* * *
SUPERGIANT STEPPED past Glaive.
“Understood,” she said. “I will find the information we need.”
“With some delicacy, servant,” Thanos said. “We cannot afford to break the Inhuman. He might still have some uses.” He smiled grimly. “Remember, this one used to call himself a king.”
Supergiant stared into Black Bolt’s eyes, and the Inhuman stared back, defiant. She reached out with her hands. Twin beams of shimmering energy spiked straight into his eyes, and through them his mind. Contrary to Thanos’ instructions, Supergiant did not gently sort through memories. She thrashed around in his head, searching for what Thanos demanded.
Black Bolt was unconscious before the assault ended, and even then she kept looking.
* * *
“THERE,” SHE said finally. “It is done. I have the unlocking sequence for the weapon, Thanos. The control device, a trigger, is actually a secondary mechanism located elsewhere in this lab. I now possess that knowledge, as well. The bomb is yours.”
“Good. I will want you to—” The beep of his communication device was different for each of the generals. He knew immediately who was trying to contact him. “Finally a word from the Whisperer.” He slipped a disc from his belt and held it out, and an image flickered into existence above it. “Your prolonged absence demands an explanation, Ebony Maw.”
“I fear, Master, that no accounting would suffice—all excuses pale in comparison to your will.” Ebony Maw’s expression was entirely unreadable. “But perhaps, a gift? A small measure of atonement?”
“What do you have for me, servant?” Thanos did not quite smile, but he came close.
“Only your son, mighty Thanos.” Ebony Maw’s expression mirrored that of his master. “The boy is trussed up and ready for you and your knife. Do I please you, then?”
“Very much,” Thanos replied. He consulted the data on the disc. “I have your location. Wait there with the tribute.” Then he shut off the communication device. “Corvus, Proxima, prepare a vessel. We leave immediately.”
“What would you have me do, Master?” Supergiant still stood near Black Bolt, one hand touching his face as if admiring a bit of her work. The king was still unconscious, but he flinched at the contact.
“Prepare your weapon, Supergiant. When I have killed my son, we will use the bomb to deal with this damned world once and for all.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
THE TICKING CLOCK
TONY STARK lifted the faceplate on his helmet and drank in the scent of the ocean. He’d have preferred a good, stiff martini, but that was something he wouldn’t allow himself to have. He knew his demons, and did his best to keep them on a short leash.
“So collapsing space-time and the end of everything.” He looked around at the gathered Illuminati. “Is there something wrong with me that I’m glad we only have to deal with a simple planetary invasion?”
“Of course there is, Anthony,” Reed Richards answered. “The question is… where to start?”
“The space tyrant, or securing his son?” T’Challa added. “Who can say what has happened since we’ve been off planet?” Above them the barrier between universes seemed well on the way to recovery. The skies were no longer red, and the opening between worlds dwindled down to the size of a quarter, then vanished as if it hadn’t been there.
The Beast scanned the area, and then abruptly pointed. “I think they might have some answers to your question, Panther.” Two figures stood on the hillside a football field away. They were far enough away that the man was difficult to identify, but the second figure was instantly recognizable. Lockjaw was larger than the average polar bear.
“At the very least they can point us in the right direction.”
Lockjaw let out a “woof” and started in their direction. The man followed after him, moving without any appreciable effort. As he drew closer, he called out to them.
“Attilan is gone,” Maximus said, “destroyed in a fight between my brother and Thanos. Black Bolt is missing, but I think Lockjaw has his scent. We can very likely find him.”
“Attilan is destroyed?” Tony echoed, and his voice actually broke. It was like saying the Statue of Liberty had walked out of New York Harbor. The words simply didn’t make sense. He lowered the helmet back over his face and scanned the man coming his way. Maximus might be telling the truth now, but he was a well-documented liar. The first thing to do was check for weapons.
“Attilan is gone,” he said again. “It collapsed into the harbor and clipped a portion of your city.”
“What about your people?” Reed asked.
“Oh, they’re safe,” Maximus said, sounding somehow pleased with himself. “We moved them to different locations around the world before Thanos ever arrived.”
Lockjaw ambled over and pressed his massive face against Reed, nearly knocking him over. Reed smiled and rubbed behind the dog’s left ear, which brought a look of ecstasy to the teleporter’s face. Maximus walked alongside the Inhuman dog and let one hand roam over his short fur.
“If Lockjaw has Black Bolt’s scent, we can find him—but I expect we should be quick about it. I can’t possibly get him by myself. I have no weapons.” He spread his hands as if to show they were empty. “We left in something of a hurry, I’m afraid.”
“Yes,” Namor said, and he scowled. “By all means let’s forget all else and go help our brother.”
“Stop being an ass, Namor,” Stark said. “Even if it’s just for five minutes. Can you do that?”
Namor turned sharply. Before he could say a word, however, Reed Richards cut in.
“That’s enough,” he said, scowling first at Namor, then at Iron Man. “We have work to do. Let’s help Black Bolt—if he can be helped. We need his assistance if we’re to end this latest threat.”
Namor closed his mouth and nodded.
Stark nodded, too.
Maximus smiled. “Excellent news! Let’s go save my brother!”
Lockjaw let out another huffing noise, and the antennae on his head began to glow. The unearthly light surrounded the entire group. A moment later the world vanished around them—
* * *
—AND THEY found themselves not on the beach, but in a literal jungle.
Daylight was gone, replaced by night; in the skies above the heavy foliage, vessels moved across the stars and under the clouds, and rained down barrages of fire across the Wakandan skyline.
“Look!” Hank McCoy pointed.
They followed the direction of his finger. In the distance, close enough that they could see some details, Birnin Zana was burning. Not all of the Golden City, but enough to show the horrible damage already inflicted.
“No!” The Black Panther leapt to a better vantage point and peered at the carnage. “It’s unthinkable. Wakanda’s defenses have been breached. The shining city is overrun.” He turned to his companions, and even through his mask they could see the tightness of his jaw.
“We must go—now!”
“Wait… it’s worse!” Stark put one hand to the earpiece on his armor and gestured for them to stop. “The early warning system we erected in the Necropolis, as well as the alarms we set in the labs, have all been triggered.” He went silent while more data came to him. “Someone has access to the bombs.”
Lockjaw sniffed loudly, then let out a grunt. Maximus leaned his head to the side and smiled broadly.
“He’s got quite a nose on him, just like I’ve got quite a brain. Lockjaw says Black Bolt is here.” He pointed to the Necropolis. “I’m thinking he’s in a pinch, and knows a little something about what you’ve been building. Perhaps the bombs your Iron Man mentioned.” He moved to stand. “Isn’t this fun?” Looking around, he added, “No? Why do I feel like I’m the only one enjoying this?”
“Goddess forgive me, but if they have the weapons we’ve built, we have no choice.” The Black Panther looked to Lockjaw. “Teleport us to the Necropolis. We take the dead city first and hope our de
lay doesn’t render Wakanda just as lifeless.”
Once again the world shifted. This time they found themselves in the midst of their enemies. The forces of Thanos, however, were not at all prepared for the sudden appearance of powerful opponents.
Reed took a moment to look around, then attacked his nearest target. By the time he had stretched out an arm and struck one of his enemies, the Black Panther had already pounced. From the far side of the room, the Sub-Mariner soared into the cavernous chamber’s upper reaches, then arced down and knocked two unconscious guards to the side.
The Beast bounded across the room, heading directly for the antimatter bombs, desperate to put a stop to anyone who planned on using the weapons. Doctor Strange unleashed bolts of arcane energy that enveloped their foes and rendered them unconscious.
Lockjaw let out a deep growl and moved toward his king and friend, Black Bolt. Maximus moved with him, pulling a weapon that should not have been there. Maximus was as devious as he was dangerous. Stark’s own targeting systems locked in place, and Iron Man fired several blasts from his repulsors that sent soldiers of Thanos sailing back from where they’d been standing.
Heaven knew how much time they had left.
* * *
FROM THE next room, the woman called Supergiant watched them coming. They were powerful and desperate. They wanted to reach her before she could detonate the bombs.
They called themselves the Illuminati. They appeared to fancy themselves the secret rulers of the world—or maybe its protectors. In any event they had created a doomsday device. The antimatter bombs they’d assembled had the power to end the Earth. The design was elegant—more than she would have expected from savages like these.
First came an animal that was blue and covered in fur. It had a mouthful of fangs… and it wore goggles on its head. At a guess it could probably break her body in a hundred ways. It had that sort of powerful frame. She was not a general of Thanos because of her fighting skills. She had attained her position because of her ruthlessness.
Also, she was a fast thinker.
Before the animal reached her, she moved quickly and locked the doors to the laboratory. Then she activated the defense systems her opponents had put in place. The thick doors slammed shut. The force-field projectors hummed as they came to life.
The defense system was designed to counteract the powerful and the devious alike. The best part? They had used themselves as the models for the sort of people they had to be able to stop.
Supergiant relaxed as the blue furry thing was repelled.
The spatial jumper—the dog thing—disappeared in a crackle of energy. Then it abruptly reappeared, having been rebuffed by the technology that lay behind the shields.
Despite her satisfaction, Supergiant knew it could not last. They would break through eventually. That was inevitable. So she prepared for that eventuality and worked on setting the bombs to her specifications.
* * *
IT WAS a primitive city, carved from stone and hidden in the depths of a crevasse. It was obvious to Thanos the people had done their best to remain unnoticed. Somewhere down there was his son, trying to hide and failing.
Thanos descended into a city of the dead. This was not like the Wakandan Necropolis. These were not ancient dead, but freshly killed, though most had been stripped down to the bones.
Stepping from the transport, he instantly saw his son. Ebony Maw walked next to his master. The rest of the Black Order disembarked behind them.
“Just as I promised,” he said. “The tribute.”
“Well done, Maw.” Thanos put a massive hand on the smaller man’s back. “You’re an irritant, but you never disappoint.”
“It pleases me that I please you, Master,” Maw replied with a self-satisfied smile, and the irritation returned. Brushing it away, Thanos stepped up to a figure suspended in a type of golden energy.
“So this is the very last of my offspring.” The creature before him bore some signs of the Deviant gene. He looked enough like Thanos that the tyrant could recognize himself. “Take a deep breath, boy. Enjoy it. You have so very few left.”
“Why do you do this?” the figure asked, his eyes averted downward. “What have I done to you?”
“Why do I do this?” Thanos decided to answer the question with the truth. “Because you keep me awake at night. The very idea of you out there, existing.” Then he turned away. “And soon all that will end.” He looked to Ebony Maw. “Why is he in a class- one containment field, Maw?”
Still Ebony Maw smiled. “There’s an interesting thing about him, Thanos. He has a—”
“Master!” Corvus Glaive moved closer, a holographic projection glowing in his palm. “Something has happened!” Despite obvious electronic interference, the holograph of Bermath of Titan was clear enough that the injuries on the man’s face could be seen.
“Bzzk—ame out of nowhere. The last outpost… overrun, and bzzk they attack us here. Bzzk—ey’re comi—” The holographic image broke up and was lost.
“That message,” Glaive said, his expression a combination of fear and fury. “Something’s happened on Titan.”
* * *
THE ATTACK came as a complete surprise, because no one in their right mind considered attacking Thanos or his people. Indigenous or otherwise, the populace was caught unawares. Those who served with the military received no mercy.
The armada was overwhelming—ships of every imaginable shape and size. They filled the sky from horizon to horizon. The bombs dropped with terrifying strategic efficiency, leveling landing strips and launch pads where slumbering vessels waited, destroying defensive missile installations and orbital watch stations, crippling communications arrays.
There was no doubt that a message or two got through. That was impossible to stop, but little else escaped before the attacks were completed.
ACT FIVE
BEACHHEAD EARTH
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
HOMECOMING
“THE WATCH station has been knocked offline, Majestor, and the gas giant hides our shadow.” Oracle spoke without rancor.
Gladiator looked upon the readouts and nodded. This was exactly how they preferred their battles: quick and bloodless… mostly.
“Very good, Oracle.” Then he spoke to others who stood nearby—Captain America, yes, but also Warlord Kl’rt and Ronan the Accuser. “What say you? Shall we wage one more war for the ages?”
Kl’rt snorted. “I did not drag a portion of my fleet all the way out here for leisure, Gladiator. And you, Accuser?”
Ronan looked to Kl’rt, whose people often were his enemy. “I came to judge the guilty, as are all who stand against those who liberated the Kree.”
Gladiator turned again to Captain America. “Count the Shi’ar among your numbers, as well. For you have earned that, Captain. The fleet is yours one last time. We await your orders.”
Captain America stood with his Avengers—all ready for battle, all ready to be home. He looked to the three leaders of perhaps the largest empires known to exist, and could not resist a small smile of gratitude.
“Consider the word given. Please jump us to Earth. There’s one last world that needs saving.”
* * *
SAM GUTHRIE felt his arms around Izzy Kane and thrilled. Her kiss was as powerful a thing as he’d ever experienced. When they came up for air, he sighed.
“Izzy, I… I… I just—”
“I know, right?” She smiled at him. He smiled back. Her smile was absolutely contagious.
“Yeah. Do you think that—”
“Traitors.”
Roberto da Costa walked into the viewing room aboard the Shi’ar battleship the Lilandra. “This is a total betrayal,” he said. “How could you go behind my back like that?”
Izzy looked like a deer in the headlights.
Sam just shook his head. “We’re standing right in front of you.”
Bobby crossed his arms. “And that’s what makes it even worse.”
/> “Aww. Come on, Bobby. Can’t you just be happy for me?”
“For us?” Izzy corrected.
“Right. For us?”
“I am, Sam. I’m messing with you, idiot.” He threw an arm across his best friend’s shoulder and looked to Izzy. “And you?” he said. “You’re making a huge mistake.”
They had been flirting with her since they’d met her. They had gone on multiple missions together against the enemies of the Avengers. But she had made her choice, and he was fine with that. Sam was his best friend, his brother, and he would never begrudge him a chance at happiness.
Nor would he miss an opportunity to pick on Sam.
Izzy looked his way, and then spoke very softly as Sam preceded them down the corridor.
“I know. Can we talk about it later? Maybe in my room?”
“What? Seriously?” He froze… like a deer in the headlights.
“No.” She smiled at him. “I’m messing with you, idiot.”
He grinned. A few steps ahead, Sam did the same.
Then his grin faded. “So it’s time?” They headed for the ship’s command center.
“Uh-huh,” Bobby said. “I came to get you guys because Cap’s called everyone together, and neither of you responded. Big speech before the big attack, I guess.”
Izzy put on her Smasher goggles, and the material moved, slid, and expanded to become her helmet. “Must be.” She nodded her head. “I just got a status alert from Gladiator, as well. The Imperial Guard has been activated.” She paused, then added, “This feels so wrong.”
Bobby waved his arm in dismissal. “No. Listen, you shouldn’t feel guilty, not for one second. So what if everyone else up here is sad and alone. You deserve a bit of happiness while everyone else is miserable.”
Izzy looked his way. “That’s not what I—”
“He knows.” Sam rolled his eyes. “He’s just joking because it’s easier. None of us thought this was what coming home would be like.”
* * *
THE PEAK, the headquarters of S.W.O.R.D., was Earth’s first defense against alien incursion. That made it the most likely spot to be targeted first. So far that had happened twice.
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