-Broadcast-
Inside the laboratory, Princess Shuri was deep in concentration, her hands moving through holographic displays with practiced precision. Each neural pathway she severed brought Vision closer to freedom from the Mind Stone, but the work was delicate, requiring absolute focus. The slightest error could kill him—or worse, leave him a lifeless shell.
Then she heard something. A sound from outside that didn't belong—mechanical grinding, like massive gears turning.
Wanda Maximoff, standing vigil near the windows, noticed it too. Her head turned sharply toward the forest beyond Wakanda's energy barrier. Her eyes widened.
Outside, in the woods where the transport ships had crashed, massive plumes of smoke and dust were rising into the air. Trees that had caught fire during the initial landing were toppling, creating cascading destruction. Something was moving beneath the ground, something big.
The earth itself began to bulge upward, soil and rock heaving as if a massive mole were tunneling beneath. Then it burst through—but it hadn't broken through the barrier. It had gone under it, bypassing Wakanda's primary defense through a vulnerability no one had considered.
What emerged was a nightmare of alien engineering—five massive circular saw blades, each easily three meters in diameter, connected in a rotating assembly. The blades spun at incredible speed, their serrated edges glowing red-hot. They were called Threshers, and they were designed for one purpose: mass slaughter.
The Outriders scattered immediately, their animal cunning recognizing these killing machines would not discriminate. They fled in all directions, scrambling over each other to escape.
T'Challa saw the Threshers emerge and felt ice run through his veins. "Fall back! Fall back now!"
The mechanical assembly split apart, the five wheels separating into individual units. They began rolling across the battlefield in different directions, their trajectory calculated to maximize casualties. Each Thresher crushed everything in its path—Outrider and Wakandan alike—grinding flesh and bone beneath serrated metal.
Wanda watched from the laboratory window, her heart torn. Below, warriors were dying. Her people—the Avengers, the Wakandans who had given her sanctuary—were being slaughtered by these machines. She could stop them. Her powers could easily destroy or redirect the Threshers.
But Vision lay vulnerable on the operating table behind her. If she left, he would be undefended. And the Mind Stone—
She looked back at Vision's still form, then forward at the carnage below. The conflict was written clearly on her face.
War Machine rocketed alongside one of the Threshers, his weapons systems locked on target. "Concentrate fire on the left flank, Sam!"
Falcon Sam Wilson dove from above, both submachine guns blazing. "I am!" Bullets sparked off the Thresher's armored surface, doing no visible damage. The wheel just kept rolling, kept killing.
On the ground, Natasha Romanoff and Okoye fought side-by-side against a group of Outriders. Natasha drove her electrified batons into one creature's chest while Okoye spun her spear with lethal grace, impaling another through its open mouth.
Then they heard it—the grinding, screaming sound of a Thresher bearing down on them. Both women turned to see the massive wheel rolling directly toward their position, too close to outrun, too large to dodge.
Okoye's eyes widened. Natasha's grip tightened on her weapons. There was nowhere to go.
Both women closed their eyes, accepting what was coming.
A crimson glow filled the air. Reality bent.
The Thresher stopped mid-roll, its wheels suddenly locked in place. Red energy—Wanda's chaos magic—wrapped around the entire assembly, lifting it into the air as easily as picking up a toy. The massive machine floated helplessly, its blades still spinning but finding no purchase.
Wanda Maximoff descended from the sky, her hands wreathed in scarlet power, her eyes glowing with the same crimson light. She'd made her choice—the warriors below needed her now, and Vision would have to face whatever came alone.
She glanced toward the breach in the barrier where more Outriders were pouring through, an endless tide of alien flesh rushing to overwhelm the defenders.
With a sharp gesture, Wanda hurled the captured Thresher down at the Outrider horde. The massive wheel crashed into them like a meteorite, its spinning blades carving through alien bodies by the dozens. In seconds, the immediate breach was cleared, Outrider corpses littering the ground in pieces.
Okoye stared at the display of power, then looked at Wanda with a mixture of awe and exasperation. "Why was she up there this whole time?"
Across the battlefield, Proxima Midnight watched Wanda's intervention with grim satisfaction. Everything was proceeding according to plan. She pressed her hand to her communicator. "She's gone. He's alone. Now!"
-Broadcast-
Corvus Glaive had been waiting for this moment. While his compatriots created chaos on the battlefield, he had circled around, found a gap in the defenses, and infiltrated Wakanda's interior. He'd been hiding in the shadows of the palace, watching, waiting for the Scarlet Witch to leave Vision undefended.
Now, finally, his patience was rewarded.
He stepped from the shadows, his war-glaive gleaming in the laboratory lights, and began walking toward the operating room with unhurried confidence.
-Real World-
Captain America's jaw clenched. "I knew that bastard wasn't dead. "
Nick Fury's expression grew troubled. "They've walked right into a trap. Vision is completely exposed now. Those guards won't be able to stop Corvus Glaive—he's one of Thanos's most skilled warriors."
His concern went deeper. If Corvus Glaive could infiltrate Wakanda this easily, bypassing their defenses, then he could do the same to S.H.I.E.L.D. facilities, to the Avengers compound, to anywhere. That was extremely problematic.
T'Challa, watching from his throne in present-day Wakanda, immediately recognized the vulnerability his future self had overlooked. He turned to his sister with absolute authority in his voice. "Shuri. Strengthen Wakanda's interior defenses immediately. Underground sensors, pressure plates, everything. This security failure cannot happen again."
"Yes, brother," Shuri replied, already mentally designing the upgrades as she headed for her laboratory.
-Broadcast-
The guards stationed outside the laboratory heard footsteps approaching—too heavy to be one of the medical staff, too purposeful to be a wandering civilian. They raised their vibranium spears, energy beginning to glow at the tips.
Corvus Glaive rounded the corner, his expression cold and professional. Before the first guard could fire, Corvus's glaive swept in a horizontal arc. The blade passed through the guard's midsection, the weapon's reality-warping properties allowing it to cut through vibranium weave as if it were paper. The guard collapsed, dead before he hit the floor.
Inside the operating room, Shuri heard the commotion—a brief scuffle, then silence. Her eyes widened in alarm. She began working faster, her fingers flying across holographic interfaces. Just a few more connections to sever—
The door exploded inward. Two more guards rushed to intercept the intruder, their spears raised. Corvus Glaive moved like water, his glaive a blur of motion. He parried the first spear thrust, spun inside the guard's reach, and drove his blade through the warrior's chest. The second guard lunged forward, attempting to tackle him—Corvus caught the man mid-leap with his free hand and slammed him into the wall hard enough to crack the stone.
Shuri saw the path was clear between the intruder and Vision. She made a decision. Her hands moved in sharp gestures, closing down the holographic surgical interface. She grabbed her kimoyo bead bracelet from the nearby table—the beads were modified for combat, loaded with sonic disruptors—and fired an energy blast directly at Corvus Glaive's face.
The alien warrior swung his glaive in a defensive arc, the blade somehow deflecting the energy blast and scattering it harmlessly. Without breaking stride, he lunged forward, the glaive coming down in a brutal overhead strike aimed at Shuri's head.
Shuri dove to the side with athletic grace. The glaive missed her by centimeters and cleaved completely through the surgical console, sparks exploding from severed electronics. The holographic displays winked out, all of Shuri's painstaking work suddenly inaccessible.
One of the Dora Milaje warriors grabbed a spear from the weapon rack and prepared to throw—
Corvus Glaive spun and kicked her with incredible force. The warrior was lifted off her feet and sent flying backward. She crashed into Shuri, and both women tumbled through the laboratory's massive windows. Glass exploded outward as they fell into the open air.
Corvus Glaive stepped to the edge, looking down at where they'd fallen, then turned back toward the operating table where Vision lay helpless—
The synthezoid wasn't there.
Vision materialized behind Corvus Glaive, phasing through solid matter, his hand closing around the alien's throat with surprising strength. Vision's eyes blazed yellow with the Mind Stone's power as he lifted Corvus off his feet and burst through the remaining windows, carrying his attacker out into the open air.
Both figures plummeted from the palace height, locked together, tumbling as they fell.
"Everybody, I got something!" Falcon Sam Wilson spotted the two figures falling from the palace tower. He banked hard, trying to close the distance. "Vision is compromised!"
An Outrider leaped at him from a nearby structure. Sam barrel-rolled, the creature missing by inches, and fired his wing-mounted guns, cutting it down. But the distraction cost him precious seconds.
Captain America's voice came over the comms, urgent and desperate. "I need a route to Vision!"
Before anyone could respond, another Outrider charged at Steve from the tree line. He spun, bringing his vibranium shields up, but the sheer number of enemies between him and Vision made helping impossible.
"Oh my God! I'm on my way!" Bruce Banner, controlling the Hulkbuster Mark II, engaged his thrusters at full power. The massive armor rocketed across the battlefield, crushing Outriders beneath its feet as it ran.
"I'm coming, Vision!" Wanda heard that Vision was in danger and immediately prepared to fly back to the palace—
Proxima Midnight's spear slammed into her from the side like a freight train. The impact drove Wanda sideways into a defensive trench, her body crashing through the earthen wall. She tumbled to the bottom, disoriented, her concentration shattered.
Proxima Midnight leaped down after her prey, grabbed Wanda by the throat, and slammed her into the opposite wall of the trench. "He will die, just like everyone you've ever cared about." Her face was close, her breath hot with alien chemistry. "And you'll die with him."
"She's not alone," came a voice from above.
Proxima Midnight turned her head to see Natasha Romanoff standing at the edge of the trench, electrified batons crackling with energy.
On the opposite side, Okoye appeared, spinning her vibranium spear with practiced grace. She locked eyes with Natasha and gave a slight nod—a warrior's acknowledgment between allies.
Proxima Midnight looked between the two women, then back at Wanda. She released the Scarlet Witch and stood to her full height, her spear held ready. A smile crossed her alien features—finally, worthy opponents. "Come then!"
She roared and lunged at Natasha with a powerful leaping strike, her spear aimed to impale. Natasha raised her batons in a cross-block, absorbing the impact. The force drove her back a step, but she held firm.
Okoye charged from the other side, her spear a blur. The three women became a whirlwind of combat—spears, batons, and alien strength clashing in the narrow confines of the trench.
-Broadcast-
In the forest beyond the battlefield, Corvus Glaive and Vision crashed to the ground, separating on impact. Vision tried to rise, his systems struggling—he was only partially complete, the Mind Stone's neural pathways still not fully disconnected. He was vulnerable, weakened.
Corvus Glaive stood, brushing dirt from his armor, and began walking toward Vision with grim purpose. Before he could reach the synthezoid, a massive shape dropped from above—Cull Obsidian, drawn by his partner's call. The giant alien's hammer came down like the wrath of gods, catching Vision in the chest and sending him flying backward into the trees.
Vision tried to stand again, to phase, to do anything—but his power reserves were depleted from the surgery, his systems compromised. He was nearly helpless.
The two members of the Black Order advanced on him from opposite sides, preparing to finish their mission—
A massive shape slammed down between them and their target. The Hulkbuster Mark II's repulsor systems flared as Bruce Banner landed in a defensive crouch, both mechanical arms extended with palm cannons glowing and ready to fire.
"Okay, you might wanna stand down!" Bruce's voice was nervous but determined through the armor's speakers. He was trying to project confidence he absolutely did not feel. "I've got about three hundred missiles locked on each of you, and this isn't like that time with the Hulk—this suit was made to put the Hulk down!"
Cull Obsidian stared at the armor, completely unimpressed by Banner's threat. Without warning, he swung his chain-hammer forward, the weapon's chain wrapping around both of the Hulkbuster's arms and binding them together.
"What? No!" Banner instinctively engaged his thrusters to escape, not thinking—
The sudden acceleration yanked Cull Obsidian off his feet. The alien warrior clung to his weapon's chain, refusing to release it, and was dragged along as the Hulkbuster rocketed backward. Both fighter and armor crashed through trees, through boulders, tumbling end over end in a tangle of metal and alien flesh before finally slamming into a massive rock formation.
Bruce's head spun inside the cockpit, alarms blaring from every system. "Guys! I need backup! Vision needs help NOW!"
But across the battlefield, every hero was locked in their own desperate fight. No help was coming.
Vision was alone.