-The Clifftop-
"The Eternals were created by Arishem the Judge to protect intelligent life from the Deviants," Ajak explained, her voice carrying the weight of millennia. She glanced at Kro's corpse lying in the distance, his skull caved in, golden energy finally extinguished. "Those monsters you just killed—that's what we were designed to fight."
"Arishem the Judge?" Strange frowned, the name triggering a vague memory. "I think there was a passing reference in some of Kamar-Taj's oldest texts, but nothing detailed. A cosmic entity of some kind?"
Natasha's tactical mind was already working through implications. "If you were created to fight these Deviants, why haven't we ever encountered them before? Why didn't they show up in any historical records we know about?"
"Because hundreds of years ago, my people and I wiped them out completely," Ajak said simply. "Across the entire planet. These few you just fought—Kro and his pack—they were the last survivors. The lucky ones who stayed hidden."
"Lucky?" Strange's tone was skeptical. He looked at Ajak's weakened state, remembering how close she'd come to death. "Looking at how you were just now, you didn't exactly seem capable of killing these things. No offense, but if we hadn't shown up, that creature would have drained you dry."
His point was valid. Even after they'd rescued her, Ajak had died from her injuries. Only Strange's use of the Time Stone had brought her back.
"That's because I'm not a warrior," Ajak admitted, raising her hand. Soft golden light emanated from her palm—warm, healing energy that made the air shimmer. "My ability is healing, not combat. Each Eternal has a specific purpose, a specific power. Mine was to mend, not to destroy."
"Wait, hold on." Natasha held up a hand, her eyes sharp. "You said hundreds of years ago? How old are you exactly?"
Ajak paused, then shrugged with a slight smile. "I honestly don't know. I stopped counting millennia ago." She saw their stunned expressions and continued, "I've been serving Arishem the Judge for millions of years, traveling from world to world. But specifically regarding Earth—we arrived here seven thousand years ago. My people and I have been on this planet ever since."
"Seven... thousand..." Christine's voice was barely a whisper.
"Seven thousand years?" Natasha repeated, needing confirmation.
"Oh my God," Strange breathed.
At S.W.O.R.D. headquarters, Maria Hill stared at the screen, her eyes wide with shock. Seven thousand years. These beings had been on Earth since before recorded human history began.
Christine had thought the Ancient One living for hundreds of years was extraordinary. But this? An entire race of beings who'd existed for millennia, walking among humanity the entire time?
"Then why didn't you help us?" Strange's voice hardened with accusation. "Earth has faced countless disasters, countless threats. Alien invasions, dimensional breaches, apocalyptic events. Where were you? Where were the mighty Eternals when Dormammu tried to consume our reality?"
Ajak lowered her head, guilt evident in her posture. "Because we were ordered not to interfere. Arishem's directive was absolute: we could not involve ourselves in human conflicts or influence the natural progression of your civilization. Our mission was singular—eliminate Deviants that threatened humanity's survival. Nothing more."
"Protect humanity from harm?" Strange's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Then why didn't you lift a finger when Dormammu invaded New York? When a being from the Dark Dimension tried to consume our entire universe? That seems pretty relevant to the 'protect humanity' mandate!"
Ajak's voice dropped, becoming almost inaudible. "Because by then, we had disbanded. My people had scattered across the Earth, each living their own lives, free from our mission. We were no longer unified."
She thought back to Druig's actions—how he'd wanted to use his mind control abilities to force peace on humanity, to end war and suffering by removing free will. The philosophical split that had caused had torn the Eternals apart. Some agreed with him. Others were horrified. In the end, they'd simply... separated. Gone their separate ways.
The memory weighed heavily on her.
"Okay, next question," Natasha said, her voice sharp and all business. "Why are you here? And who killed Christine?"
Christine's eyes widened. She'd had suspicions, vague memories of something wrong before everything went dark, but hearing it confirmed was different. "Someone killed me? Actually killed me?"
"Ikaris," Ajak said quietly, the name carrying the weight of betrayal. "The strongest warrior among our kind. My most trusted champion."
"Ikaris." Strange rolled up his sleeves, his eyes beginning to glow faintly green with residual Time Stone energy. "Good. I'll make him pay for what he did."
But Ajak shook her head, her expression somber. "You can't defeat him, Doctor Strange. Your magic is powerful, yes—perhaps the most powerful human sorcery I've ever witnessed. But Ikaris will kill you before you even see his face. His speed alone—"
"Then tell us about his abilities," Natasha interrupted, her tactical mind immediately seeking information. "Each of you has different powers, right? What's his?"
Ajak looked up at Natasha with growing respect. This woman was sharp, catching the implications immediately. "His eyes can emit concentrated cosmic energy beams. Powerful enough to cut through mountains. He can fly at supersonic speeds. His strength rivals Thor's. And his reflexes are beyond anything human."
Strange's expression became incredulous. "So you're telling me this guy is basically Superman? Clark Kent with a different name?"
"I don't know who that is," Ajak said, confused by the reference. "But no—Ikaris doesn't have invulnerability or heat vision in the way you're implying. However, his combination of abilities makes him the most formidable warrior the Eternals have ever produced. In seven thousand years, he's never been defeated in combat."
"Then how do we find him?" Strange demanded.
"I don't know his current location," Ajak admitted. "He moves too fast, and he knows how to avoid detection. But right now, finding Ikaris isn't the priority." She struggled to her feet, Christine moving to help stabilize her. "I must gather my people. The Emergence is beginning ahead of schedule."
"The what?" Natasha asked.
"The Emergence of the Celestial," Ajak explained, her voice taking on a lecturing quality honed over millennia. "Every billion years, a new Celestial is born. The process is called the Emergence. It requires the evolutionary energy of an entire planet's dominant species—their population, their advancement, their collective consciousness. When sufficient energy has been accumulated, the Celestial awakens and is born."
She looked at each of them in turn. "The Celestial gestating in Earth's core is named Tiamut the Communicator. When he emerges, he will crack the planet like an egg. Earth will be completely destroyed. Every living thing on it will die."
The three exchanged glances, the pieces clicking into place. This was what the Ancient One had been warning about. The god hidden within Earth.
"Our mission—the Eternals' true purpose—was never just to protect humanity from Deviants," Ajak continued, her voice heavy with the burden of truth. "It was to ensure you survived and thrived long enough for Tiamut to accumulate sufficient energy. We were gardeners, tending a crop for harvest."
Natasha's face hardened. "And Ikaris wants to complete that mission. Let Earth be destroyed and Tiamut be born."
"Yes," Ajak confirmed. "He believes in the Celestials' grand design absolutely. He sees humanity as temporary, individual lives as insignificant compared to the birth of a new god. I once thought the same way. But after seven thousand years watching you grow, watching you love and create and sacrifice for each other..." She smiled sadly. "I changed my mind. And that makes me a traitor to my purpose."
"Do your people know?" Christine asked quietly. "The other Eternals—do they know about the Emergence? That Earth will be destroyed?"
Ajak shook her head. "No. I kept it from them, believing it was kinder not to tell them until the end. But now I must gather them and reveal the truth. Only by combining all our strengths do we have any chance of stopping Tiamut."
"How can you guarantee they'll help you?" Natasha's voice was hard, distrustful. "What if they side with Ikaris? What if they believe in completing the mission?"
Ajak met her eyes steadily. "Because we have lived on Earth for seven thousand years. We've walked among you. Loved you. Watched your children grow, your civilizations rise and fall, your art and music and stories. We may not be human, but we love this planet as much as you do. I have faith that my people will choose Earth over blind obedience to Arishem."
"Faith isn't a strategy," Natasha pointed out.
"No," Ajak agreed. "But it's all I have."
Before anyone could respond, a figure wreathed in green smoke descended from the sky—Mysterio, flying in fast and low.
"Is everyone okay?" Quentin Beck called out, his upgraded fishbowl helmet reflecting the Arctic sun.
"We're fine," Christine assured him.
Ajak squinted at Mysterio's distinctive appearance. "You look like that charlatan from the sky broadcast. Quentin Beck, the liar who—"
"He's not the same person," Strange interrupted curtly. "It's complicated, not important right now. What's important is that you tell us where your companions are and what exactly you plan to do."
Ajak was silent for a long moment, considering her options. Finally, she spoke. "I don't have a specific plan. I'm not a strategist or a warrior. But I know my people. And I believe that together, we can find a way to stop the Emergence."
She thought specifically of Phastos, their inventor. If anyone could devise a technological solution to an impossible problem, it would be him. Phastos could manipulate cosmic energy, build anything from available materials using telekinesis and advanced understanding of physics. He'd created wonders over the millennia. Perhaps he could create a miracle.
But first, she needed to find Sersi. Because with Ikaris opposing them, only Sersi had a chance of reasoning with him. She was the woman he loved, had loved for thousands of years. If anyone could make him see reason, make him choose Earth over duty, it would be her.
"We need to move," Ajak said decisively. "The longer we wait, the less time we have. Tiamut's awakening is accelerating. We might have days, not weeks."
Strange nodded grimly. "Then let's get started. Hill—" He looked at the sky, knowing S.W.O.R.D. was monitoring. "—we're going to need full satellite support. We're hunting for immortal aliens hiding among the human population. This is going to take everything we have."
In the sky above, the broadcast watched silently, its presence a reminder that even in this desperate situation, they were being observed by something far beyond their understanding.
The race to save Earth had begun.