Meanwhile, in New York City...
Jessica stared blankly at the spot where Axel had disappeared into the Bifrost. Reaching toward the empty space beside her, she murmured in disbelief,
"He... just left?"
"Of course."
Thor chuckled.
"My father, the All-Father, summoned Axel to Asgard. Why would he remain on Midgard performing tricks?"
He turned toward the massive hole in the stadium and looked across New York.
The city was still engulfed in chaos.
Clark and the others were doing everything they could to save civilians, but in truth, they couldn't change the overall direction of the battle.
Not yet.
Only when Clark fully awakened the power of Superman would he be capable of turning the tide alone.
Right now, he was little more than a rational version of the Hulk.
To Thor, however, the battle unfolding across New York barely deserved to be called a war.
He smirked and brushed his long hair aside.
Over the past several thousand years, he had fought in countless wars across the cosmos. Even the smallest of those conflicts involved hundreds of thousands of super-powered warriors on each side.
The glory of Asgard extended far beyond the Nine Realms.
Throughout the galaxy, its name commanded respect, and within the great pantheon of gods near the universe's center, Asgard held its own honored seat.
The universe itself contained countless civilizations and divine beings, with millions of gods recorded throughout history.
Behind every god stood entire worlds and powerful races, all constantly entangled in endless wars.
Compared to those conflicts, Earth's struggles looked insignificant.
Unless an empire like the Chitauri or a conqueror like Darkseid descended upon Earth, humanity's battles were little more than a stage play in Thor's eyes.
Scoffing softly, he summoned Mjolnir and began spinning it overhead.
Lightning gathered around the enchanted hammer as he grinned at everyone nearby.
"So, who wants to march into battle under this prince's command?
Miss this chance, and you may never again fight beside the future King of Asgard.
Those foolish Avengers desperately need my assistance.
Stark and Rogers need me even more to save them.
Oh, and you two twins over there, weren't you looking for Stark?
Want me to take you straight to him?"
"Huh?"
Quicksilver blinked.
"Aren't you working with Stark?"
Thor laughed proudly.
"Listen carefully.
As the heir to Asgard's throne, I stand on my own side.
The people of Midgard are simply fortunate enough to fight beside me.
Besides, if Axel, Midgard's champion, is willing to speak with the two of you, then you're probably decent people.
Come with me.
While I defeat my enemies and create new legends on Midgard, I won't interfere with your revenge against Stark."
Laughing loudly, Thor grabbed Quicksilver's arm.
Launching into the sky behind Mjolnir, he carried Quicksilver with him.
Quicksilver immediately seized Wanda's hand, and together they vanished into the storm behind Thor.
Jessica watched the three disappear before finally shouting,
"Hey! You didn't even ask whether I wanted to come, you bastard!"
"Yeah."
Peter sighed dramatically beside her.
"He didn't ask us either."
Jessica nodded instinctively before smacking Peter lightly on the head.
"No swearing."
She took Peter and Gwen by the hands and led them back to their families.
After safely returning the children to Uncle Ben, Aunt May, and Gwen's mother, Jessica said her goodbyes before returning to the center of the stadium.
New York's nightmare was far from finished.
City Hall, police stations, banks, shopping centers, Avengers Tower, the Avengers Academy, research laboratories, and major corporations like Stark Industries and Osborn were all under attack by Hydra forces.
Others simply took advantage of the chaos.
Looters flooded the streets, stripping stores clean while gangs spread violence throughout the city.
Without functioning law enforcement or military coordination, New York had descended into complete disorder.
No one could predict how many monsters would emerge while the nation tore itself apart.
Far above Earth, Nick Fury silently watched it all unfold.
Inside the spacecraft descending from the Moon, Fury stared grimly at the tactical display before him.
Across America, countless red warning markers continued appearing until they merged into one continuous sea of crisis.
His expression darkened.
Then the communications console began flashing.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Fury accepted the incoming transmission.
"This is Nick Fury."
The screen immediately displayed... another Nick Fury.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm Nick Fury too, damn it!"
The Skrull disguised as Fury shouted while swerving around another speeding vehicle.
"How much longer until you get back?
Because if you don't hurry, I'm going to die in New York, and my black skin is going to turn green right in front of everyone.
I don't mind blowing my cover.
I'm just worried your people will be disappointed when their premium slave suddenly turns into a Skrull."
"Enough!"
Nick Fury slammed a hand against his console.
"This isn't the time for jokes."
"Funny.
I've always been the one telling jokes while pretending to be you."
The fake Fury laughed bitterly.
"You replaced me at the lunar base without mentioning I'd also have to survive an actual war.
As a partner, you've seriously oversold yourself.
You claimed to control all of S.H.I.E.L.D.
You claimed to have excellent relations with the United Nations.
You even bragged that eighty percent of America's senior military officers were your allies.
Turns out that was all nonsense.
I've spent the last forty minutes proving it.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is crawling with Hydra.
The United Nations has declared America an active war zone and imposed trade sanctions.
Your military contacts?
General Ross has effectively established an independent military authority because the President and both Vice Presidents are dead, and the remaining Vice President is Hydra.
Nick Fury...
Right now you've got the Avengers, a handful of loyal soldiers, and one lonely lunar base.
That's it."
Another speeding vehicle nearly collided with him.
The fake Fury jerked the wheel before activating autopilot.
Once the vehicle stabilized, he rubbed his exhausted face.
"Hydra isn't my only problem.
Kingpin's people and the Hand are chasing me too.
And here's even worse news.
Hydra agents have infiltrated your lunar base.
The good news?
My fellow Skrulls secured it before things got worse.
And the second piece of good news?
Your favorite guy, Axel, seems to like you.
At least if everything collapses, someone might pay a decent price for you."
"Go to hell."
Nick Fury struck the armrest.
"I told you, I don't like those jokes.
And Axel isn't humanity's god.
Humans don't need someone above us to worship."
The fake Fury burst into laughter.
"That might be the funniest thing you've ever said.
Every civilization rallies around its strongest protector.
The Skrulls have Super Skrulls.
They're our greatest hope.
Axel could end America's crisis almost by himself.
Why aren't you asking him?
Because he's from another universe?
That's ridiculous.
If someone like Axel appeared among the Skrulls, we'd immediately march against the Kree.
Even the Hulk couldn't last a second against him.
So where are you landing?
I'd fly straight to Asgard.
Axel is attending Odin's banquet.
That's where the people capable of changing this situation are.
Honestly...
What exactly are you planning to accomplish by returning to Earth?"
Boom!
The transmission violently shook.
The fake Fury's vehicle exploded, spinning repeatedly before the signal abruptly disappeared.
Nick Fury stared silently at the black screen.
His situation had become almost hopeless.
In the original timeline, Hydra's betrayal had never spread this far.
Their entire operation had revolved around Project Insight.
With three Helicarriers, Arnim Zola's algorithm, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s satellite network, they had intended to eliminate every potential threat across the globe in a single strike.
Because Hydra believed completely in that plan, nearly all of its resources had been devoted to ensuring its success.
The conflict had centered around one decisive objective.
Whoever controlled Project Insight would control everything.
But things had changed.
Axel's appearance during the Battle of New York forced Alexander Pierce to abandon that strategy.
After Axel publicly humiliated Pierce and eliminated Crossbones, Pierce understood one undeniable truth.
Project Insight could never kill someone like Axel.
So Hydra changed course.
Instead of gambling everything on one operation, Pierce scattered Hydra's forces throughout America.
Government agencies.
Military commands.
Political parties.
State governments.
City councils.
Every layer of authority became another battlefield.
Pierce had no intention of confronting Axel directly.
That would have been suicide.
Instead, he intended to seize America itself.
Once Hydra controlled the nation openly, it could negotiate, resist, or maneuver around powerful figures like Axel from a position of legitimacy.
Even though Axel's interference disrupted portions of the plan, Hydra's nationwide takeover had already begun.
As a result, Hydra no longer resembled a single organization.
It had become an infection spread throughout the entire country.
S.H.I.E.L.D. could no longer destroy it with one decisive victory.
They would have to remove every hidden cell individually.
Pierce had always known Hydra possessed this level of infiltration.
The reason he originally preferred Project Insight was simple.
It minimized losses.
Now those losses mounted by the hour.
The stock market had collapsed.
The Federal Reserve system had shut down.
International arms contracts had been suspended.
The United Nations had imposed sanctions and warned against travel to America.
There were even discussions about international intervention.
Every report represented billions of dollars disappearing.
Even Pierce felt his scalp go numb reading the numbers.
But he had no alternative.
Hydra had already crossed the point of no return.
Still...
Compared to Nick Fury, Pierce considered himself fortunate.
At least Hydra still had a plan.
Nick Fury was returning to Earth with almost nothing left.