Chapter 25: Avengers Part 3
Thor had arrived on Midgard.
Heimdall had seen it: Loki was on Earth. Upon learning this, Odin acted immediately. He used dark magic to send his son, weakening himself in the process.
Thor landed in the middle of a group surrounding Tony. Without hesitation, he jumped into the fight.
He was greeted by one of Tony's jokes.
Thor frowned. He didn't know what it meant, but the mocking tone was clear.
"You're welcome" he replied sarcastically, then focused on the enemies.
"Where are the others?" he asked.
"Inside. But with your help, they'll be out soon"
Tony replied while firing at distant targets; the nearby ones were already Thor's problem.
The original plan was for Tony to hold the line while the others cleared the enemies from within. But with Thor there, no one would get that far. Steve would notice and come to support them.
Suddenly, the ground shook. More enemies were approaching from multiple directions. Tony realized it was time to change the plan.
"New strategy. Open us an exit."
Thor didn't hesitate. He hurled Mjolnir at a flank, knocking out half a squad. When it returned, a bolt of lightning followed, taking out the stragglers.
Tony immediately contacted Steve:
"Cap, we've got a horde incoming. We're punching through the left side."
He flew toward Thor without waiting for a response.
---
Inside the building, Gwen and Natasha had just finished off the last enemies. Without reinforcements, it hadn't been difficult.
Steve, meanwhile, was fighting an opponent whose style felt disturbingly familiar. After knocking him down, he leaned in to remove the mask and confirm his suspicion—but Tony's transmission interrupted him.
When the call ended, the enemy was already on his feet and struck him. Steve blocked with his shield, held firm, and prepared to counterattack, but the man was already retreating.
He was about to follow, but when he saw the number of enemies through the windows, he changed his mind.
"We're leaving now" he ordered.
Gwen and Natasha followed without hesitation.
---
Two blocks away, in an alley, the Avengers regrouped. Thor stepped forward with confidence.
"Avengers, an honor to meet you. I am Thor Odinson. I have come to rescue my brother and bring him back to Asgard."
Everyone nodded… except Tony.
"Rescue Loki?"
Thor noticed his confusion.
"Loki is one of the masterminds behind this invasion. He's holding the scepter in the vision of the future."
Natasha asked cautiously:
"Rescue him? Isn't he one of the culprits?"
"No" Thor declared, with pride and conviction.
"My brother must be under the control of that very scepter."
Despite their doubts, they chose not to argue. The goal remained the same—stop Loki and take the scepter. Whether or not he was being controlled didn't change that.
Thor turned to Banner with enthusiasm.
"You. You're that huge green monster, aren't you? Let's fight."
Banner was surprised they knew of him in Asgard.
"No. He and I are not the same person" he replied, not wanting to get into details.
Thor frowned, confused, but Steve interrupted.
"No time. We need to reach Stark Tower."
"Natasha, Clint" he added, "lead the way."
Both spies knew how to move undetected. With the city swarming with enemies, stealth was crucial if they wanted to arrive before the portal opened.
Thor, however, didn't like hiding.
"This is pointless. I'll go head-on" he said.
He no longer tried to drag others into his fights. He had learned. But that didn't stop him from wanting to battle.
Steve tried to reason with him:
"Thor, maybe it would be better if..."
Tony interrupted.
"Let him go, Cap. It's a good idea. Thor will draw attention, and we'll move faster."
Steve hesitated but agreed. While the group moved silently, the distant thunder and explosions confirmed Thor wasn't holding back.
"He's not exactly subtle" Gwen chuckled.
"Let's take advantage of it. We can move faster" Natasha said.
With the enemies distracted, they advanced more freely.
---
When they reached Stark Tower, they were surprised to see no guards. From below, they could see the machine on the rooftop.
Gwen shot a web toward the top… but it disintegrated before reaching it.
"What was that?" she asked.
Banner stepped in, recalling earlier readings.
"Must be energy. They used the cube to form a power shield around the building."
Tony fired missiles, but the shield remained intact.
"Anyone got a better idea?" he asked.
Thor, arriving just then and leaving a trail of unconscious bodies behind, raised his hammer and struck the shield with all his might. It trembled… but held.
"This shield uses an infinity stone. It's practically unbreakable" Thor muttered to himself.
The rest of the group didn't know what an infinity stone was, but there was no time to ask. Three figures were descending from the rooftop on some kind of glider.
"Don't try to break it, Earthlings. It's useless" said the one in the center.
Steve stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
"I am Cull Obsidian. That's all you need to know."
Natasha, more interested in the background, asked another question.
"Hydra—how did you ally with them?"
The woman to his right smiled and stepped forward.
"That's because Hydra is me."
"What does that mean?"
The woman raised her head proudly.
"I am HIVE. A hive mind. I was a god on this planet… but it seems I've been forgotten."
Her voice grew heavy.
"They worshiped me. But others feared me and exiled me to another world. They thought they'd erased every trace of me… but I am eternal. What was left of me formed a group. Their purpose was to bring me back.
The group grew. Lost its way. Changed its name.
What once was HIVE… is now known as…"
"Hydra" Steve finished gravely.
The origin shocked them, but the mission was still the same: stop them.
Everyone shared that resolve—everyone except Thor. He didn't fully understand the link to Hydra, nor did he care. His focus was on the third figure.
"Loki" he murmured.
But his brother didn't respond.
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