I Can Hear the Drums

Part 3 - WAR-

Chapter 28

Bruce Banner stood over the world map, shaking his head at the disturbing images. Pepper hovered beside him with Rogers. Neither spoke. There was nothing to say. Fours days had passed since anyone heard from the Voiya Rose and Clint's ship. Sentry ships had been sent into the Alfheimr airspace, only to return empty handed. Not only did it uncover no trace of the men, the very realm itself had simply vanished.

"I don't understand," Pepper whispered again. "What could have happened to them? To all of them?"

"Rocket checked in from someplace near the black hole. He said Clint had the Gauntlet, Pym, and four ships flying after him. They could have been with Galactus, they might not have been, no one knows for sure," Steve said, leaning over the world map. His finger traced what was once the Alfheimr realm. "With the portal Loki created, they should have arrived in Alfheimr airspace instantaneously. The Voiya Rose needed fifteen, twenty hours at the least, to make up that distance and, as far as we know, Thanos was there already."

"The planet, everyone on it, Tony's ship, Clint's ship, do you think he destroyed it?" Bruce asked plaintively.

"I don't know. I don't think any of us know."

"We can't just sit here expecting them to turn up one day!" Pepper exclaimed.

Bruce covered his eyes with his hand, trying to formulate a single coherent thought. Ever since the planetary evacuation, he felt himself riding a ragged edge. He'd been stuffed in the back of a Kree ship for months, sent wandering all over the galaxy in his quest to escape. He'd never been the Incredible Hulk for that long a period of time. He was exhausted, run down, and filled with the reality that his best friend, Tony, would likely die before they ever faced Galactus. With Stark in the wind, he wondered to himself whether he'd ever see the man again, if their brief goodbye was the last interaction he might have. Then there was Clint. Bruce hadn't seen him since the attack on Vanaheim. Rocket alluded to a falling out between the archer and the Guardians. Worse than that, was Clint's anger at Loki.

"I don't want to give up on them," Bruce said.

"We aren't giving up on them. We never will. We do need to finish the Bethlehem Star to keep Galactus contained to. Without it, everything we've done, they've done, is useless," Steve replied.

Bruce knew that too, but it still hurt to think about. Tony had entrusted his baby to him. He had to finish it. He wasn't sure how to do it but somehow they were going to be prepared. At first, he had no doubt the others would return with a wide grin, an amazing story, and life would continue onward. As time continued to speed by, he realized how truly wrong he was.

One Week

No sign of them. The Elven society, decimated at the loss of their home, floundered in that loss. Their greatest general, their living queen, and every ruling party had been swept from the galaxy in a single, invisible blow. They were lost.

One Month

The first month filtered into oblivion. Ships scoured the Nine Realms for Clint, Rinon, Alfheimr, and Thanos. Everything returned empty handed. Settling the displaced Midgardians on Nova Luna was fraught with difficulty. Small wars broke out amongst the people. What heroes Vanaheim could spare, had to be sent to Luna, if only to control the chaos of the populace. Broken under the strain of a fractured leadership, Alfheimr reconsidered their own worth in the scheme at large. Only Fehreh, their former queen, lived to step into the role of ruling body. With her guidance, efforts to survive remained active, much to the dismay of others on the World COuncil who had hoped to fill the void a departing Alfheimr might provide.

Five Months

Hope of discovering the lost souls, waned to nothing. The Kree Empire scrambled without Thanos' leadership, and raiding parties broke out over every system. The Shi'ar grew restless in their waiting. Xavier attempted again to reason with them into joining the World Council, only to be repelled at the gates of their capital cities.

Nova Luna fell into disorder. Pepper, desperate to keep some memory of the Avengers that were alive, took the suit Tony had made for her. She was no Iron Man, and never pretended to be. The symbol of seeing that red and gold streak across the alien sky, placated some.

Subterfuge and tensions rippled beneath every party. Disgruntled at their lack of power, the Frost Giants began to vie for a Vanaheim fleet of their own. Their requests were turned down, partly at the testimony of their own kin, Loki, against them. He knew something of their alliance to a certain, absent, Thanos.

One Year

Jotunheim defected from the World Council. Disgruntled at their rebuttal for forming a fleet of their own ships, the leader turned against all efforts at preserving galactic boundaries. Musphelheim, ready for war at a moments notice took up arms against the raging frozen world to abide their taste for destruction. The blow of two great nations dropping from the council of planets shook the rest. Some remained out of fear. Would their realm be the next to blink out of existence itself?

The living remnants of Alfheimr worked alongside the dwarvish masons. They made slaves of themselves. Striving day and night, night and day unending, to build, build, build. The excess never stopped. Greater, stronger ships were assembled almost hourly. Those on Svartalfheim, abandoned the deadened land to join their clansmen in Vanaheim.

Deep in the galaxy, Galactus' Heralds began to amass in great numbers. Where once he would have a single supporter, ushering him into the heart of the strongest world like a moth to a flame, now he had thousands. All powered, all given the ability to survive in deep space. The simple creature who possessed Hank Pym, and the one who warred against the Guardians would soon be replaced by thousands of stronger creatures.

Year Three

The first strike from Galactus' supporters; a nine hundred of them, swept through the airspace and cut through the ship fleets impossibly fast. The first of three great battles began. Small wars stretched over six galaxies in two solid years. No longer did Galactus' slaves prepare the worlds for his coming force, they conquered for him. Rounding up land, resources, energy, and guided it all through the mouth of the black hole. Planets stolen from their orbits. Ships from flying, moons from spinning. The army of Heralds simply stole them from the galaxy itself, and ushered their treasures down Galactus' mouth. He grew stronger before he ever became free.

The Shi'ar's home world fell under their influence. Without a home, angered and horrified in the same breath, the empire finally set their sights to aligning with the World Council. It came just in time. More firepower, supplies, food, and support was needed to survive until the very end.

The armadas sought to defeat the Heralds, or, at the very least, limit their influence. Day by day, those creatures increased in their power. It seemed that no force in the galaxy could stop them

Year Five…

The wall of clocks adorning the Gateway's upper deck, wound down, second by second. The time for Galactus had come. The time they all waited for, approached. The fourth war. The face off against the, now two thousand, Heralds of Galactus himself.

Bruce Banner stood on the deck to the ship, flanked on either side by Thor and Steve. They'd reached this point alone. They'd never seen, nor heard, from the others. For all anyone knew, Rinon and his men were dead. Clint wouldn't be saving them. Most likely, they couldn't even save themselves.

YE BE WARNED! Part 3 is shorter than parts 1 and 2. also, it will ALL BE POSTED TODAY!