Chaos as a Plan Fails Exactly as It Should. Pt 1
"Well. There are a lot more of them than I expected, but…", before Owen could finish speaking.
"Calling me out!", one of them shouted before bursting completely into flames and shooting straight toward Owen, attacking him without hesitation.
Owen watched him for a brief moment as the Human Torch flew in to throw a punch.
Owen dodged easily, shifting his body just slightly to the side, then drove a right hook straight into the flaming man's stomach, sending him flying up into the sky.
"Johnny!", the Thing shouted before charging at Owen; each of his steps caused small tremors as he swung a punch.
"Can you let me talk for a second?", Owen said irritably, before jumping up and kicking the Thing straight in the face, sending him flying.
Susan created an energy shield to protect herself from the Thing as he was hurled toward her, while the others were already rushing Owen from all sides.
"Seriously…", Owen muttered as he pressed a button on a control in his hand.
Then, from the V.I.T.A.E. base, several different types of cannons deployed rapidly with mechanical sounds, each one locking onto Blue Marvel and Captain Marvel in the sky.
Smaller ones turned toward the rest of the heroes surrounding the perimeter.
Both of them were about to fly toward Owen, but stopped when they saw the cannons, which immediately opened fire, launching beams of energy at them.
They raised their arms, blocking the attacks with ease.
At the same time, Owen dodged an energy blast from Scott and Logan, who leaped at him with his claws extended.
Ororo stepped out of the aircraft as storm clouds began forming in the sky.
Owen saw Patriot swallow what looked like a blue pill before charging at him with his shield, trying to strike, but Owen deflected him effortlessly, sending him flying away.
Attacks of every kind rained down on Owen as he evaded them; at the same time, the V.I.T.A.E. cannons kept firing at the heroes, explosions spreading throughout the area.
"If you're done with whatever you're doing, you can come help now", Owen said into his communicator.
"Yeah, yeah. Cavalry's here", Nicolas replied, just before a distant shot rang out and what looked like an antimatter beam slammed straight into the Thing as he jumped toward Owen, sending him flying backward once again.
He got back up in obvious pain, clutching his chest where the impact had landed. Embedded there was what looked like a copper coin, half-buried in his rocky torso. He looked up, trying to find the source of the shot, but could only see a tiny black speck in the sky, far away.
Another beam was already on its way from that same point.
Invisible Girl stepped in front of him, raising both arms and forming a shield that protected them from the sniper's attack.
At the same time, Johnny dove down from the sky at full speed, completely furious, charging straight at Owen again.
"Bastard son of a—", before he could finish the insult, Rhodey appeared in the air in his War Machine armor and immediately opened fire on Johnny.
"And who's this other son of a bitch?", Johnny shouted as he rapidly dodged bullets and missiles.
"Hey, with that mouth, do you kiss your mother?", Rhodey shot back.
"No, but I kiss yours", Johnny replied mockingly as he flew toward him, unleashing a massive burst of flames.
Rhodey stopped midair and raised both hands as the cannon on his shoulder locked onto Johnny, firing every weapon in his arsenal. The explosions detonated right in Johnny's face, sending him flying.
"Let's see if that teaches you some respect", War Machine said as he watched Johnny rise again, engulfed in flames, now burning even hotter than before, the air around him visibly warping from the heat.
"Or not…", Rhodey muttered as he dodged a massive wave of fire.
Meanwhile, Ororo's storm clouds were suddenly halted; or rather, something far more powerful began forcing them apart, pushing them away.
A reddish force could be seen between the clouds as Ororo lifted her gaze to the sky, noticing someone descending from above.
Wanda floated down gently from the heavens.
A red aura surrounded her, her expression carrying a hint of guilt, yet unwavering in her resolve.
"I'm sorry, Miss Ororo, but it looks like I'll have to face you", Wanda said softly, a trace of guilt in her voice, knowing she still considered the other X-Men her friends.
"Wanda…", Ororo said seriously; more than anyone, she knew just how dangerous Wanda could be.
"The others didn't come?", Wanda asked, slightly relieved to see only the three of them.
"An impossible mission", Ororo replied with a hint of sarcasm.
"It's not as impossible as you think", Wanda said calmly, raising both hands as the ground beneath her began to rise, blocking the bolts of lightning fired from Ororo's hands toward her.
The two women locked eyes for a brief moment before launching at each other, electricity and chunks of earth flying violently in all directions.
Blue Marvel watched the chaos unfold, heroes clashing everywhere, as he noticed the V.I.T.A.E. side joining the battle one by one. For a brief moment, he spotted Spider-Man, which made him frown slightly before a smile slowly formed on his face as he watched him fighting the Defenders.
"I was right," he said with a faint smile, before turning his gaze toward Owen, who knocked Patriot unconscious and sent Steve Rogers flying, along with the woman who came crashing into him midair, triggering an explosion.
His expression hardened as he focused on the woman and prepared to fly toward them, but suddenly he sensed something behind him. He turned instantly, forming an energy shield just in time.
A massive laser slammed into the shield, pushing him slightly backward through the air.
"Oh, looks like you can take quite a bit. Your powers come from controlling antimatter, right?" Tony's unmistakable voice said, as Blue Marvel watched Iron Man floating in front of him, several objects orbiting around his body. They then snapped back into place along his back as the suit reshaped itself, flowing toward his hands, which morphed into heavy, hammer-like fists.
"Nanotechnology," Adam said calmly as he took it in.
"Bingo. No prize for guessing, though," Tony replied before rocketing forward with a straight punch.
The blow collided head-on with Adam's fist, producing a thunderous impact that made the sheer power of both men unmistakably clear.
…
Not far away, different battles were breaking out across multiple locations, not just around V.I.T.A.E.
A green-skinned woman, completely enraged, was fighting a diamond-covered woman, tearing apart nearby buildings.
A massive man who suddenly grew to giant size was slammed by another much smaller figure, yet one carrying incredible strength.
A group of heroes clashed with a masked man who stretched his body to dodge every attack before firing a weapon that caused explosions in every direction.
A megazord formed from multiple dinosaur zords battled what looked like another megazord assembled entirely from cars.
News networks had gone completely insane, broadcasting every single confrontation.
"What the hell is happening? Why are heroes fighting all across the country?" a shaken anchor shouted, staring at the screen with no idea how to process the information pouring in.
People at home watched their televisions while feeling the tremors and hearing explosions echo everywhere.
As chaos spread across the nation, V.I.T.A.E. soldiers rushed through combat zones, evacuating civilians while evacuation alarms seemed to blare across the entire continent.
The government itself was in disarray, unable to stop the destruction unfolding live before the world. Normally, these conflicts happened one at a time, allowing the damage to be contained. But now, with so many happening simultaneously, it felt like the apocalypse.
Or like their worst nightmares come to life.
…
"Did I ask you something?" Captain Marvel said, glaring at Owen as she tried to grab him by the neck.
Owen looked at her calmly, irritation flickering across his face. "And I told you I have no idea. I didn't catch that bastard, even though I'd love to," he replied, grabbing her wrist and driving a punch straight into her stomach.
The impact sent her flying backward.
Owen glanced across the battlefield, ready to step in before the idiots seriously hurt each other, but Carol Danvers once again moved to block his path.
"His last message was your name," she said, slamming her fists against his as golden energy enveloped her body.
"You know, while you're out there protecting space or whatever, we're pretty busy down here. So if you could—" before Owen could finish, she struck him.
He blocked the blow, but even so, his body was driven straight into the ground, triggering a massive explosion of dirt and debris.
Another explosion followed, this one mixed with a crimson aura, right where Owen had landed.
Then he appeared directly in front of Carol.
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as he materialized in front of her at impossible speed.
Owen's gaze was feral. He threw a punch with his right arm, charged with red energy and engulfed in flames.
The blow was so powerful that Carol vanished instantly, shattering the sound barrier multiple times as she was hurled far into the distance.
Owen vanished again in a red flash, reappearing right behind Scott, who was about to attack Wanda while she fought Ororo.
A sharp strike to the back of the neck dropped him unconscious.
Owen then moved toward where the Defenders were fighting Spider-Man. Luke had him locked in a crushing hold.
Wolverine leaped in with his claws ready to strike, but suddenly a dagger pierced through his chest from behind, followed by a violent yank.
Owen pulled hard on the cord attached to the blade, sending Logan flying deep into the forest. He didn't care about the damage, knowing Logan's regeneration would keep him alive.
"Stop messing around and get in position, like I taught you," Owen snapped at Peter, who was still being restrained by Luke.
"Yeah, sorry. I got caught while trying to convince them to surrender," Peter replied as he strained his arms, breaking free.
Luke's eyes widened in shock at the sheer strength of the skinny kid.
Before Spider-Man's foot slammed into his chin, having already freed himself and leaped into the attack.
Owen surveyed the battlefield. Explosions everywhere. Heroes clashing on all sides. Voices crackled through the shared radio, reporting that across multiple locations, those who had joined his plan were fighting as well, causing massive destruction.
He paused.
His expression turned genuinely guilty.
"Shit. I overdid it," Owen muttered, his face hardening as he realized that one wrong step could cost everything they were fighting for.
Then he turned back toward Captain Marvel, who was already flying toward him again, furious. "I don't have time for you," Owen said, his irritation growing.
His red aura flared violently, flames of the same color wrapping around him. His hair lifted slightly, moving like living fire, and his gaze sharpened into something far more dangerous.
"Remember this, idiots. If anyone dies, I'll kill you," Owen said coldly, as he once again clashed fists with Captain Marvel.