Back again, sooner than expected which is a welcomed surprise.
Honestly, it's cause Jeb and I seriously wanna get to the next arc real bad.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Avengers Infinite Wars Chapter 77: It's called Evolution
She was terrified.
She was angry.
She was just… well…
Barriss Offee really didn't know what to do right about now.
Behind her was a barely clothed fellow Padawan and friend, Aubrie Wyn.
And in front of her were the walking corpses turned Ultron slaves that were once her comrades and friends from Jabiim.
The Padawan Pack as they had been once called.
Now, nothing more than puppets to be pulled by their master who was in control of them at this moment.
"Oh~~ you have no idea how long it took me to get this right." Ultron's voice came out of Warbles, the AI's voice mixing with Quara Aqualish's. He raised a hand, flexing his fingers several times. "You Jedi sure are hard to get right. Took me a few bodies to finally begin to get some kind of response."
Zule Xiss' body then shuddered with laughter, her one red eye alight with malice juxtaposed to her regular eye which held no sign of life or who the Falleen once was.
"The Force really can be a pain when it wants to be." Ultron/Zule remarked conversationally. "Do admit, I kinda like this body best. She already had a robotic arm so I just needed to fix her up cause man did I number on her body."
Barriss only glared in heated rage, backing herself towards Aubrie.
"Hmmm?" Tae Diath now tilted his head, a creepy smile on his face, riddled with metallic-gray veins and both eyes glowing red. "What's this? Rage? Anger? Genuine emotion? I thought you Jedi were supposed to be bereft of such weaknesses."
The Mirialan simply held her lightsaber up with Aubrie now reaching forward to cling to her Jedi comrade in complete fear.
The Padawan Pack moved about with unusual movements like their bodies were being pulled forward by strings.
"Ah~~~ but that is fear." Elora Sund now spoke, her voice completely replaced with Ultron's. "Yes, I can smell it off you. Benefits of having a flesh bag body to use."
Offee found her grip on her lightsaber tightening up, a feeling of pure disgust welling up from within her and radiating from the Force itself. Everything about this felt wrong.
She took another step back and glanced behind her. The Padawan saw Aubrie looking at her dead and possessed friends before turning to her, locking eyes with the Mirialan.
The terror was evident for Barriss to see and at that moment, she shook her head and steeled herself.
Aubrie couldn't fight right now and she needed to defend her.
She saw the Pack ignite their lightsabers and held them aloft.
"You like?" All the bodies asked at the same time, Barriss noticing that some were coming from their arms directly. "Been collecting them for a while now. Bet I've got that psycho general beat."
Barriss simply readied herself for the fight and there was a brief instance of silence with only the hum of the sabers permeating the room.
They soon struck, making her act in turn.
Drawing upon her base of Form III, she made a quick series of movements, deflecting every saber that came her way.
Jumping back, she grabbed Aubrie and sailed in the air, landing next to the door and raised her saber up to block Zule from striking her.
She hated to do this but she pushed Wyn away just before Sund could stab her where she lay. Barriss winced at the sound of Aubrie crying out in pain, turning to see Vaabesh staring at her.
"Barriss." The Gand Padawan's voice came through, jolting the Mirialan Jedi. "How could you do that Aubrie? Can't you see? She's hurting."
Offee felt her breath get caught up in her throat when she felt a warning through the Force and at the last second moved aside just as Vaabesh nearly cut her arm. Instead, she got it burned and in response, Force pushed him away.
"Barriss!" Zule now spoke. "We're friends, what are you doing?!"
Barriss clenched her teeth, swinging her lightsaber at full force, making Xiss stumble back. "Shut up! Stop speaking through them, you monster!"
"How could you say that Barriss?" Elora said, feigning sorrow. "We're all Jedi are we not? We're brothers and sisters in arms."
"You're all gone! You're not even here anymore!"
"But we are." Diath argued. "Look at us. You know it's us."
"I know they were killed by you, you demented monster." Barriss rebuked.
She dodged out of the way just as several of her possessed friends lunged at her.
"Barriss~~~" Windo remarked. "What would your master say?"
The Mirialan barely raised her saber in time to block Tae's and struggled to hold it back. The machine upgraded arms pushed back against Barriss' blue saber.
In response, Offee looked at her fallen comrade and saw his glowing red eyes with the malicious grin he wore.
Breathing heavily, Barriss shook her head and shoved the lightsaber back.
She stumbled back, holding her saber up as the five corpses surrounded her.
Her eyes darted about at their faces, taking a moment to glance at each one of their eyes.
All dead, devoid of the life they once had.
Ultron wore their faces, their bodies. She had to remember these were not her fellow Padawans. They were long dead.
'Forgive me.' Was her thought as Tae went for another attack which she parried. He was exposed with his chest right there.
'I'm so sorry.'
With this thought present, she cleaved through the puppeted body with her lightsaber.
"So quick to harm a comrade at arms. What would your precious-"
Barriss acted on instinct, swiftly moving her lightsaber to the one who spoke. Next thing she noticed, another body toppled to the ground.
Elora Sund's top half lay next to her.
Barriss felt utter disgust at what she had done. She wanted to collapse and cry over this recent action.
But what other choice did she have?
"BARRISS!"
The Mirialan heard Aubrie's warning cry too late as Zule was right over her.
Just before she was able to strike her down, an unseen force shoved the Falleen away from her.
She looked over to see Aayla Secura rushing into the room with Master Piell, Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Though there was obvious confusion from most of the group, the shortest of this team had an immediate reaction. The Lannik's face fell in utter despair and regret.
"No… I wished it was not true." He muttered in abject sorrow.
"What's not true?" Aayla inquired in confusion, staring at the remaining memories. "What are you… talking…"
The Twi'lek's eyes widened slowly as she soon began to realize just what she was staring at.
"Master…" Aayla's voice was shaken. "Is… that's… they were on Jabiim and…"
"Surprised?" Vaabesh spoke up, turning creepily in their direction.
Hope and Scott jolted back in fright, both Avengers pausing in thought.
"Wait a sec…" Scott frowned in disturbed thought. "Haven't we seen them before?"
"They're Padawans." Barriss said, making her way over to the four of them with her supporting Aubrie. "Padawans from Jabiim."
Hope glanced over at Barriss, double-taking at the teen girl the Mirialan was holding up.
"Oh my god, what happened to her?!"
"Same thing that's gonna happen to all of you." The remaining three puppets darkly stated.
Aayla's eyes widened, a horrendous feeling washing over her, the Force radiating in an almost sickening way. It took only a second for her to realize what she was looking at and was quick to connect the dots.
"You… You monster!"
"What is a monster?" Ultron condescendingly asked, Zule's brow raising. "Is it… something or someone you don't understand? Or… is it what you created? A monster for a hero to make and slay? A mistake they could never admit and take responsibility for the right way? Tell me-"
The possessed body was slain when Barriss cleaved the head off the shoulders with trembling arms present soon after.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Scott jumped back, waving his arms around. "What the hell was that for? Didn't you just say they were your friends?"
"They're not themselves anymore." Aubrie spoke up, voice broken. "They're dead. I felt them all die. Ultron… he's taken them over."
Wyn lurched where she stood, crying freely at the mere mention of it.
Piell had a solemn and resigned expression, momentarily hesitating before he shook his head.
"We'll make this quick." He quietly said. "For their sake."
"W-wait." Hope stammered. "Is there no way for us to save them? To bring them back?"
"Oh my god, seriously?" Ultron held the arms up of Zule in a dramatic fashion. "Do you really think you can save them from this? This is the inevitable truth you all refuse to realize. This is Evolution. This is the endgame you fools refuse to admit is coming for all-"
Aayla jumped forward with Even Piell and in an instant, cut down the remaining Padawans.
The Jedi and Avengers stood over the bodies of the Padawans when all began laughing.
All of them jolted back, getting back to back as the heads all turned in their direction. While not all were able to, the group could feel the malice radiating off of them with a demented smile off those that were able to do so.
"Talk about Deja vu." Ultron's tone conveyed nothing but sinister intentions. "Reminds me of my favorite song."
There was a collective shiver at the dead eyes that stared up at them all.
"I had strings but now I'm free~~"
-Scene Cut-
"Wrecker, up the middle!"
"You got it, Cap!" The muscular Clone roared, running headfirst into a dozen drones that were promptly shattered into pieces.
Hunter ran forward, stabbing his vibroblade into the head of a drone that Natasha was electrocuting with her batons.
Tech stuck close by, shooting while also using his datapad to use short bursts of electrical outputs that short-circuited any drone that got close to him.
Crosshairs kept his distance from the group but kept their blind spots covered with every shot he made.
Behind them was a series of hallways littered with scrapped drones covering the floors.
Multiple scorch marks, destroyed turrets and cameras either decorated the walls or dangled from the ceiling.
"Status report." Steve said through the radio, holding up his wrist comm link up to his mouth.
"This is Vos." The Kiffar Jedi was the first to respond, the sound of blaster fire, explosions and the Jedi's lightsaber going on in the background. "We're makin' our way over to the others right now. Damn place is crawling with drones."
"Aayla, Scott, what about you guys?"
They didn't get a response for a few seconds, worrying the Captain and the rest of his team.
"Aayla, Scott, report in. Please respond."
"We're here Cap." Came the rather dejected response of Ant-Man, startling Rogers.
"Scott." Steve held up his shield to deflect an energy blast, bashing the drone that fired at him a moment later. "What's going on on your end?"
"We came across a problem. A big one." Spoke the Twi'lek Jedi.
"What's the situation?" Steve asked, throwing his shield, the vibranium frisbee bouncing off the walls, tearing drones apart in its path.
"Ultron has been harvesting people and Borging them."
Scott's response confused a great number of people present.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Right, sorry, you don't know your Trekkie."
"Can anyone translate to Basic here?" Crosshairs impatiently asked.
"Oh my God, Scott, really? Steve, it's Hope. Ultron's been transforming the prisoners here into Ultron drones."
"Yeah, we figured that out." Nat responded.
"Did you see-"
"That metal bastard changed one of our brothers in front of us." Hunter chimed in, a shake of his head and an extra violent stab in the head to the head of a drone.
There was a dejected sigh on the other end from the others.
"On our end, we saw him puppeteering a bunch of dead Jedi." Hope revealed. "They were all kids. Padawans… from Jabiim."
A moment of silence was shared between the group, particularly Steve and Nat who shared a look with one another. They both had a brief flashback to the stormy planet where Ultron beat back the Republic and Separatists, remembering that among their forces were a group of youngsters that had been dubbed the Padawan Pack. And Ultron took their bodies and changed them…
"Where are you now?" Steve coldly asked.
"We've rescued all the prisoners from their cells." Aayla reported. "We found Master Piell and Admiral Tarkin. The latter… well, he nearly got changed as well."
"Where's Barriss?" Nat inquired, noting the silence of the Mirialan Padawan.
"She's helping out with the prisoners and their injuries." Scott stated. "She's… well, she's not hurt but she doesn't look too good."
"How many prisoners do you guys look like you have right now?" Tech asked, taking a moment to crouch down for cover whilst going over his datapad. In the midst of the battle, Tap and Karen had been supplying the technological expert with a more detailed map of the Citadel thanks to their efforts and the efforts of the ants in the ducts and pipes.
"About a few dozen." Scott answered. "Maybe more… yeah, definitely more. A lot."
"We've got upwards of nearly two hundred plus, Cap." Hope amended. "Ultron's been real busy in gathering people for his sick experiments."
"Try and get to the rendezvous point and evacuate them outta here. We can't risk them being here any longer than they should."
"We can't do that Cap." Commander Bly now chimed in. "If we do, we'd likely be leading them into a swarm of drones that are all on high alert. We need another way out."
"That's what I'm working on." Tech spoke up, quickly sifting through multiple locations within the Citadel. "There are a set of hangar bays that are not far from where you all are in the prison cells. Mr. Land and Ms. Van Dyne can guide the group there and use their shrinking technology to bring out gunships to ferry the prisoners to safety."
"If they can get out of here without getting shot down by Ultron's fleet." Hunter grimly reminded them.
"Vos." Steve spoke up, holding up his hand to catch his returning shield.
"Yeah Cap?"
"Change of plans. You and Delta run back to our ship and swing it around to the hangar bay Tech listed out. We'll link up with the others and the prisoners and lead them there."
"Copy that, Steve." Quinlan said. "Alright, you heard him boys, let's-"
The link got cut off but the group knew that Vos and his team were alright.
"Ok team, we need to double time it now." Steve declared, holding up his shield again to block a number of blaster bolts sent in his direction.
Wrecker charged through, practically headbutting the drones out of their path.
Crosshairs then shot down the remainder of the drones that were coming from the end of the corridor they were in and soon found themselves devoid of enemies.
"Looks like that's all for now." Hunter noted, eyes narrowed beneath his helmet.
"Let's not waste it." Nat said, gesturing forward. "Let's move."
Not needing to voice their agreements, the group broke into a run, dashing through several corridors until Wrecker was nearly shot in the chest when Steve blocked the bolt right at the last second.
The team skidded to a halt as the hallway in front of them was darkened, making it difficult to see what or who was standing there.
All they were able to make out were a pair of glowing red eyes within the darkness that moved closer to them.
A series of clicks could be heard coming from the red eyes as they moved out from the darkness. The group was met with the sight of a cybernetic, arachnid alien with his mandibles warbling about. The creature held a cane, three "regular" arms, and three mechanical arms with half its head being metallic and Ultron-like, garbed in a set of rather lavish robes.
"Ah, the famed Avengers." The spider alien greeted, clicking and warbling again. "I have heard much about you from my lord and master. A pleasure to meet you all at long last."
"Who the hell is this guy?" Nat questioned, on guard as she had out her electrified batons, shifting them into tonfas. She squinted her eyes at him, scoffing a moment later. "Looks like we have a Peter knockoff."
Hunter looked at them in confusion. "Peter?"
"Spider-man."
"Oh him." The Leader of the Bad Batch looked back at the spider alien. "Why not say Spider- oh, right."
"That's Admiral Trench." Tech said in recognition. "I thought he was supposed to have died over Christophsis."
"Looks like that's not the case." Steve said, holding his shield up in case of any sudden attacks Trench might launch at them.
He and the other Avengers and some Jedi knew of Trench's survival when Peter, Ahsoka, Barriss and Padme went behind enemy lines. It was just that he didn't expect to run into the former Separatist in this present encounter.
"I see my reputation precedes me." Trench clicked in satisfaction. "It is good to know that my time under a false flag has at least garnered me some amount of fame."
"We don't have time for this." Hunter stated, raising his blaster rifle. "Let's take him out."
Not arguing against such a suggestion, the team fired upon the converted Harch with their blaster pistols and rifles.
In response, one of Trench's mechanical arms glowed, splitting apart into segments and erecting a shield around the spider with all the shots being deflected.
Steve clenched his jaw, exhaling through his nose. He should have figured it wasn't gonna be that easy.
He took a moment to look around, seeing this hallway to be relatively spacious.
"Tech, Crosshairs, stay behind and follow me." Steve shouted, dashing forward.
The two clones were confused for a brief second yet were quick to acquiesce to Captain America's orders, following after him.
Trench fired at them in response, Steve holding up his shield to block all the bolts until he reached the Admiral. Just as he got close, Trench crouched down low and flipped over the trio. He landed, facing Hunter, Nat and Crosshairs, pausing to look behind him to see Cap, Wrecker and Tech on the other side.
The Harch clicked in irritation. He was surrounded now.
"Most impressive, Captain Rogers." Trench praised. "I can see why Lord Ultron would find you to be so irritating."
"So glad to hear that." Nat casually remarked, raising her wrists to fire several taser disks.
Trench used his can to swat aside several but one managed to bypass his defensive measure and struck against his head. He cried out, bending forwards as the electrical currents coursed through his body.
The Admiral grit his teeth, using his regular arms to pry the disk off just as he was about to get tackled by Steve, Wrecker and Hunter.
His three metal arms segmented themselves and extended into large whips, the Harch spinning around with his metal hands whipping around him, smacking his attackers away.
Crosshairs and Tech started firing at him, Trench's arms repositioning themselves to block the bolts in rapid succession.
He then twisted the top grip of his cane, the rest of his tool becoming electrified just as Black Widow came in for an attack. The electrified tonfas were blocked by the electrical cane, Widow having to jump back as the three mechanical arms smashed down to the ground where she stood a moment ago.
Trench then felt something hard smash into his back, the familiar metal echo of Steve's shield bouncing off a hard service reverberating off the walls.
He was then grabbed by Wrecker who hefted him up over his head and thrown hard, getting met with a spinning heel kick from Hunter. Trench was quick to recover, however, snapping up to his feet and snagging Hunter's leg.
The Rambo clone lookalike was tossed away, getting thrown right at Wrecker who managed to catch his leader.
Trench then had to duck his head down at the last second, some of his hairs being singed from a blaster bolt from Crosshairs. One of his metal arms jolted from a shot that it got hit by courtesy of Tech.
In response, the ends of his metal arms transformed into sharp points, firing lasers at his enemies.
Seeing it easily cut through the metal, they all moved to avoid the beams, Steve ducking right behind his shield with Tech sliding behind him for cover.
Looking around, Trench saw that he was clear and quickly jumped into the air, ignoring the ceiling grate above him to smash into the internal piping above.
"Where'd he run off to?" Crosshairs inquired, running to stand under the pipe Trench escaped into. The sound of the large frame moving around was heard from afar.
"Command center or a bunker comes to mind." Tech surmised. "Or he's likely to toy with us and attack elsewhere.
"Most likely the second option." Steve murmured.
"At least he's not crawling along the walls; so that's a plus."
"He's a bug, he can so do that." Spoke Wrecker.
"Arachnid, actually. And Trench's spider-legs are primarily mechanical. I doubt they can stick naturally." Came Tech's statement.
"Are we really arguing about this detail?"
No response was given as the group went onward in this maze that made up the Citadel.
Whilst Steve's group continued their run to link up with the group of prisoners being led by their friends and comrades, said group was running through the Citadel towards their new designated rendezvous point.
Though their situation was dire, there was a moment of bittersweetness when Aubrie saw Coil. The Padawan was quick to hug the apparent Clone Captain, crying on his shoulder, openly stating her relief to know that at least one of her men was alive and not converted.
After that was out of the way, Aubrie and Coil were instructed by Barriss to stick close with her. It was a bit of a clustered mess but those who were relatively in good shape were covered with ARC troopers Flash, Cameron and Lucky joined by their Commander Bly.
Hope was also with them along with Barriss whilst Aayla, Piell and Scott led from the front.
Ultron drones were quick to appear but the Jedi, Avengers and 327th Clones were quick to take them out with ruthless efficiency.
"C'mon! Go! Go! Go!" Hope shouted from behind, spinning around to rapidly fire her stingers at several drones that were coming after them.
At the head of the group, Aayla and Piell were the ones to cut down individuals that had been converted by Ultron.
Some looked fresh and pristine whilst others appeared more machine than man/flesh and a few outright looked like zombified robots.
"God this is 28 Weeks Later." Scott said, turning green beneath his helmet at the sight of the zombie-like Ultronized Trandoshan.
"What?"
"Ignore him." Wasp stated, shrinking into a spinning kick that punted the head of a drone clean off its body.
"We're almost there." Secura announced, checking the direction Tech and their two AI had sent for her to follow.
Without even realizing it, the large group of prisoners ran out of the Citadel itself, finding themselves standing in front of several landing platforms.
A moment later several energy blasts came down from above, killing several of the prisoners.
"NO!" Scott shouted, holding up his left hand. He ran forward, making sure he had some distance away before pressing down on the button between his index finger and thumb, growing to around twenty feet.
He was instantly at the height of the drones flying above and with one arching sweep, swatted them all aside, shattering them or sending them crashing into the ground.
All the prisoners couldn't help but stare in utter wonder and shock whilst those who had already seen this before were quick to take out any flying stragglers.
"We don't have much time, they're gonna be on us in minutes, seconds even." Aayla said.
"Use whatever we can here to serve as our cover." Piell ordered, using the Force to levitate over some nearby crates and stacking them atop one another.
"Kids, get behind them." Hope quickly said, guiding the children that were taken to situate them out of harm's way as best as she can.
"We'll keep watch over them, ma'am." One of the Clones whom they liberated spoke up, standing with nearly two dozen other clones and adults.
She smiled at them all, gesturing her head for them to do so before flying over to the others.
Barricades were quickly, haphazardly made as best as possible. The doorways were being bashed in, which had a number of clones firing upon any openings.
Drones kept flying out from the Citadel itself, descending straight at the group with the Jedi, Avengers, and Clones fighting their asses off to keep the liberated prisoners safe in the hangar.
This would be very draining for the Republic forces in not just their endurance but their ammunition.
"We need to hold our position." Aayla declared, Force pulling a drone in to cleave it in two.
"How long?" Scott asked, grabbing a half dozen drones out of the sky with both hands and crushing them into a metal ball that he threw at the top of the Citadel itself.
"As long as it will take." Piell stated, jumping from drone to drone, slicing them up into pieces.
In the midst of all this, Admiral Tarkin had acquired his own blaster rifle and had a cold and dead look in his eyes as he fired upon the multitude of drones flying around them. He kept looking down at his new robotic arm that appeared to only fuel the man's rageful fire, becoming far more fearsome in appearance with every drone he shot down. And if there seemed to crash near his position, he would stomp and punch the living daylights out of the drone before continuing on with the fight at hand.
Barriss was equally as fierce, utilizing every movement of the impenetrable defensive wall that was Soresu. Any blaster bolt that came her way was instantly deflected and sent back to its sender and any Drone that drew near was pulled in by the Force and sliced apart.
Her glare became more pronounced after every drone she destroyed, the vivid imagery of her fallen and deformed comrades remaining clear as day in her mind. It only served to fuel her movements, rage and sorrow with every block and swing.
Aayla was dual wielding by this point, a flurry of green and blue that tore apart the drones and any unfortunate individual that had been Ultronized.
Ant-Man remained in his giant form, swatting away drones left and right. He had also taken Flash and Cameron to situate them onto his shoulders to serve as additional firepower, covering any that came at him from behind or his sides that he couldn't see.
Whilst this all occurred…
"C'mon guys, hurry up!"
Rushing down a corridor, the other team was about to reach the hangar where everything was heated at this time.
"Yeah." Bolstered Wrecker. "They're having all the fun over there!"
Rounding a corner, they soon opened fire upon a number of Ultron drones trying to get through a barricade. A number of them immediately attacked, tearing them down before reaching the barely opened doorway.
"You people sure took your time." Spoke a clone trooper from the other side.
"Sorry for the wait, Lucky." Said Steve. "We've had an unexpected obstacle.
Upon seeing Captain Rogers, a number of the Clones were quick to let out a cheer as they now fought with renewed ferocity.
Several troopers began removing the barricade pieces away to allow the other team to come on through. Everyone quickly filed through before the last ones had to help reapply the blockade.
"Oh, so you get the hero's welcome but we're just here for the ride." Aayla remarked, quick to join Steve at his side.
"Well, once you get on my level-"
"Oh god, you two are incorrigible." Nat said with a roll of her eyes, catching Bly from the corner of her eye and smirking at him.
The Commander huffed, shaking his head in amusement before resuming firing at the drones.
Wrecker in the meantime stared up at Gi-Ant-Man like a kid on Christmas morning.
"Whoa~~~" He dreamily said. "Can I-"
"No." Hunter was quick to shut him down, making the hulking clone dramatically sag his shoulders.
"We have most everyone here." Tech noted, taking cover for a moment. "But Vos and Delta squad are still on their way to the other ship."
"Radio in the reinforcements," Aayla ordered. "We need them now."
-Scene Cut-
Upon the Republic cruiser…
"Can a▄▄ hear m▄? This is ▄▄n Rog▄…"
Plo Koon stood on the bridge of his flagship with Commander Wolffe by his side as they listened to the message coming through their radio.
Wolffe was quick to clear up the message though he was experiencing some difficulties.
"We're having trouble getting in touch with them, General."
"Readjust the signal and strengthen it." Plo instructed.
Wolffe did as asked, making the adjustments needed. There was still some static but the voice of Captain Rogers was heard more clearly this time.
"This is Cap▄ Rogers. Does anyone ▄?"
"We read you, Captain." Wolffe responded
"What is going on, Steve?" Plo inquired, leaning upon the holo table.
"We ▄ help imm▄▄ely."
Plo turned to his Commander who stared right back at him.
"Help was all I heard." Wolffe stated.
"And that's what we'll give them." Plo declared, contacting the other Jedi that was with their own fleets on standby. "Attention all hands, prep for battle. Captain Rogers has called us in and we shall be there."
On another ship was Luminara Unduli with Commander Gree, the two nodding at each other.
Mace Windu was with his own fleet, Commander Ponds by his side and in another was Depa Billaba having her Clone Commander Price to her left.
"Like the battles of old, the Jedi will fight together again." Depa stated, shaking her head a moment later. "Appears to be a recurring trend, now more than ever."
"Force be with us all." Luminara responded in a calm tone just as the entirety of the four fleets came out of hyperspace and immediately engaged Ultron's defensive fleet.
The fighting was instantaneous with both sides firing upon each other with everything they had.
"Hopefully we'll be there in time so no more lives are lost." Luminara murmured, a troubled frown marring her face. She had sensed a great disturbance in the Force and it came from her Padawan.
The older Mirialan was able to feel this due to their connection as Master and apprentice but she soon felt a greater disturbance that didn't come from her Padawan but from other Force-sensitives on the planet. She was quick to recognize Aayla's and it took her a moment to realize the other was Master Even Piell.
This confused and troubled her as she sensed revulsion and what could only be described to be a direct attack against the sanctity of life itself within the Force. Luminara was one to uphold a serene calmness to her in many situations but this feeling offset and frankly worried her.
She had become anxious, actually hoping for the call for reinforcements to come in. Her Padawan was in deep turmoil and it reverberated to her through the Force. It didn't help that Aayla Secura and Even Piell were quick to join this feeling.
The Jedi Master and council member broke out of her thoughts at the sight of several of Ultron's fighters flying by. Ahead of the fleet were several Starfighter squadrons being led directly by Mace Windu and Plo Koon who were weaving and dodging multiple Ultron fighters that tried shooting them down.
Plo Koon was at the head of his squadron, leading them straight into the oncoming wave of starfighters.
"Open fire. Any and all fliers, take evasive action now!" Plo Koon, sharply pivoting his ship out of the way of several Ultron fighters that quite literally tried crashing into him. "Warthog, Strafe, on me. We're going down below to provide cover."
"Yes sir." Warthog responded, the 104th's best pilot, second only to their General.
They soon dive bombed down below, two dozen fighters flying headfirst towards the planet's surface.
"Hang on. We'll try to reach you soon, my friends." Plo said to himself, using his own instincts, skills and the Force to guide him down without getting blown out of the sky.
-Scene Cut-
"Move it Scorch, move it!" Vos shouted, cutting through multiple drones that were trying to dogpile them.
"Hang on, Vos." The demolitions expert snapped back, working as fast as his fingers were able to to put together the makeshift bomb in his hands.
"Is that really necessary?" Fixer asked, quite literally using one of his splicing tools to burn through the head of a drone.
"In this situation, yes." Scorch fired back, slapping on the last compartment of his new explosive. "Vos, here."
The Kiffar Jedi took it and Force pushed it and the drones around them away.
"Take cover!" Scorch shouted.
Boss was quick to grab Quinlan and dive to the ground with Scorch, Sev and Fixer doing the same.
Just as the bomb reached enough of a distance, the resulting explosion caused it to encompass the entire corridor they were just fighting in. Luckily, none of the flames reached the squad as they had dived for cover in another hallway that was branched from the one they were just fighting in.
"Fucking Kriff, Scorch." Sev bemoaned, laughing all the while. "I always forget you don't do things in half measures."
"Tempted to size up those bombs." Scorch proudly said.
"We sadly can't with how close we are." Sev countered, the trio looking over to see Vos being helped up by Boss. "Alright there, Quinlan?"
"Just a little tired and rattled." The Kiffar Jedi admitted. "That push took a lot more out of me than I realized."
"We're all a bit winded, Vos." Fixer said.
"Not enough that we can't complete our mission." Quinlan rebuked, shaking his dizziness off. "Let's go brothers, they need us now."
Delta Squad said nothing, simply nodding and joining their Jedi brother as they all ran to the ship they had used to infiltrate the Citadel.
Back with the others, they were fighting off a seemingly endless wave of Ultron Drones, the horde swarming them constantly.
Though they held strong, they had lost several more of the prisoners that they had been sent to rescue, infuriating a number of them.
The Avengers and Clones fought with particular aggression with only Barriss barely reaching them.
The Padawan had been fighting with a focused rage, trying her best to balance herself as everything she had just witnessed just wouldn't leave her thoughts. Yet everything was teetering, slowly driving her more off center.
"Where are those reinforcements!? It's too hot here!" Flash shouted, kicking a drone that flew by Scott's shoulder, using the side antenna to hold onto his position.
"Just hold on." Steve said, throwing his shield up, smashing a drone in the air and catching it upon its return. "I made contact with Plo Koon. They're on their way."
"Let's hope they can make it in time before they kill us all." Tarkin grimly said.
"Yeah, loving the enthusiasm you old coot." Hope snapped, annoyed at the attitude.
"Forgive me for not being outright composed with me fighting for my life and personal freedom."
"Forgive me if your attitude ain't helping in the slightest." Wasp barked back whilst using her stingers to shoot down several more drones.
Tarkin glanced over at her, flinching at the sound of the whirring and motion of his mechanical arm. He glared spitefully down at the arm with unadulterated rage, using it to backhand a drone that grabbed him from behind.
The Admiral only seethed at the damage he caused the bot, the power not being his own.
A moment later, the sound of multiple thrusters and whirring was heard.
All heads turned up to see a seemingly endless wave of Ultron drones that had all flown out from the Citadel and all were bearing down upon them.
"I am Legion for I am many."
"Shit." Steve gritted out.
He was a man who never backed down from a fight but he wasn't stupid. All the prisoners would be wiped out in an instant.
Before he was able to usher out any orders, Scott was already on the move. He had taken Flash and Cameron off his shoulders and moved to intercept the wave.
Hope, seeing what her boyfriend was about to do, halted in midair.
"SCOTT!" She cried out in fright, seeing him already get in between them and the horde. "WAIT!"
He simply presented his back to the horde, growing an additional twenty feet and arching himself over everyone.
"Hang tight guys." Scott bellowed, moving his arms around to ensure he could cover more of the group.
Just as the droids were about to collide and open fire on the back of Gi-Ant-Man, they were hailed with hundreds of blaster fire from above and the side.
Everyone on the ground turned to see several dozen Republic starfighters zip on by and causing the horde to scatter.
"Reinforcements are here." Plo's voice was heard through the radio.
"Oh thank god." Scott exhaled, lifting himself up, jolting from some of the drones that crashed into his head and body. "Ow~~!"
Hope only shook her head in relief and amusement at the oversized whiner, seeing him smack drones that flew by him.
He soon shrunk down, stumbling in place.
Cameron, Flash and Hope rushed over to him to keep him standing, the helmet retracting for him.
"Ok, that took a lot out of me." Scott admitted.
"Are you alright, Scott?" Cameron asked.
"I'll live," Lang murmured, shooting an appreciative smile at his girlfriend who moved to wrap his arm over her shoulders.
Eyeing the reinforcements battling in the air, Scott spoke. "We need space."
"Why?" Flash asked in bewilderment.
"Unshrinking our escape method." Hope said, instantly pulling out several shrunken-down gunships from her belt.
The ARC troopers stared at the small gunships until Cameron shook his head with a laugh.
"God, I love you guys so much." He happily said.
Scott and Hope chuckled, the two handing a gunship to both ARC troopers.
"Just set them down a good distance apart." Hope instructed. "Can you both pilot one of these?"
"Lucky I can." Flash revealed.
"Then see who else you can find." Wasp ordered. "Maybe one of the prisoners can fly them."
"Yes Ma'am." Cameron and Flash said at the same time, rushing off to do as asked.
The starfighter squadrons above were harrying the drones with another squad joining them soon after.
"Alright, go, go, go." Steve yelled out in the midst of the commotion. "Scott, Hope, get those gunships to full size already."
"We're working on it, Cap." Ant-Man called back to him, setting down another gunship.
To his left was Hope and past her were Flash and Cameron.
The gunships had been set up and once they had all gotten the adequate amount of space, Hope and Scott had them grow to full size.
"Everyone get on board, now!" Commander Bly commanded.
"Cover them!" Piell shouted.
"Don't let the drones get close!"
The gunships were soon filled up though there were still a large number of people who couldn't fit in the ships.
"We need a clearing to make our escape."
"We need more ships!" Barriss yelled out, still keeping close to Aubrie and Coil.
Scott reached for his belt and pulled out two more gunships. "Don't worry guys, I've got that-"
His sentence was cut off when the two ships were shot out of his hands, falling from the platform and fell into the magma below.
"Oh, c'mon!" Scott complained. "What kind of horse shit accuracy was that?"
He ducked as one drone tried swiping at him, Crosshairs shooting it down a second later.
"Even with the cover of Master Plo and the fleet, the drones just keep on coming." Aayla shouted, being completely on the defensive to allow for the people to get aboard the gunships.
"We also don't have enough ships." Even pointed out.
"Not yet you don't." Chimed a familiar voice through the comms.
A shimmer came out from beneath the platforms followed by multiple blaster fire that shot down scores of drones. Moments later, a ship decloaks itself, revealing it to the stealth vessel the team had used to infiltrate the Citadel.
"Master." Secura said in relief.
"Impeccable timing, Quinlan." Piell said with a wide smirk, watching as the ship touched down on a platform that had just been occupied by a gunship.
Three of the four had taken off with the last one still being guarded by the Jedi and Avengers.
The stealth vessel opened up its side and the rest of the prisoners quickly piled into the ship. Delta squad rushed out to provide cover, whilst the team split themselves up to defend both ships.
"We're doing what we can for you all but the drones keep coming." Plo Koon reported, a grunt being heard.
"They're all stemming from the Citadel." Barriss pointed out. "This is just as much a factory as it is a prison facility."
"Yeah…" Scott was looking up at the Citadel with a skewed eye. "It is."
"Unless he has other drones spread all over the planet." Bly tacked on.
"Do not jinx it."
Ant-Man, who had still been analyzing the Citadel, heard a boisterous laugh behind him.
He turned around to see Wrecker grabbing two drones and smashing their heads in together, pulling out his rifle a moment later to gun down more that flew by or attacked him.
His mind was whirling in crazed thought until a ding, audible only to him, went off in his mind.
"Wrecker," He called out to the hulking Clone. "Can ya come over here for a sec? I'll need your help on this one."
Hearing her boyfriend call out to Wrecker, Hope was curious as to what he wanted to do until seeing the growth disc in Scott's hand. With that, she quickly put two and two together.
"Scott, you can't." She said in shock.
"Is something wrong, Ms. Dyne?" Asked Tech from nearby.
"Wrecker doesn't have the proper equipment and training to handle the growth and strain." Hope said, ignoring the question as she rushed over to stop him.
"Uh, what's he doing?" Wrecker asked in clear confusion.
"Actually, he just might." Scott countered. "Well, not in terms of what we know but maybe with how his body is all different and enhanced from the usual Clone; he can walk away with minimal effects. If anything, we can counter whatever happens to him afterward."
A loud explosion was heard above, making them all duck down instinctively.
"We don't have much of a choice in this, Hope." Ant-man emphasized, gesturing to the ongoing battle above them.
Much as she was against this, Wasp resigned herself to her boyfriend's wild idea and stood back, ushering Tech to do the same.
Scott stood in front of Wrecker with his growth disk in hand.
"Ok big guy, you're gonna feel a serious case of vertigo at first but once you do, I know you'll know what to do."
Wrecker appeared apprehensive. "And Uh… what exactly are ya gonna do?"
"You'll see in a sec." Scott replied. "And it's only gonna be for five minutes at most, ya got it?"
"Uh…"
"Good." Scott reared his hand back. "Now brace yourself."
Before the Bad Batch clone knew it, he saw a small light come in contact with his chest. A split second later, everything around him suddenly became small.
And he soon realized he was really, really big.
Wrecker looked around, below and above him and began laughing maniacally.
"Whoa! What a rush!" Bellowed out Wrecker. "This is amazing!" His boisterous laugh echoed some distance. "I'm the Ultimate Wrecking Ball!"
"Dear God, what have you done?" Hunter asked both in exasperation and amusement.
"Fascinating." Tech commented, his helmet recording the whole thing.
"Oh great." Drawled out Crosshairs. "If we live through this, he won't ever shut up about this."
Wrecker was laughing wildly, brimming with unadulterated excitement.
"We're on a countdown now, Wrecker!" Gi-Ant-Man called out to the enhanced clone, having grown to his height. "Let's get to smashing."
Wrecker shuddered, momentarily confusing Scott.
"What's wrong?" He asked in slight concern.
The gargantuan clone shook his head, removing his large helmet to wipe away tears of joy.
"S-Smashing." Wrecker wept. "That is the greatest order I've ever been given. This is the greatest moment of my life."
"Oh God…" Hunter facepalmed, shaking his head. "Now he'll never live this down. Why'd he have to go and say that?"
They heard Wrecker weeping with pure joy as he smashed his fist into the Citadel, breaking off the top, letting out a cry of bliss. Down below, his batchmates were all either rolling their eyes, slumping their shoulders or shaking their heads in exasperation.
The overgrown clone didn't slide his helmet back on so some of his large tears had actually fallen and splashed down onto the ground.
"Oh my god." Natasha was unable to help herself and guffawed. "This is surreal."
Hunter groaned beneath his breath before looking up to shout at his brother. "Enough wasting time, Wrecker. The more time you do that, the less smashing you do before we have to put you back to normal."
That seemed to snap the enlarged clone trooper. He quickly put his helmet back on before he went to do what he did best.
Wrecking shop.
Gi-Ant-Man and Wrecker kicked, punched, elbowed and kneed the Citadel into oblivion until nothing was left other than a smoldering pile of rubble.
"Good riddance." Aayla commented, watching with the others as Scott and Wrecker shrank back down to regular size.
A split second later, Wrecker began to stumble. Holding his head, he nearly toppled over if he didn't get some support from Scott.
"You alright there, big guy?" He asked, wincing himself as his head was a bit out of it.
"Ugh! I feel tired… and sick!" Wrecker admitted, sliding his helmet above his head, one arm over his mouth in case he threw up.
Scott laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "First time for everyone growing beyond their normal size, among other things."
"Can we do that again?" Wrecker couldn't help but ask in spite of his current state.
"Only if you get permission."
"Oh man~~" Wrecker whined. "Hunter is never gonna let me do this again."
"Aw~ I wouldn't say that." Lang reassured, the two moving quickly to rejoin the others. "With how this war is going, never rule out the possibility."
This caused the large man to brighten up with some bit of hope. "Do you think so?"
"In my line of work, I know so."
Wrecker laughed heartily. "I love you Avengers already."
The two were helped by Hunter and Steve, rushing to get them onto the stealth ship as the prisoners were all at last aboard the remaining ships.
"That's it, that's everyone." Boss shouted.
"Let's move people." Bly yelled, rapidly gesturing for the remaining combatants to get aboard the stealth and LAAT gunship.
Even Piell, who just finished cutting down another drone, heard the call made by the Commander of the 327th and rushed towards the ship.
Just as he was halfway there, metallic hand grabbed him from behind, snatched his lightsaber and hefted him up into the sky.
"You are not going anywhere." Said a familiar, malevolent voice.
The others heard this and looked over to see the Jedi Master was ensnared by an Ultron drone.
"Master Piell!" Barriss shouted.
"Let him go!" Secura yelled.
It was all in vain as a few dozen more Drones appeared, descending onto the group that viciously fought them all back.
Even struggled to free himself but the Ultron drone holding him had metallic bindings come out from its wrist, binding the Lannik Jedi.
"It's no real loss for me having nearly all of you leaving here." Sounded out Ultron. "Even those prisoners, they'll come back to me one way or another in the future."
"That will never happen." Piell defiantly stated. "We will never allow for such abominations against the Force-"
"Oh my god, spare me with your dumbass spiel about making sure it's never gonna happen again. It's already happening in other systems." Ultron cut him off. "What, did you think this was the only place I'm doing this? In other parts of the galaxy, I've already converted a few thousand people with millions more on the way. You're little speech here means Nothing!"
Even was at a loss for words, staring in disbelief and horror at the drone who rolled his neck.
The drone held up Piell's lightsaber, breaking it before metallic tentacles retrieved the Kyber crystal and stored it inside itself.
"Now, a demonstration after so many experiments and refinements." The drone said, another Kyber crystal popping out in the arm that held Even. This Kyber crystal was noticeably different with pulsing, veiny wires that were glowing a bluish-silver hue.
Piell felt a reverberation in the Force that immediately made him begin to struggle against his bindings with all his might. The Jedi Master was about to unleash a Force shockwave until it was too late.
The corrupted Kyber crystal was plunged into the chest of the Jedi Master, the effects being instantaneous.
He gasped out his last breath before convulsing violently. What looked like a metal liquid spread outward from his chest across his whole body. His veins became visible from underneath the flesh, turning from their natural color to a silver-black.
Piell coughed out blood with red leaking out of his nose, ears and eyes.
His scarred eye then opened to reveal it to be red.
The Lannik Jedi let out one final agonizing scream that sent a cold shiver down everyone's spines. It would be from here would all eyes be drawn over after being distracted from fending off the other drones thus far.
For those who were Force sensitive, they felt a perverse defilement. An unnatural warping occurring with what Ultron was enacting.
Barriss covered her ears, feeling a ringing sensation in them as she could only watch on in abject horror at what was happening. She wanted to act, they all did but the terror and shock at what they were witnessing had them rooted in place.
It ended moments later, Piell's body slumping in the grasp of the drone for only a moment.
He then straightened out, glowing red eyes staring at the drone.
"Ready to serve you, Lord Ultron." Even now spoke, a mixture of his voice and a synthetic tinge.
"Ah~ Perfect." Ultron said in satisfaction, letting the converted Jedi Master go, the stout Lannik floating in the air thanks to his newly installed thrusters.
The Ultron drone looked past his newest slave and though it didn't have the facial movements of the prime body, the Jedi, Clones and Avengers could feel the leer of satisfaction he was radiating from this display.
"This is too much fun." Ultron cheerfully said. "Until next time."
Piell flew away at astonishing speeds with a swarm of drones around him whilst the team could only look on in utter defeat and distress.
They had rescued all the other prisoners from this hellhole but Piell…
He had just suffered a fate worse than death itself.
"Let's get out of here." Steve whispered, his voice solemn, near broken.
-Scene Cut-
Arriving at Coruscant was a somber affair. Even though they had a victory, it was heavily labeled as a defeat.
Revelations after revelations with what occurred will trouble everyone in participation for a long time.
The death of Piell, seeing it in such a fashion on top of the Padawans that had been discovered and experimented on…
Suffice to say, there was a dour mood that permeated between those who were there to witness the horrors of the Citadel and what Ultron was doing. And in his final words, he spoke of their being other facilities that were doing the same thing.
The Jedi and Clones were disturbed to their cores and the Avengers…
Well, an overwhelming feeling of guilt began eating at them.
Specifically those who had fought against Ultron the first time back on Earth.
Steve, Nat, Pietro, Wanda and Rhodey were not in the best shape emotionally or mentally after the whole ordeal.
The Super soldier and super spy in particular being the worst of them.
When Natasha got back to their home, she walked right past Wanda, Pietro and the others present and simply hefted up Mara Jade and held her close. The child was confused but could tell her mother was not in the best of shape, silently leaning on her without babbling or making any sounds.
Steve sat down in a chair and remained there for nearly the entire day.
They were mentally drained in a sense.
And that was just with them.
The Jedi who were there fared no better.
Luminara was worried beyond compare at the state of her Padawan. She had never seen Barriss so defeated and heartbroken.
Though upon seeing Aubrie Wyn, she was quick to understand why.
The Mirialan Jedi Master who was normally so calm and composed could only hold herself back from the disgusting feeling that radiated from the Force.
Aayla and Vos were with their mentors Tholme and T'ra Saa, the quartet spending the day entirely together, Khaleen Hentz joining them later on.
Delta Squad, The Bad Batch and the ARCs and Commander of the 327th went to drink the sights of the Citadel out of their minds.
They had been so caught up on their own mission that they had momentarily forgotten about the other group of Jedi and Avengers who had yet to return.
No doubt many meetings will be done because of the events of the Citadel. The Jedi Council voiced their concerns of Ultron's tampering in the Force and the Clones with their numbers being mutilated with any captured individuals. And sooner or later, these findings will reach the Senate, which will be ever more chaotic.
At this moment, Steve was sitting in his chair once again, silently contemplating what had transpired in the Citadel.
He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he never noticed the door to their home open and in walked Aayla Secura. The blue skinned Twi'lek spotted the Super Soldier immediately and walked right over to him.
She crouched down before him, the man barely perking up as their eyes locked onto each other.
"Hey." She quietly said, placing a hand on his knee.
He wordlessly placed his hand over hers. "Hey."
They didn't say anything else for a few seconds, simply staring at each other. Secura's hand turned around, grasping Steve's tightly.
"I would've asked if you are doing well but-"
"You and I both know the answer to that." Steve finished for her, getting a humorless laugh from the Jedi.
"Yeah." Aayla nodded, standing up now though not letting go of his hand. "I just wanted to check on you."
Though the smile was strained, the eyes shone with appreciation. He stood up, gazing down at the Twi'lek.
"Thank you, Aayla." He quietly said. "For everything."
"Likewise, Steve." Secura softly murmured.
The two fell into a comfortable silence until there was a shift in the air. They both gazed at one another in a more strange and unsure manner until Aayla jerked forward slightly with Steve mirroring her motion. Both were only inches apart when-
"Captain Rogers." The voice of Karen broke up their moment and it appeared the AI realized it. "Oh dear, my apologies, I'll-"
"Yes, do you need something?" Aayla asked, her voice coming out as a squeak, her cheeks gaining a healthy darker color upon realizing what she was about to do.
"We have a transmission from Obi-wan and the others." Said Karen. "They'll be arriving on Coruscant in a few minutes."
"They clearly missed out on the fun." Steve said sarcastically in a dry tone.
"Wonder what held them up." Aayla remarked aloud.
"We'll see when we meet them."
"Steve."
The pair turned to see Nat and Sam walking out of a separate room, Mara in the former's arms.
"Did ya hear?" The Spy asked, the WWII veteran nodding. "Hey Aayla."
"Yeah, come on." Steve said. "Let's get everyone there. We have a lot to talk about."
The entire team along with the Jedi Council and Clones made their way over to the Jedi Temple where they awaited the arrival of the separate team that had gone out to investigate the ancient distress beacon.
"Seems pretty important that T'Challa reported for all of us to be here." Rhodey noted, looking over at his teammates who were all present. He eyes Steve and Nat in particular, the former standing close to Aayla.
"He used the whole emergency assemble thing on these cards." Sam idly said, holding up his Avengers ID card.
"They must have found something important." Matt noted, walking stick in hand.
"Hopefully it's a sight better than what we found." Natasha darkly muttered, swaying left and right slightly with a curious Mara Jade in her arms.
The large assembly soon saw a gunship making its way towards where they stood. It landed moments later, the side doors opening to reveal Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Peter, T'Challa, Vision, Rex and Cody.
"Good you're all…" Anakin halted, giving Nat, Steve and Aayla a concerned look. "Ok, looks like we're not the only ones who've gone through some shit, as you would call it."
"You could say that again." Rhodey commented, eyeing Widow and the Captain. "So, what horrendous and vile shit did you all witness that was so bad you called us all here?"
Obi-Wan frowned in concern upon hearing this. "Goodness, now I'm curious what you all endured during your mission at the Citadel."
"It's a long, dark and demented story." Natasha freely said.
Behind the Jedi Master, Peter and Ahsoka spotted Barriss standing by Luminara and both became troubled at the sullen and miserable expression their friend held. They glanced at each other in concern before back again at Barriss who was now gazing at them in pure relief and sorrow. They could tell how badly she wanted to go to them but had to restrain herself in front of everyone else.
No doubt soon enough they'll talk to her and do their best to ease whatever worries she bore.
"Ok, aside from that," Sam said, giving Widow a pointed look. "What's up? You used the cards to bring us all together. Even told us to bring the Council and the boys."
Anakin had a wide grin in place, opening his mouth to speak when Vision stopped him by placing his hand on his shoulder.
"Anakin, I do believe he requested that he make his own introductions."
Skywalker rolled his eyes upon hearing that.
Everyone was now looking at them in utter confusion when there was a crackling heard above. The skies above darkened in an instant, a swirling of clouds and lightning above.
Many looked up in concern and bewilderment but there were some who were quick to realize just what they were looking at.
The Maximoff twin's jaws dropped, Rhodey laughed in disbelief, Sam swore happily and Steve and Nat turned to the three newly returned Avengers as if what was about to happen wasn't some trick.
The Jedi, meanwhile, felt a sudden surge through the Force they had not felt in some time. They were quick to realize the similarity this feeling held with the arrival of the Avengers, their eyes now darting back and forth between them and the skies above.
*KRASH-KAKHOOM*
An emphatic crashing of thunder and lightning came together and from on high, a figure in armor and a red cape, wielding a hammer descended to them.
The reaction from those who recognized him was instantaneous.
"THOR!?" Steve, Nat, Sam, Rhodey, Wanda and Pietro all exclaimed at the same time.
The Asgardian smiled and had his arms wide open.
"My friends! It's so good to see you!" The God of Thunder boisterously exclaimed, grabbing Natasha and Steve into a bone-crushing hug.
The other Avengers were quick to surround the God, chattering in excitement.
"Whoa~~~ Thor?!" Scott chattered excitedly. "I can't believe it."
"It's an honor to meet you." Hope said.
"Was the entrance truly necessary?" Matt Murdock asked in good humor, rubbing his ear.
The Jedi, all the while, stared in shock and awe.
They felt the Force radiating off the Thunderer in a manner unlike anything they had ever felt before. The only person who came close or even matched this feeling was the one that Vision held.
As a matter of fact, the more experienced Masters felt the Force around those who had just returned in a very different fashion.
They didn't know how to explain it but something had changed with Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and even the three Avengers who accompanied them.
There was much discussion to be had with this newest Avenger but that would have to wait. The rest of the team would undoubtedly wish to speak with the Thunder God and get him up to speed on everything that has transpired.
AN
A quick and easy one as when we looked at this in hindsight, not much else needed to be done.
The horror element was settled so all that was left was bringing the whole thing down.
But anyway, thank you all for the reviews, the way some of you guys freaked out to the gruesome shit Ultron was and still is doing. Having a lot of fun whenever we get to write him as the main villain of the chapter.
So last time, I made a rant of sorts about the lackluster Phase 4 that we've been having with only No Way Home being the high point of the entire Phase. Now, I will still say that the Phase hasn't been the best at all but that doesn't mean my faith in the MCU is just dead and gone. They've built up ten years of trust with me. And after SDCC, the She-Hulk trailer which is holding more promise than anticipated and the Black Panther trailer, I still want these movies and shows to succeed.
And of course, Phase 5 and 6 announcements just got me giddy again. Can't help but get excited, especially for the two Avengers movies to come, Daredevil: Born Again and Ant-man Quantomania with Kang.
I am so, SO glad to see all this cause it reinforces a lot of ideas Jeb, Bullet and I have planned for Age Of Remnant which is a lot more inclusive of Phase 4 stuff and more. Like really, a lot of the things we discussed have just been reinforced in our minds after seeing the Phase 5 and 6 lineups.
Here's to hoping things get back on track with the MCU after a lackluster two years.
Other than that, thanks again for reading.
Next time, BACK TO EARTH WE GO.
And when you guys see what's coming, let's just say a specific reviewer is gonna be feeling EXTREMELY smug after he sees what the Earth arc is gonna be about.
Like I said, it's the only phase 4 property we're adapting properly into the story.
Everything else is just mentions or just using the action and dialogue to fill in the story here.
We wanted to do the Omake for the Two Towers but we got a bit tired and finished this on a Monday night so next chapter.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.