Chapter 197 — Arrival of the Alien
The Helicarrier moved steadily through the clouds.
The Inside, alarms continued to echo through the corridors as personnel rushed between stations. The calm planning from minutes earlier had vanished. Now there was only urgency.
The moment the energy spike confirmed the Tesseract's activation in New York, everyone understood the situation had changed. There was no more time to prepare slowly. The invasion had already begun.
On the flight deck, strong winds swept across the open platform as launch crews cleared the area.
Tony Stark and Gaius stood at the edge.
Neither spoke.
They did not need to.
Below them, clouds stretched endlessly. Far beyond them waited New York.
Gaius activated his jetpack.
A violent burst of flame exploded from the engines mounted on his back. Fire streamed downward, scattering heat waves across the deck. The sudden force shook nearby equipment as the golden warrior lifted off the ground in a single powerful motion.
The sound was deep and heavy, like a rocket igniting.
Without hesitation, he angled forward and accelerated.
Tony launched a second later.
The Mark 10 armor roared to life. Six repulsors ignited at once, two from his palms, while additional thrusters at the back flared to assist the armor's movement.
Bright white energy flared behind him as he shot into the sky.
Despite the armor's weight, the combined propulsion pushed him forward at incredible speed.
Within seconds, both figures became streaks cutting through the clouds.
Air resistance rippled around them. The pressure of their speed bent the air itself as they approached subsonic velocity.
Below, the Helicarrier quickly shrank into the distance.
Minutes later, a Quinjet launched from the deck.
Inside sat Natasha Romanoff at the controls, her expression calm but focused. Captain America secured his shield beside her, while Thor held Mjolnir, looking solemn. Tanya sat quietly nearby, watching the flight displays.
No one wasted words.
They all knew Tony and Gaius would arrive first.
Steve finally broke the silence.
"We're already late," he said quietly.
Natasha didn't look away from the controls. "Then we move faster."
The Quinjet accelerated toward New York.
A third craft suddenly launched behind them.
The vehicle was sleek and narrow, painted red and gold. Its design resembled a Thunderhawk in shape but far smoother, with no visible weapons mounted anywhere along its hull.
Clearly Stark-made.
The craft accelerated rapidly, its engines glowing brightly as it surged forward, nearly matching the Quinjet's speed. Inside the vehicle were the Ultramarines and the Sister of Silence.
Inside the Quinjet, Natasha glanced at the radar, noticing an approaching vehicle closing in on them.
"…Stark," she muttered.
Steve gave a small nod.
He didn't know how Tony had done it, one moment there was nothing, and the next, various parts of a vehicle appeared out of thin air, automatically assembling themselves into a flying craft. Now it carried the Ultramarines and the Sister of Silence. He didn't know who or what the Sister of Silence was, as he hadn't seen her before, but he had already encountered the Ultramarines.
What they didn't know was that Tony had already prepared for this situation, especially knowing that Gaius could summon his men. Using the blueprint of a Thunderhawk as a base, Tony redesigned it, modifying the structure to run on an Arc Reactor instead of the fusion cores. He removed most of the weapons systems, converting it purely into a transport craft.
The result was a vehicle capable of reaching speeds close to Mach 5. Luckily, Tony had a machine capable of mass-producing parts, so he quickly manufactured everything needed. Using the assembly features from his Mark 7 suit, he enabled the parts to come together rapidly, allowing the vehicle to assemble in record time. In return, its defenses were slightly weaker than a fully built combat vehicle, but compared to a Quinjet, they were still superior.
Tony had anticipated this exact scenario, knowing Gaius could summon reinforcements at any moment, he ensured they would have a fast and reliable way to transport troops when needed.
Far ahead, Tony and Gaius broke through the final layer of clouds.
New York appeared beneath them.
Traffic filled the streets. People walked normally, unaware of what was about to happen above their city.
They slowed as they approached Stark Tower.
Gaius landed first, his jetpack flames fading as his armored boots touched the pavement with a heavy metallic sound.
Tony landed beside him moments later.
Civilians nearby immediately noticed.
Gasps spread through the crowd.
"Iron Man!"
Phones came out instantly. People began recording.
Though Tony's armor looked bulkier than usual, the red-and-gold colors made recognition immediate.
Gaius drew confused looks instead.
Some assumed he was another version of Iron Man. Others stared longer, trying to remember where they had seen him before.
One young man suddenly shouted while looking at his phone.
"It's the guy from the Ultramarine video!"
Several people turned toward him.
"Was that real?!" someone asked.
Another voice followed, louder now. "Does that mean the things in the video were real?!"
The crowd began growing instead of leaving.
Tony sighed internally.
Not good.
He activated the external speakers of his armor. His amplified voice echoed across the street.
"Everyone go home and lock your doors. Aliens are coming."
The words froze the crowd.
For one second, nobody moved.
Then the same man who had questioned earlier shouted in panic.
"Aliens are really coming!!"
He turned and ran.
Fear spread instantly. People followed, rushing away, pulling others with them. Within moments the street began clearing rapidly.
Tony watched them go, relieved.
At least they listened.
Then the sky exploded with light.
A massive column of energy shot upward from Stark Tower, tearing through the air like lightning frozen in motion. The clouds twisted violently as space itself seemed to open.
A glowing blue portal formed above the tower.
Tony stared upward.
"…Am I unlucky or something?" he muttered, glancing around. After all, it was his tower.
Gaius said nothing, but his helmet tilted slightly toward the portal.
They exchanged a brief look.
Then both launched upward.
They landed on the rooftop seconds later.
The sight waiting for them confirmed everything.
A large machine stood at the center of the roof, its design a strange mix of human engineering and alien technology. Energy surged through cables connected to the Tesseract, which hovered at the device's core, glowing intensely.
A beam shot straight upward into the portal.
Beside the machine stood Dr. Erik Selvig.
His eyes glowed blue.
Controlled.
Near him stood a tall figure wrapped in dark robes, face hidden beneath shadow.
Tony walked forward casually.
"Yo," he said, raising a hand slightly. "Dr. Selvig and alien guy in a robe. I think closing that portal would do us good, yeah?"
Selvig turned slowly.
His expression held no recognition.
"It cannot be turned off," he said calmly, voice filled with strange devotion. "It is opening a door… to another world."
Tony frowned slightly.
Definitely controlled.
The robed figure turned toward them.
Slowly, he pulled back the hood.
The face revealed beneath was unmistakably alien. Pale grey skin stretched tightly over a long skull. No nose. Deep sunken eyes stared with cold intelligence.
Tony blinked once.
"…Yep. An alien."
So Loki really hadn't come alone.
The figure spoke smoothly.
"Hear me and rejoice. For you are about to die at the hands of the children of Thanos. I am Ebony Maw. Be thankful your lives will serve balance."
Tony tilted his head.
"Yeah," he replied calmly. "We're not doing that today."
Before Maw could respond-
Gaius moved.
There was no warning.
The golden warrior surged forward with explosive speed, power fist aimed directly at Maw's head.
Maw's eyes widened in shock.
The ground beneath him ripped upward instantly under telekinetic force. A massive slab of concrete and steel rebar launched toward Gaius.
Gaius did not slow.
He accelerated.
The debris shattered against his armor as he burst straight through it.
Maw raised both hands, stopping Gaius midair with telekinesis.
The air trembled under the strain.
For a moment, Gaius halted.
But his jetpack continued burning.
Flames roared behind him, pushing relentlessly forward.
Slowly, inch by inch, the golden fist moved closer.
Maw's calm expression cracked.
Fear appeared.
He lifted himself upward, tearing more ground loose to retreat. Cracks spread across the rooftop as pieces of concrete rose beneath him.
Still, Gaius kept advancing.
The pressure grew unbearable.
Maw realized he could not hold him much longer.
Then gunfire erupted.
Tony hovered nearby, firing a modified heavy bolter. Explosive rounds streaked through the air toward Maw.
Forced to defend himself, Maw split his focus, stopping the projectiles with telekinesis.
That moment was enough.
The invisible force holding Gaius weakened.
Gaius unleashed his full power and surged forward.
In a blur of motion, his armored hand closed around Maw's throat.
At the same instant, bolter rounds struck.
Explosions tore through Maw's body, punching dozens of holes through him. Several rounds struck Gaius as well but harmlessly bounced off the auramite armor.
Maw's strength faded instantly.
Blood fell through the air.
His voice weakened as he spoke one last time.
"The Great Titan… will bring balance… to your world…"
Gaius did not respond.
His grip tightened.
With a single crushing motion, Maw's neck snapped.
The head separated from the body.
Silence followed as the lifeless form fell toward the rooftop.
Gaius released the corpse without ceremony.
Above them, the portal continued to expand, glowing brighter as shapes began moving within its depths.
The invasion was coming.
End of Chapter 197
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