-En Route to Earth-
The Avengers were completely unaware of the Eternals' internal conflict. Their spaceship hurtled through space at maximum velocity, everyone on edge after the narrator's warning.
Nick Fury's bald head filled the communication screen, his expression grim as he briefed them on what the Ancient One had revealed about the Celestial child gestating within Earth.
Tony felt overwhelmed. Thanos had obtained the Soul Stone, making him even more dangerous. And now they had to deal with a god being born inside their own planet? Their resources were stretched impossibly thin.
If what the Ancient One said was true, they were facing an extinction-level threat. Because human power meant nothing compared to Earth itself, compared to the forces of nature operating on a planetary scale.
This time, if things went wrong, 99% of humanity could die. Only those who were prepared—those with shelters, resources, and luck—might survive a little longer. And even that was optimistic.
It was worse than Thanos's snap. The Mad Titan would only kill 50% randomly. Earth's consciousness could exterminate 99% of the human population through relentless natural disasters.
Gamora leaned toward the screen. "Strange, did the Ancient One specify the exact location of this Celestial child? Where inside Earth it's gestating?"
Doctor Strange's face appeared on another part of the split screen. "No. She doesn't know the precise location. We'll have to find it ourselves through investigation."
"Oh, fantastic," Banner groaned, rubbing his temples. "Just fantastic. Like finding a needle in a planet-sized haystack."
Fury's voice was steady despite the grim situation. "I've activated every satellite network on Earth—military, civilian, commercial. We're scanning for anomalies: unusual seismic activity, electromagnetic distortions, anything that might indicate a massive entity beneath the surface. How long until you're back?"
Rocket's voice called from the pilot's seat. "Twenty-four hours! This damn backwater planet Vormir is in the middle of nowhere!"
"We'll coordinate from here," Fury confirmed. "Just get back as fast as you can."
War Machine looked at Wanda, who sat nearby with her arms wrapped around herself. "Wanda, what if you and Strange worked together? Could you open a portal directly from here to Earth?"
Wanda shook her head slowly. "The distance is too great. Light-years beyond my range, even with Strange's help. I'm sorry."
Rhodes sighed. "Then we do this the old-fashioned way. Let's just hope there's still a planet to save when we arrive."
-S.W.O.R.D. Headquarters-
While the group discussed their options, a sharp knock interrupted Fury's concentration. Sharon Carter entered without waiting for permission.
"Sir, you need to see this. Now."
"What is it?" Fury turned, taking the tablet from her hands.
"We've discovered strange creatures in northern Alaska," Sharon explained quickly. "And they've completely wiped out every human in the surrounding area. No survivors."
Fury's eye narrowed. He projected the tablet's contents onto the main screen.
Satellite imagery showed the snow-white plains of the Arctic. Among the ice and rock, shapes moved—distinctly non-human shapes, captured in thermal imaging.
"We were monitoring for polar ice cap melting," Sharon continued, "when we caught these on the weather satellites. Whatever they are, they're big, fast, and extremely hostile."
"What the hell are those?" Fury stared at the grainy images. The creatures were vaguely humanoid but wrong—too many limbs, bodies that seemed to shift and flow. "They don't look like anything from Earth."
He turned to Strange's image on the communication screen. "Doctor, you're the expert on weird. Any ideas?"
Strange leaned closer, studying the poor-quality satellite photos. His brow furrowed deeply. "I've never encountered anything like this before. The resolution is terrible—I can't make out enough detail."
He squinted at the screen. "Don't you have better satellites in that region? High-resolution imaging?"
"Not yet," Hill answered from off-screen. "The Arctic stations primarily use weather satellites. We're redirecting military reconnaissance satellites now, but they'll take forty minutes to reach optimal position."
"We should investigate in person," Strange said decisively. "If Earth's will created these things, they might be its next attempt to eliminate humanity. We need to know what we're dealing with."
Fury nodded. "Agreed. I'll have Natasha meet you there."
Strange's expression was troubled. "Whatever these creatures are, we can't leave them wandering freely. Contact Agent Romanoff. Tell her I need her assistance immediately."
-Northern Alaska-
At that same moment, Ikaris brought Ajak to the northernmost edge of Alaska, to a cliff overlooking a frozen wasteland dotted with abandoned oil drilling facilities.
"Look," Ikaris said, pointing downward.
Below, moving among the ice and wreckage, were the Deviants—ancient enemies the Eternals thought they'd exterminated millennia ago.
"These Deviants have been frozen underground for hundreds of years," Ikaris explained, his voice carefully neutral. "Buried beneath permafrost and glacial ice. But now, as the Celestial child awakens, geothermal energy is increasing. The ice is melting. They've broken free."
He gestured at the ruined drilling site. "They killed everyone here. Twenty-three workers, slaughtered in minutes."
Ajak stared down at the creatures—twisted, corrupted beings that fed on the energy of other life forms. Her face showed grief and determination in equal measure.
"I tracked them here," Ikaris continued, turning to face her fully. "And now I'm asking you directly: are you truly going to betray our mission? Are you really going to help humanity?"
Ajak met his eyes without flinching. "Yes."
That single word hung in the air between them—an unbridgeable gulf of ideology.
Ikaris's eyes showed a flash of regret, quickly replaced by cold resolve. "I suspected as much. I knew you'd changed, that you'd abandoned our purpose. I can't allow you to betray Arishem."
Ajak's voice was gentle, understanding. "Then why don't you kill me yourself? You're certainly strong enough."
Ikaris looked up at the sky—at the broadcast still hanging there, visible even in daylight. "The sky screen warned the Avengers about threats they don't understand. If our people unite with them, if all the Eternals stand together against the Emergence, we might actually succeed in stopping it."
He turned back to Ajak. "So I need to keep them occupied. When they realize something's wrong, they'll come looking for you. They'll find your body eventually. And that will distract them—investigating your death, piecing together what happened—until the Awakening is complete and Tiamut is born."
Ikaris stepped closer, his face inches from hers. Centuries of loyalty and affection warred with millennia of indoctrination. "I have always been loyal to you, Ajak. I've kept your secrets for centuries, deceived everyone I cared about for your sake. But I have never doubted our mission to serve the Celestials. Not once."
"Oh, Ikaris." Ajak's eyes glistened with tears. She reached up and touched his cheek gently. "I led you down this path. I made you what you are."
"This is the only way I know," Ikaris said quietly.
Then he shoved her backward off the cliff.
Ajak tumbled through the air, her scream cut short as she hit an ice shelf partway down, then slid toward the valley floor where the Deviants waited.
Unlike most Eternals, Ajak's power was healing—a support ability with no offensive capability. Against the Deviants' raw physical might and their ability to absorb and copy powers, she had no chance of winning in direct combat.
Ikaris stood at the cliff's edge, watching as Ajak scrambled to her feet and began running. The Deviants noticed her immediately and gave chase, their grotesque forms moving with terrible speed across the ice.
Ajak ran desperately, but there was nowhere to hide on the open tundra. The Deviants were faster, closing the distance with each second.
She didn't see the cave entrance. Didn't notice the largest Deviant—their leader, Kro—emerging from the darkness until it was too late.
Tentacles lashed out. Ajak tried to dodge, but she was exhausted, weakened. The appendages pierced through her body in multiple places, lifting her off the ground.
Kro's face—a twisted parody of human features—split into a horrible grin as he began draining her energy, absorbing her Eternal essence into himself.
Ikaris watched from his hidden position behind a tree, his face expressionless. He'd done what had to be done. For the mission. For the Celestials. For—
Movement.
His enhanced senses detected something approaching. Someone using energy he recognized—magical signatures from Earth.
Ikaris pressed himself against the tree, using his stealth training from seven thousand years of combat. He became perfectly still, barely breathing.
A golden-orange portal opened in the air above the cliff. Doctor Strange emerged first, followed immediately by Natasha Romanoff—who now wielded Mjolnir, Thor's original hammer.
"What happened here?" Natasha asked, surveying the devastation. The drilling site was in ruins, bodies frozen in the ice.
She didn't notice Ikaris mere meters away, concealed behind natural cover. Her attention was fixed on the valley below.
"Wait—look there!" Christine Palmer, who'd emerged behind them, pointed urgently.
In the valley, Ajak hung suspended in Kro's tentacles, her body going limp as her life force was drained away.
Natasha's eyes widened. Her grip on Mjolnir tightened, and without hesitation, she hurled the hammer with all her considerable strength.
Strange moved simultaneously, his hands tracing circular patterns. A portal opened directly in Mjolnir's flight path—the hammer passed through, emerging from a second portal directly behind Kro.
The enchanted weapon struck Kro's head with tremendous force, sending the Deviant leader flying backward. His tentacles released Ajak, who collapsed to the ground.
"Save her!" Strange commanded, his Cloak of Levitation already lifting him into the air. His hands began weaving complex patterns, gathering magical energy to attack the other Deviants below.
Christine didn't hesitate. She used Strange's portal magic—which he'd taught her to recognize and manipulate—to extend a glowing rope of binding energy through the dimensional gateway. The rope wrapped around Ajak's unconscious form.
A Deviant lunged at Ajak's prone body, claws extended—
Christine yanked the rope. Ajak's body flew through the portal onto the cliff top, and Christine immediately closed the gateway. The Deviant's claw passed through the closing portal, and the dimensional edge severed it cleanly. The creature howled in pain.