The Avengers decided to make their stand at a mansion compound in Upstate New York in the winter. The Crusaders were led by Mara-El who was aided by her super-powered Kryptonian lieutenants, an Ares-class battleship, and thousands of drones. Due to the intelligence gathering by Captain Marvel, the Avengers knew Mara was on her way.
To prepare for battle, the Wakanda army, the Skrulls, and mutants arrived in force numbering one hundred twenty-eight thousand men. As they marched into the compound, Captain Marvel and Ironman flew over them on an air patrol. The mansion, itself, was in two sections. The courtyard contained high walls, ten towers on the walls, and one observation tower inside. The main compound had higher walls, a dozen wall towers, and a dozen higher interior towers. The defenses included an energy shield, anti-aircraft weapons, missiles, cannons, and automatic machine guns. The compound also contained a network of tunnels underneath to bring supplies inside and to escape.
After a brief patrol, Tony Stark and Carol Danvers entered the mansion and found Professor X. "Look at you, alive, and in one piece," Tony said surprised.
"I transferred my consciousness into my comatose twin sister's body and then gave myself a sex change," Professor X explained.
"That raises all sorts of ethical concerns," Tony said shocked and appalled.
"It does," Professor X agreed.
"Well...fuck it. Thanks for hosting us," Tony said pleased.
Tony then introduced Carol to the mutants. "Captain Marvel of House Danvers," he said. Carol awkwardly nodded to them. "Carol Danvers, Professor X, leader of the X-Men, telepath, nearly as smart as me."
"Thanks...for joining us," Carol said stone-faced. "Beautiful place," she said with false sincerity.
"The mansion is yours, captain," Professor X said graciously. "But we must hurry. Mara is on her way. She has Kryptonian powers, a ship, and an army behind her," Professor X warned.
At the meeting, Tony took charge. "I ordered all the heroes of the world to retreat to this compound, and yet, some of you are not here. What the fuck?"
"Tony, not everyone has a fancy private jet. We're waiting for people to get here by flight, then train, then bus, then car, by foot to get here. This place isn't exactly easy to get here," Natasha explained.
"Why are we taking orders from this asshole? You are the King of Wakanda. You went north to gather allies and now you've come back as a...well...who the fuck knows?" Suri objected.
"It's not important. What is...," T'Challa said humbly.
"Not important? You are the King of Wakanda," Suri reminded him.
"Yes, I am. I honor and respect your faith in me but when I left Wakanda in search of allies, I told you all that if I came back empty-handed, we're all fucked. I have agreed to fight alongside our allies here rather than in our own land. I had a choice. Insist on being an absolute despot and an asshole or protecting Wakanda. I chose Wakanda," T'Challa said.
The Wakanda officers murmured amongst themselves not satisfied with that. "If we are to survive, we have T'Challa to thank for that. We now have the greatest army the world has ever seen. And soon...the Canadian army will come to join our cause," Peter Parker said naively.
"Yeah, bullshit," the entire crowd said.
"I know the Canadians and Americans have not always been on the same page, but we must fight together now or we're in deep trouble. Believe me," Peter beseeched them.
"Pete, I think you can stop," Tony said embarrassed for him.
"How are we supposed to feed this entire army?" Pepper Potts asked as she crunched the numbers.
"Dear, no one gives a shit about logistics," Tony said dismissively.
Outside, Peter Quill aka Starlord was managing trucks filled with Kryptonite ore. Some of the workers allowed a few nuggets to fall to the ground. "Careful with that shit," Peter scolded them and then picked up the glowing green rock. "Is this everything?"
"Yeah," the workers told him.
"Alright, get his green shit to the forge," Peter directed.
In the courtyard, Tony and Gamora had a chat. "I hear you have a hole in your chest. How do you survive?" she asked curiously.
"Science," Tony said vaguely. "And immense willpower." He then noticed her dagger by her side. "Nice dagger. Ever used it?"
"A shit-ton," Gamora smiled.
"Look, I know you're a great warrior and all but if you get killed it's going to send Star-Lord off the deep end and fuck us over. So, could you not die this time around?" Tony asked.
"No promises," Gamora smirked.
"I might need your help with Pepper. She thinks she's smarter than me which is, completely false," Tony requested.
"I don't do drama," Gamora refused.
"So, you're defending her?" Tony assumed.
"This isn't about your ego, Tony. Don't forget that," Gamora lectured.
Since the mansion was only so big, there were tents on the grounds in the cold. Peter Parker, Dr. Oct, and Adrian Toomes aka Vulture considered the situation at hand. "Not so long ago, Kree and the Skrulls were slaughtering each other. Now, they fight together because of Captain Marvel," Adrian mused.
"We should be grateful for that," Dr. Oct said obviously.
"That's not my point. The Kree and the Skrulls don't know Tony Stark, they don't trust him. Fuck, I don't trust him. If Stark wants their loyalty, he's going to have to earn it," Adrian said.
The three went to the roof of the mansion to look over the entire camp. "So, what's the plan?" Peter asked expectedly.
"We get Tony and Carol to hook up," Adrian said as Tony and Carol happened to be talking to each other on the grounds in front of them.
"But Tony is already engaged to Pepper," Peter pointed out.
"I don't give a shit. We make it happen," Adrian said dismissively.
"I think you overestimate our match-making abilities," Dr. Oct smiled amused.
On the ground level, Tony and Carol toured the camps. "Your fiancé doesn't like me. Fix it," Carol ordered.
"She just doesn't know you. If it makes you feel any better, she didn't like me for the longest time," Tony excused.
"It doesn't," Carol narrowed her eyes. "Let's go on another patrol."
"Another?" Tony complained.
"Now, Stark," Carol insisted. She powered up and took to the air. Tony quickly touched his chest activated his Iron Man suit and shot up with her. The two flew around the perimeter practicing their maneuvers and targeting. In the air, the army was able to see Captain Marvel and Iron Man firing off plasma beams at each other.
In the basement, Peter Quill worked on the Kryptonite weapons in his forge. Drax was waiting patiently for an ax. "It wasn't easy but look at this beauty," Peter said as he handed a Kryptonite ax to Drax.
"You're saying you're good?" Drax questioned.
"Well, yeah, it's tricky material," Peter said defensively.
"Not impressed," Drax antagonized.
"Leave him alone," Gamora rebuked as she came by.
"Why should I? You're not our Gamora," Drax stared her down. "As I recall, you robbed us." The two stared at each other awkwardly ready to fight. Drax's look of anger turned to grief and he walked off.
Gamora then turned to Peter. "That was a nice ax you made for him."
"Thanks, I've gotten better using my hands...for all sorts of things," Peter said awkwardly. "You look good."
"Thanks," Gamora said.
There was a long awkward silence between them. "This is what I want. Can you make it?" Gamora asked showing him a double-bladed spear.
"Yeah, sure, no problem," Peter said, secretly unsure he could do it.
Tony entered a study room in the mansion and found Pepper pissed off. "General Ross wishes us good fortune but he's staying at Fort Drum with his men," she told him.
"Motherfucker. My family has provided that man weapons for decades," Tony said displeased.
"It's because you brought so many Africans here," Pepper clarified.
"We need allies. All I want to do is protect Earth, so I don't really give a shit about racism or immigration. This isn't about my ego anymore. I've brought these armies here on my own dime," Tony said defensively.
"And you brought Captain Marvel who is the adopted first cousin once removed of our enemy," Pepper pointed out.
"It doesn't matter. They're not from the same universe," Tony said. "Without Captain Marvel, we don't stand a chance. I mean, do you have any faith in me at all?"
"You know I do. I'm just concerned that for every step forward we take, we take two steps back," Pepper said seriously.
"She'll be a good captain. She's not her father," Tony assured her.
"Yes, she's a lot prettier. Are you two fucking?" Pepper demanded.
"Wait...what?" Tony asked incredulously.
New Asgard, Norway
That night, Thor led an Asgardian squad to New Asgard after communications mysteriously went down. The town was a wreck from a recent firefight but none of the inhabitants were present, not one body. Thor continued his patrol until he heard movement. He motioned for his squad to not move. Suddenly, he went for the kill with his Stormbreaker ax only to be blocked by an Asgardian sword; it was Valkyrie. The two Asgardian squads yelled at each other thinking each other was the enemy for much longer than was necessary.
"Where is everyone?" Thor asked seriously after things had calmed down.
"Oh, they're here," Valkyrie said softly.
Valkyrie led Thor to a large tree where Asgardian bodies were hung from. The entire tree trunk and branches were covered with bodies strapped or nailed to it. "None of them were allowed to die in battle. They were overwhelmed, disarmed, and then executed. The enemy didn't want any of them to enter Valhalla," Valkyrie said of it.
"We must take the bodies down and give them a proper burial," Thor said teary-eyed.
"We don't have time for that. The enemy has already landed," Valkyrie told him.
"Then...we must do the next best thing," Thor figured. He lifted Stormbreaker and summoned lightning down on the tree to burn the bodies completely. As the tree burned with the bodies, Thor went to his knees devastated. "I shall avenge you," he pledged angrily.
Cliff Barton entered the mansion and unexpectedly encountered Professor X. The two stared at each other. "I know what you did in Tokyo," Professor X said accusingly.
"I know what I did, too," Cliff smirked.
Part 2
In the basement, Peter Quill was hard at work and starting to suffer from radiation sickness. "Holy shit, I think I've sterilized myself," he remarked.
"Have you made my weapon yet?" Gamora demanded.
"Yeah, sure, I'll get right on it after I make a few thousand more bullets," Peter rolled his eyes.
"You should make mine first. It better be strong," Gamora said demandingly.
"Almost as strong as my dick. Wait... I'm sorry, that was rude of me. Can we start over?" Peter mocked.
"Do you intend to fight in this battle? Or, remain here in the basement?" Gamora shot back.
"Are you asking if I'm going to chicken out? I'll have you know I've fought in many battles," Peter said defensively.
"Oh, really? I want to see you fight. I want to see how you look, how you smell, how you move, how you kill," Gamora teased.
"You'll get your chance. I've fought murderers and rapists but this...this is different. This is death. We're all going to die," Peter said dryly.
"I know death, it has many faces. I look forward to seeing this one," Gamora smiled ambitiously.
"Well, okay then," Peter said incredulously.
"My weapon?" Gamora pressed.
"I'll get right on it," Peter gulped.
In the courtyard next to a tree, Professor X was chilling out. Cliff awkwardly approached him. "Look, I know that you know everything I did in Japan. Can you not tell the others about all the murder, torture, prostitution, and furry business I did there?"
"You were providing for your family," Professor X said warmly. "And you still would be if not for this."
"You're not disgusted at me?" Cliff asked confused.
"I'm not disgusted at anyone," Professor X smiled.
"So, you're not going to tell anyone?" Cliff asked apprehensively.
"You won't be helpful in this fight if I did," Professor X said simply.
"What about afterward?" Cliff asked.
"How do you know there is an afterward?" Professor X frowned.
"Well...shit, that got dark quickly," Cliff muttered.
"Indeed," Professor X nodded.
Cliff made his way over to Natasha on the ground. The men were busy digging ditches and setting up wooden pikes to slow down the enemy's advance. Others were practicing their martial arts and swordsmanship. "I understand you'll be taking command of the left flank," Cliff said conversationally.
"I will. It's good ground. The rise, it should give us some advantage. If we keep a tight formation, we might be able to beat them back," Natasha judged.
"Sure," Cliff said unconvinced.
"What are you doing?" Natasha asked accusingly. "We've never had a conversation this long without either a sarcastic remark or disagreement."
"I've changed. I'm not the man I used to be, but I'd be honored to serve with you if you'll have me?" Cliff said sincerely.
Natasha merely nodded. "I have to get back." In truth, she had trouble hiding her feelings for Cliff, and the thought of losing him under her command pained her.
Carol met with Pepper inside the mansion's study room. "I can't help but feel we're at odds with one another," she sensed. "Why is that? Is it your fiancé?"
"He loves you, you know that?" Pepper said obviously.
"And that bothers you?" Carol asked obliviously.
"Yes, it bothers me. He's cheating on me...with you," Pepper said outraged. "When it comes to love, Tony is stupid, easily manipulated."
"All my life, I've only known one goal: kill Skrulls," Carol said nonchalantly.
"Excuse you?" Pepper thought she misheard.
"That's because I suffered amnesia and was programmed by the Kree's super-intelligence. My war was against them until I met Fury who, in turn, recruited Tony. So, now I'm here worlds away from where I was before fighting with all of you as an Avengers...because I'm the first Avenger," Carol clarified.
"I should have thanked you when you first arrived. That was a mistake," Pepper admitted.
Carol touched Pepper's hand. "I'm here because I love your fiancé, and I want to love you as well."
"And what happens afterward?" Pepper asked incredulously.
Thor then barged in looking quite somber. "I'm here to fight for your cause once more."
"And your...king?" Carol guessed.
"She remained behind at New Asgard with the survivors," Thor replied.
Pepper then embraced Thor tightly for she was having her own affair with him.
Tony held a meeting with the Avengers in a war council. "They're coming. We have Kryptonite and steel but there are too many of them, far too many. Our enemy doesn't tire, doesn't stop, doesn't feel. We can't beat them in a straight fight," Tony said.
"Then what can we do?" Steve Rogers asked frustrated.
"The drones follow Mara-El. If she falls, getting to her may be our best chance," Tony said.
"If that's true, she'll never expose herself," Cliff figured.
"Yes, she will. She will come for me," Professor X said grimly. "She knows how dangerous I am to her. She wants to erase me, personally."
"We must not forget who we are, where we have been, and what we've done. We're men, not animals," Steve said passionately.
"How will she know where you are?" Cliff asked.
"I can lure her to me with my mind," Professor X replied.
"We'll put you in the basement where it's safest," Tony told him.
"No, we must lure her out into the open before her army destroys us all," Professor X reasoned. "I'll wait for her in the courtyard."
"You want us to use you as bait?" Pepper asked shocked and appalled. "We can't let you be alone."
"He won't be. I'll defend him," Logan assured her.
"We'll hold the rest of them for as long as we can," Adrian said.
"I'll give the signal to light the trenches on the walls," Peter Parker said.
"No, Mr. Toome is perfectly capable of signaling on his own. You'll be in the basement," Tony objected.
"Mr. Stark, come on, I've fought before. I can do it again alongside these heroes risking their lives," Peter objected.
"There are thousands of them and only one of you," Tony told him.
"But...but...I'm...I'm...Spiderman," Peter said lamely.
"Captain Marvel and Iron Man should give us an edge in the field," Adrien said.
"We have to be near to Charles to keep him from getting killed but not too near or Mara won't come," Tony figured.
"Can plasma fire hurt her?" Gamora asked Professor X.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "No one has ever tried."
"If we die, we die together, we die with honor," Steve said to all of them.
"Let's all get some rest," Tony said bringing the meeting to a close.
Everyone left except a disgruntled Peter and Professor X. "Do you need help, professor?" he asked lamely.
"No," Professor X replied.
"You must have had a queer life?" Peter figured.
"Queerer than most," Professor X agreed.
"I'd like to hear about it," Peter said curiously.
"Open your mind to me," Professor X requested and then poured his life story into him.
The next morning, T'Challa oversaw his men and met up with Nakia. "When this battle is over and the war is won, do you want to grow old with me? Is there any place you wish to go, to see?"
"I'd like to see the Somalian beaches again," Nakia replied.
"Then, I will take you there," T'Challa promised.
"The people of Somalia are not peaceful," Nakia said uncertainly.
"And neither are Wakandans. I will protect you," T'Challa assured her.
That night, Cliff and Natasha had a casual chat inside the mansion. "Remember when we first met? You were a gold medalist. I was a whore," Natasha said reflectively.
"It wasn't that simple. I was sleeping with my sister at the time, and you had one friend in the world...who was also sleeping with his sister," Cliff said dryly.
"That's fucked up, Cliff. Why am I the more normal of the two of us?" Natasha asked dismayed.
"Well, my gold medal archery days are over but whoring is definitely still an option for you," Cliff complimented.
"It's not," Natasha shook her head. "It would be easier if it were," Natasha sighed.
"This beer tastes like piss. Get out the wine," Cliff requested.
"Is that wise? The battle could start at any moment," Natasha frowned.
"I see more clearly when I'm drunk," Cliff said incoherently.
"Spoken like a true alcoholic," Natasha scolded and poured him a glass of wine. "I should get some sleep."
"I don't think anyone is going to get any sleep tonight," Cliff said knowingly.
"It could be our last night on this world," Thor said as he entered the room.
"And I'm glad you're here," Natasha said sincerely.
"Want a drink?" Cliff offered.
"Brought my own," Thor said as he drank beer from a horn glass. "You know why I have no fear of this attack? When I was ten, I killed a Frost Giant. Then, I climbed into bed with his wife. When she woke up, you know what she did? It's incredible. She let me suck on her tits for three months like I was her baby. And it was damn cold milk. True story."
Thor then drank down his horn glass completely in one gulp.
On the mansion walls, Gamora found Drax sitting by himself. She sat down next to him silently. "You used to never shut up. Now, you're silent," Drax noted.
"I'm not the same Gamora you knew," she reminded him. "What are you doing up here?"
"I'm a Guardian of the Galaxy. It's what we do. It's what you used to do," Drax said reflectively.
Rocket then awkwardly came by. "Good to see you again, Gamora. You know, I'm really sorry we parted the way we did. You, dying really sucked."
"Are you drunk?" Gamora accused.
"But it's alright. The galaxy has brought us together all the same," Rocket nodded.
"I'm leaving. I'm not spending my final hours with you idiots," Gamora said getting up and walking off.
"Nice," Rocket smiled.
"What's nice about that?" Drax asked confused.
"Oh, you'll see. By avoiding us, she'll find herself right in Quill's arms," Rocket said knowingly.
"Oh, that is nice," Drax smiled.
As it happened, Gamora went down to the basement and found Peter still at work. "Here you are," he said handing her a double-bladed Kryptonite spear.
"This will work," she said pleased. "Tell me, Quill. How many women have you fucked since I died?"
"Wow, well, for your information, I didn't...count," Peter said awkwardly.
"Yes, you did, stop lying," Gamora said aggressively.
"Three, alright," Peter admitted.
"We're probably going to die soon. I want to know how you fucked me before that happens," Gamora enticed.
"Gamora...I...," Peter stammered and then the two quickly kissed and took off their clothes. The two made passionate love on the floor of the basement.
In the mansion, Natasha, Cliff, and Thor kept drinking. They were joined by Bruce Banner. "At least we'll die with honor," Natasha scoffed.
"I actually think we might live," Steve said optimistically. "I mean, how many battles have we all been in? Hmm? The Battle of New York against Loki, Battle of Sokovia against Ultron."
"Victor against the Dark Elves in London," Thor brought up.
"Natasha Romanoff, greatest agent of SHIELD," Cliff complimented.
"SHIELD doesn't exist any longer," Natasha corrected him.
"Alright, greatest agent of SWORD or whatever the fuck they call it now," Cliff rephrased.
"Technically, I'm not a member of SWORD," Natasha told him.
"Why not?" Bruce asked curiously.
"Didn't pass their security clearance. Turns out being a Russian spy and being on the wrong side of the Civil War is disqualifying," Natasha said flatly.
"Come on, that's bullshit," Bruce protested.
"As a member of SWORD, myself, I'll make you an honorary member right now," Cliff offered.
"I don't even want to be one," Natasha rolled her eyes.
"Kneel, Natasha," Cliff ordered as he stood up.
"I know that wasn't supposed to sound sexual, but...," Natasha protested.
"Do you want to be a SWORD agent or not?" Bruce asked her.
"No," Natasha shook her head.
The other Avengers encouraged her on. "Fine, fuck it," Natasha said, gave Cliff a curtsey, and took a knee.
Cliff took out an arrow and placed it on Natasha's shoulder. "I charge you to be brave. I charge you to be just. I charge you to defend the innocent. Arise, Natassha Romanoff, Agent of SWORD."
The other Avengers clapped and hooted. "Can I get back up now?" Natasha asked rolling her eyes.
Part 3
The attack came at night when it was cold and conditions where no one could hardly see anything. As it happened, the mansion was so cramped that there was a serious danger of everyone shooting and stabbing each other in close quarters. As such, a large portion of the army took up positions outside the mansion in the trenches. Professor X was placed in the courtyard to act as bait with Wolverine guarding him. Wakanda infantry took up positions in front of artillery canons with T-Challa leading. Additional formations of infantry were an assortment of aliens and common men. Peter Quill, Drax, Rocket, and Groot were in this mix. In front of the Wakanda infantry formations was the Skrull Calvary led by Steve Rodgers. The shape-shifting Skrulls were both the horses and the riders. On a hill overseeing the battle were Tony and Carol.
Wanda flew over the formations and landed near Steve in front of the cavalry. "Tell them to lift their swords," she instructed. Steve nodded and gave the command. Wanda then cast a spell on one Skrull's sword causing it to ignite in flames. All the other swords then ignited as well in a wave of fire. This magic flame would never go out and inflict magical damage on anything it cut. Wanda then entered the mansion.
With a rush of confidence, Steve ordered the cavalry out toward the enemy. From the hill, Carol and Tony watched as the Skrull calvary made their way across the open field. At the same time, the Wakanda artillerymen fired non-stop Vibranium bursts into the distance. The Skrull cavalry rode out with the air filled with purple beams. The beams landed in a dark space but then it quickly became obvious they were hitting something as sparks started to fly. The Skrull calvary suddenly slammed into a giant wave of Brainiac drones.
Tony winced as the Skrull calvary was immediately halted by a sea of drones. The flames of their swords started going out quickly. "Cease fire," T'Challa ordered his artillery as the two forces began to mix. Within a few minutes, the Skrull calvary flames rapidly went out and were annihilated.
"Not a great plan," Tony said dryly to Carol.
"The mansion is already filled with men and calvary cannot be used effectively in close quarters," Carol pointed out.
"So, you have them in reserve behind the mansion to attack their flanks and from the rear," Tony said obviously.
Carol gave him an odd look but then realized he was right. "Well...shit."
"Yeah," Tony said incredulously.
"Never liked the Skrulls anyway," Carol said dismissively.
Survivors started coming back to the fold including an injured Steve Rodgers. The horses transformed back into Skrulls as they joined the infantry. T'Challa activated his Black Panther armor. "Wakanda Forever!" he shouted.
The Brainiac drone swarm went straight for them. With the enemy too close for artillery usage, the infantry stood behind them and used them as cover. The waves of drones slammed into the infantry creating instant chaos and confusion. "Stand your ground!" Natasha shouted.
The Avengers and their infantry quickly faced waves and waves of fearless unrelenting Brainiac drones. Individual strength accounted for little as every Avenger found themselves swarmed and dominated. Natasha was taken to the ground but was brought up by Cliff. The infantry eventually halted the Brainiac drone advance. Suddenly, a steady flow of energy blasted the sea of drones. Cliff looked up and saw Carol flying over the drones and firing streams of plasma down upon the drone army. Drones were blasted to pieces as the dirt and snow exploded from the ground. Tony also blasted the drones with a steady amount of power beams, missiles, bombs, and lasers. In a coordinated attack, Carol and Tony created lines of fire within the drone sea. The amount of devastation allowed the infantry to reform their lines and gave hope to those in the mansion that they could win.
Carol and Tony flew over to the enemy's rear where Mara and her lieutenants were hanging out. Knowing the battle would be over if they struck Mara down, the two of them went straight for her. Mara eyed the two and calmly let loose a frosty windstorm at them. The intensity of the cold and the velocity of the wind threw them both back and eliminated their visibility within the frost. Retreating away, Carol blasted the rear line of the drone army to sandwich them before her fire and the infantry. Still, the frosty windstorm Mara had created was pushing forward onto the battlefield. Carol went back toward the mansion as visibility became non-existent.
With visibility gone, it was every man for himself as the infantry lines became a disorganized mess. Steve, Natasha, Cliff, Peter Quill, Drax, Rocket, and Groot fought in their own ways. The drones' unrelenting push slaughtered the infantry lines. "Fall back!" multiple Avengers said to their men. The mansion opened its gates allowing the surviving infantry and cavalry to come in.
"Protect the retreat!" T'Challa ordered. The Wakanda infantry dutifully remained still and disciplined as everyone else entered the mansion. "Stand your ground!"
Tony eventually got his bearings as he slammed through some tree branches in the thick mist only to get slammed by Mara, herself, mid-air. Tony rejoined Carol in the air with Mara somewhere close to them. Tony activated various scanners on his eyes to see down below where he saw the drone army moving quickly toward the mansion.
"Carol, I got too much interference. I can't see shit. What is your position, over?" Tony radioed.
The Wakanda infantry was starting to slowly dissolve against the countless drones. As the Wakanda infantry was pushed back toward the mansion, the trenches were lit up to hinder the drones' advance and bottleneck them. An injured and exhausted T-Challa entered the mansion and waited for the rest of his men to get inside. As he went inside, Wanda went outside. She came upon the trenches and put her hands on them.
Magical flames roared across the spikes and trenches creating a barrier. The battle was now at a temporary pause.
In the courtyard, Professor X sensed what was happening. "They've lit the trenches," he said to Wolverine.
"I know. I can smell it burning," he nodded grimly.
"I just want you to know...you were always a son to me, Logan," Professor X said sincerely.
"I know," Wolverine assured him. "It's good that you're here. This is where you belong. This is your home."
The Brainiac drones quickly analyzed the magic flames and started pouring drones upon them to create a bridge. The drones then stepped over the bridge to get past it. "Shit," Wanda realized.
The Avengers quickly took to the walls as the drones advanced passed the trenches and all sides. Wakanda infantry, Skrulls, and ordinary men fired their spears and rifles down on the drones non-stop. The drones climbed upon each other to get over the walls. Peter Quill was the first to blast a drone's head off with his laser pistols. Cliff and Natasha fought side-by-side on the walls using pistols, arrows, staffs, bows, and even their fists against the drones climbing up. Despite their efforts, the drones swarmed over the walls and inside the grounds.
On the ground, Thor sliced up as many drones as he could with Stormbreaker but was quickly getting overwhelmed. On the walls, Gamora wielded her double-bladed staff to tear up some drones. A great many defenders had Kryptonite blades which were not overly useful against the drones. Disappointingly, Mara stayed far from the battle. Gamora turned two drones into a shish kabab and then broke the staff in two so she could fight with both blades at the same time. Gamora then continued her rampage through the mansion halls and down the stairs where the drones were flowing through. Gamora finally took a tumble down the stairs, got back up, and got her head slammed against a wall stunning her.
Bruce became the Hulk and went on a tear through the drone lines. He swiped right and left, leaped up, and smashed the ground. The drones quickly surrounded and began piercing him all over his body as they latched on. Hulk found he could barely move against hundreds of drones swarming him. Finally, one drone aimed his hand at Bruce's face and fired a cable through his eye and out his head. Hulk then fell to the ground dead in a heap.
In the air, Tony and Carol went above the cloud layer to get clear visibility. Mara flew straight for them firing a heat vision beam straight up. Tony narrowly avoided the beam, but Mara wasn't focused on him. Mara pursued Carol with the two going higher and higher. Mara continued to fire heat vision beams to get at her. Carol took evasive action as she was aggressively pursued. Tony attempted to move toward Carol to get her support. Seeing their coordination, Mara dropped down below the clouds.
In the halls, Gamora battled drones when she could and evaded them when there were too many of them. Gamora finally got tackled through a door to the floor. Thor was there immediately and threw Stormbreaker at the drone to get it off her. Drax grabbed Gamora off the floor and helped her move to a better position while Thor battled the drones. Thor was cornered by drones and assaulted relentlessly with cables stabbing him all over his body. He reached out of Stormbreaker and beat the drones back. He limped his way toward Gamora and Drax and the three of them entered a classroom. Gamora and Drax barricaded the door, but the drones were relentless in breaking it down.
Thor fell to the floor and died as he bled out. As it happened, Wanda was in the room. There was a noticeable amount of drone bodies all around the room. "Thor was born for a purpose. Now, that purpose has been served," she mused.
"I know you," Gamora identified.
"And I know you, Gamora. But you are not of this universe, this time. Yet, here you are at the end of the world," Wanda said calmly. "Gamora, Daughter of Thanos, you shut many eyes during your lifetime: brown, green, blue, and now red. What do we say to the God of Death?"
"Not today," Gamora replied.
Mara gave Carol and Tony the false impression she was going to attack them again above the cloud layer. Instead, she went straight for the mansion and fired. The beam blasted a large hole through the mansion walls allowing drones to flow through. To her surprise, Tony actually anticipated this and impacted her. He turned on his Kryptonite emitters to weaken her. Mara and Tony thrashed at each other in mid-air. After a fierce battle, the two hit the ground hard. Tony bounced across the snowy ground a bit before settling.
Carol circled but couldn't see a thing. Eventually, she saw the golden glowing image of Mara on the ground. Mara merely stared at her adopted cousin once removed wondering what she would do. Carol powered up to her maximum, her frame glowing a golden flaming aura, and then fired a continuous stream of plasma on Mara. She kept it up for a while until the field in front of her was a wildfire blaze. A ruffled Tony, with his helmet off, walked toward the wild inferno.
The flames eventually dissipated with Mara unharmed. Mara pointed her index finger at Carol and fired narrowly missing her. Carol retreated away from the scene. Mara calmly walked toward the mansion with Tony following her on foot for a sneak attack. He extended a Kryptonite blade from his right hand's armor. Mara turned toward him as she noticed him. As Tony approached, hundreds of drones suddenly became active again and came up from the ground. Tony was now surrounded by these drones. They had gathered on the ground playing dead for this moment.
"Oh, come on! This is bullshit," Tony said stunned.
The supposedly destroyed drones on the mansion grounds became active again ready to fight. At the same time, Mara's Kryptonian lieutenants entered the mansion grounds and made their way toward Professor X.
Tony pulled out all the stops as he fired lasers and swung his sword at the drones swarming him. Carol swung around and fired plasma beams onto the drones to give Tony relief. "Xavier!" Tony shouted to her.
"Go!" Carol told him.
Tony took off on foot toward the mansion. Carol inexplicably fought the drones on the ground and quickly became swarmed. Her power began to fade as she had overused it. As it looked like she was about to be killed, Steve fought the drones back with his shield and escorted Carol to higher ground.
"I can do this all night," Steve said to the drones as he battled them back.
Inside the mansion, Tony battled through the drones with his fists and occasionally throwing grenades. He made use of the mansion's security system to lock barricade doors behind him. He also made use of secret passageways in the mansion on his way to the courtyard. In the basement, everyone was slaughtered except for Peter Parker and Pepper who managed to find a vault to hide in. Wolverine sliced up as many drones as he could that tried to get to Professor X. Outside the ground, Steve was starting to buckle as he received numerous wounds.
Mara and her Kryptonian lieutenants casually entered the courtyard and moved on Professor X. Wolverine continued to take down drones like a boss. Their bodies were all lying around him but now he was surrounded.
"You want him, you got to go through me, bub," he said to them all.
"Logan...you're a good man," Professor X told him. "Thank you."
Wolverine teared up knowing this was the end. Mara cautiously stepped forward as this was the Wolverine in front of her. Despite her power, he was not to be trifled with. Wolverine charged her with his claws ready. Mara avoided his claws as he swung at her several times. She then grabbed his wrists to keep him still. Logan cried with effort as he tried to get out of her grip. Mara scanned his body with her X-ray vision seeing the metal endoskeleton. With no other way to deal with him, she powered up her golden aura. The golden flames became more and more intense as Wolverine's flesh began to burn away. Despite his super-regeneration, Mara was able to burn his flesh off within seconds leaving only a metal endoskeleton behind. She carefully dropped the skeleton on the ground away from her.
Tony tried to get Mara from behind. She turned around and fired a beam that forced him to take cover. On the field, Steve finally succumbed to his injuries and fell to the ground dead.
Mara cautiously approached Professor X, her prize. He gave no resistance to her and said not a word. Mara hesitated to kill him wondering if she was in a trap of some kind. Mara raised her hand to annihilate him when she sensed something from behind. She turned around quickly and grabbed Gamora by the neck. She had inexplicably found a way to sneak past her lieutenants and all her drones to get this close to her and with a Kryptonite knife no-less. Mara held Gamora's right arm holding the knife, forced her to her knees, and then went for her throat with her left hand.
"Did you think it would be that easy?" Mara mocked her.
Gamora smirked knowingly. Mara suddenly felt a pain in her back as a Kryptonite dagger went through her. Mara turned to see Rocket who had swung down from the tree next to Professor X. Mara instantly shattered like glass into a thousand pieces. Her lieutenants all shattered and then her drones deactivated. The Avengers had won.
Game Over
Rome 3026
The holodeck deactivated, sending Mara back to reality. Despite all her advantages and powers, she had lost. She lost because a raccoon with a Kryptonite blade got past her. She lost because Professor X had placed himself perfectly where a raccoon could ambush her. Mara blinked a few times and then ignited as a Super Insane in anger. She quickly lost control and exploded the room causing the city to shake. Mara screamed in rage for a good a good minute sending energy pulses through Rome. The locals felt it as if it were a small earthquake.
Mara eventually powered down and went to her knees in prayer to calm herself down. It was only a game after all. Brainiac 5 then casually entered the destroyed holodeck. "The entire city of Rome shares in your loss, princess."
"I'm cool, I'm calm, I'm cool," Mara said as she regained control of herself.
"Certainly, you will learn from your mistakes," Brainiac 5 said condescendingly.
"Of course," Mara said, storming out of the room.
Kon casually entered soon after that. "She does not handle losing very well," he smirked.
"You were the same way at two," Brainiac 5 recalled.
"So, what did you want me to do now?" Kon asked.
"I want you and Soara to supervise Mara's crusade. I'll be there with you in mass, of course," Brainiac 5 said.
"Sure, when does the crusade begin?" Kon asked.
"Now," Brainiac 5 replied.
Author's Notes: This was a fun little mockery of GOT Season 8 and the Avengers. Obviously, some Avengers got cut from this battle and some Avengers were not represented to the best of their abilities to fit the battle narrative. The MCU continuity of this episode is whatever I wanted. In AOS continuity, Carol Danvers is the cousin of Alex Danvers. She is featured in several episodes of Midvale Season 4. Ultimately, the point of the episode was to subvert the expectations of GOT's own subverted expectations. This episode had a huge budget and was an impressive battle sequence for TV. However, it was way too dark to see what was going on, some characters got way too much screen time, other characters were denied a cool duel with the Night King, and the ending jumped the shark. Finally, this episode should have been at the end of the season and at King's Landing. Danny nuking King's Landing might have made more sense if she was preventing the inhabitants from being used by the army of the dead in a tactical retreat. If I were the Night King, I would simply surround Winterfell with a portion of my army in a siege and keep moving down south.