaltering. Each of them was the best at what they were skilled in. Each was a powerful hero in their own right. They had rightfully earned the titles of heroes.
But even heroes fall.
They were merely humans-genius humans, mutant humans, half-alien humans, near all-powerful humans...but they were still human.
Loki...was a god.
SCREWAAAAAAAOOOOMMMM!
With a devastating blast from his sceptre, Loki sent the heroes flying back. "Why do you persist?!" he laughed. "I HAVE BESTED YOU, AND I WILL TAKE THIS WORLD AND THEN ALL THE NINE REALMS! I AM YOUR GOD AND RULER! KNEEL BEFORE ME!"
"Never!" Wanda yelled as she again fired a hex blast, only to miss. Loki then grabbed her by the throat.
"You fought well for a mortal, wench, but this was always the outcome! Now, deliver your power unto me!" Loki's hands began glowing, and Wanda felt something violating her very inner being...it felt like something was moving in there that shouldn't even be there. It was as if something was ripping out her very essence. It was too painful to bear, and Wanda soon began screaming and squirming in pain. "Yes…YES!" Loki laughed. "The power...It is mine-!"
"LET GO OF HER!" Carol yelled as she delivered a vicious uppercut on Loki, sending him crashing and flying back. "Wanda, are you ok?"
"I'm...fine...just need to…" the mutant gasped. The sensations were still rattling her. "Captain Marvel, look out!" Carol turned and barely managed to dodge Loki's arcane blasts. Unfortunately, the blast managed to hit an unprepared Iron Man.
"AAAAAUUUGHHH!"
'Warning, armor power source rapidly decreasing. All weapons are offline. Power source temporarily compromised. Flight capabilities compromised.'
"Stark!" Pym yelled as he, Hawkeye and Cap dashed for him.
"Accept the truth, mortals!" Loki sneered. "I am invincible! You cannot hope to stop me!" He quickly fired another magic blast at a jumping Hulk, sending him flying into the 42nd Street subway station.
"Captain Marvel!" Cap yelled. "Keep him away from Wanda!"
"MY PLEASURE!" Carol roared. She still was pumped from the attacks of the Destroyer ("This sure doesn't wear off!"), and she was still itching for a fight. With a war cry, she bum rushed Loki and with incredible speeds, raced off into the skies with him, dealing and dishing all forms of hits and kicks that she had learned in her time as an USAF pilot and as a member of Fury's Warriors. The power flowed through her, unrelenting, and Carol followed up the hits with photon blasts, attacking mercilessly with everything in her arsenal. Higher and higher she hit Loki, both now going past 2500ft in the skies. "FACE IT, LOKI! YOU CAN'T BEAT US! NO MATTER WHAT, WE'LL STOP YOU! AND WITH THE POWER OF THE DESTROYER IN ME, I CAN TAKE YOU JUST AS-!"
She was interrupted with a vicious hit with the sceptre's head and then blasted with an arcane blast. Surprised and rattled, she was easy picking as Loki grabbed her by the throat and started squeezing. "You pathetic feeble minded fool! You truly believe you had the better of me just now? I LET you bring me up here! You are a very formidable opponent...but how formidable would you be as a mere powerless human?!" With that, Loki unleashed a devastating blast of arcane magic, chanting in a language unknown to Carol, who was too busy screaming in pain to notice. It was as if something was being ripped away from inside of her. She didn't know what was going on, but all she could register was the pain. Then, it suddenly subsided. She suddenly, however, realized she felt fear. Why? She couldn't feel the energy in her body. She couldn't feel her flight…she found herself with a shortness of breath.
Loki had neutralized her powers.
"Now, this is where I say goodbye," he sneered. "You powers will return, do not fret...but you won't live long enough for them to." And with that, he teleported away...leaving Captain Marvel to plummet to her demise.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
"OH MY GOD!" Wasp yelled as she and the others saw what had happened from below.
"CAROL!" Jessica yelled out in horror.
"STARK, FLY UP THERE!" Cap ordered.
"I can't-my flight is messed up!"
"I can try to-!" Wanda began.
"No," Loki sneered as he reappeared beside her. "You, wench, are coming with me!" And with that, they both vanished.
"WANDA!" Pietro screamed in horror.
"This is not good…" Hawkeye said.
"YA THINK?!" Logan replied.
"Oh my god...CAROL!" Jessica yelled, starting to fly up before Natalia and Bobbi stopped her.
"Drew, you can't! You won't-!"
"I CAN'T JUST LET HER DIE!"
"Wait-what is that?!" Pym yelled, pointing up. They all looked up to see a figure in the distance near the top of one of the buildings, crawling up at a remarkable speed. They could just make out the red and blue of his body. The figure reached the top of the tower he was scaling and looked up at the rapidly falling form of Captain Marvel. He then jumped back off the tower, but not before firing two web lines at said tower and the one across from it. Down he plummeted, the webs stretching as he did.
"Is he-?!" Stark said.
The figure then catapulted right into the skies, heading straight for the heroine plummeting to her doom.
"Yep, he is," Logan smirked.
Meanwhile, Carol was still screaming as she fell faster and faster. This couldn't be the end, she desperately thought. It just couldn't be! There was still so much she had wanted to do with her life, so much she had yet to accomplish! She couldn't go out like this! Not like this! So much left undone, so much left unsaid, so much left-wait...'What the hell-?!' she realized as she saw a red and blue clad figure flying right towards her...
The heroes below were in awe as the figure in red and blue caught Captain Marvel. Now both were plummeting down towards Earth. But once they were close enough to the tower skylines, the figure shot another line of webbing and one of the towers, latching on and holding tightly, he got himself and Carol into a rapid swing, both now heading for the other assembled heroes. Once they were close enough, they could all see clearly who had saved their ally. He wore red & blue spandex which was slightly tattered at moment, and he wore a full face mask with large white eye lenses. On his chest was a black spider insignia.
Wolverine knew him as Peter Parker.
The other heroes-and the rest of the world-knew him only as the Amazing Spider-Man, the modern world's first true superhero.
XXXXX
TO BE CONTINUED...