Once everyone understood the gravity of what was coming, the talk then moved toward about countermeasures. It was a simple question, though the answer was anything but: how would Earth defend itself?
And as the unofficial chair of this operation, Maverick was the first to speak and outlined the strategy he had in mind to intercept the enemy. Actually, he was the only one with a plan practical enough that could be executed within the narrow window they had left.
Obviously, it goes without saying that the people already gathered there were part of that very plan, and many, after fully realizing it, even acknowledged him for his quick thinking and decisive action. Not a single one, whether physically present in the room or otherwise, was certain they could have assembled so many powerhouses in such a short time the way Maverick had.
However, with so many voices in one place, arguments were bound to arise. Not per se about the main offensive — that was unanimously agreed upon very quickly — but about providing additional support. Some generals, lurking behind their heads of state, even tossed out the idea of nuking the enemy from the skies, only to be shut down on the spot by Talos, who pointed out it would never get past the Kree battleships' point-defense turrets.
Not to mention the technological gap: the enemy fleet would detect it from a planet away, potentially making things worse. In the worst-case scenario, they might even decide to unleash a full salvo of ballistics all at once.
But still, the generals from the superpower countries were not content to simply stand idly by. At least they wanted their birds in the air when the operation began, so after some back-and-forth, it was agreed they could stay deployed, but at a reasonable distance.
Beyond that, the main topic later discussed among the gathered parties was additional countermeasures — how to ensure that if the main offensive line did in fact fail or was breached, steps could be put in place to minimize or prevent any attack from causing casualties.
Already, the suggestion Maverick had made earlier — to have the air forces on alert and the Great Magi work together — was the best strategy. So it was just a matter of detailing it and establishing a command structure.
And so, as the stars drifted across the night sky, and in other parts of the world, as the sun traced its destined path overhead, time pressed forward, despite the hum of lingering tension, quiet and unnoticed.
Some took breaks, while others stayed until sunset or sunrise, depending on where they were, yet the conference link never went silent, alive with the constant hum of discussion as strategies were refined, argued over, and perfected down to the very last detail.
Then, precisely at ten o'clock the next day in the time zone where the main force was gathered, the modified living room-turned-conference room inside Maria's house suddenly flared into alarm, a sharp warning that cut through the quiet hum of activity and made everyone snap to attention.
At this time, only about half the people who had been there yesterday were present in the room. All the archmages were absent, but most Greatmagi remained, along with a few new faces who had arrived later and were direct subordinates to the archmages: Maxime, Takamura, and Edward.
Talos and Morex never left, even eating their meals there while being questioned non-stop by SHIELD and the military around the world for every nit and crumb of detail about the Kree Empire. Fury and Coulson endured the same fate, serving as SHIELD's representatives to bridge the operation's developments to the non-magical world, while the rest of the participants came and went in the meantime.
However, just as the alarm blared, the room reverberated with thumping echoes, as if space itself were fracturing. Witches and wizards who had stepped outside for a break—or for any other reason—apparated back in one after another, while the pounding of hurried footsteps from outside signaled the rest rushing in, and the air inside the room instantly crackled with urgency.
"Talk to me, Morex…" Maverick said, sliding into the headmost seat as the long table filled quickly with everyone taking their places.
Morex didn't answer immediately. His fingers danced over the Kree tech strapped to his hand, twisting and adjusting with nervous precision as beads of sweat formed on his brow. After a long, deliberate pause, he finally swiped his hand through the air, and the room dimmed before a hologram flickered to life in the center of the table.
The hologram hovered, glowing faintly: a flawless sphere of Earth, and a smaller orb drifting at a distance, with dozens of red dots pulsing like urgent warning lights, while Morex finally spoke, cutting through the charged silence.
"They're here…" he said bluntly.
"How many?"
"Coordinates?"
"Are they moving?"
The three questions came almost at once from different feeds on the large screen. "Exactly fifty," Morex said, his fingers still dancing over the tech. He took a steadying breath before continuing, "Their exit jump, when my recon detected it, was somewhere between C-53 and its moon. And yes… they are moving, heading straight for the planet."
"That close? How fast are their… vessels?" Dumbledore asked from the table, looking solemnly at the glowing hologram.
"Half an hour, no more. They're moving fast, and it seems…" He paused, then turned briefly to Maverick and added, "…they've taken the bait, judging from their trajectory and factoring in C-53's rotation."
"That's good." Maverick let out a breath. Even though he was confident about the operation, he couldn't help feeling a tang of tension. He wasn't afraid for his own life, but if the operation didn't go according to plan, many innocent lives could be at risk.
And the "bait," was nothing more than a simulated distress signal, mimicking the Kree, designed to lure the enemy fleet into the atmosphere at a location of their choosing. That way, even if the offensive line was breached, the Kree fleet's weapons or drones would need time to reach inhabited areas, giving them a window to implement additional countermeasures. The signal originated from the Taklamakan Desert in China, exceptionally far from any human settlements, making it one of the most isolated places on Earth.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you heard the science guy," Maverick said, glancing across the room and the screen. "Councillors of the International Confederation of Wizards, be prepared to move to the location on our signal." He first addressed all the Greatmagi, then the non-magical side. "Generals, have your air assets on standby for our signal. If we can ultimately lure their fifty-ship fleet into that atmospheric pocket, we will execute Plan A and launch a coordinated, full-scale offensive. The five of us, along with Ms. Danvers and the Greatmagi, will hit them with everything we have. Until then, it's Plan B for you: disperse and stay ready for anything."
"Fifteen minutes," Morex announced again. "They're accelerating..."
Maverick nodded and rose to his feet, eyes locking on the green-skinned alien. "Stay here, and keep the data flowing through coms." Then he faced the rest. "Move out!" And with that, he vanished from the spot, the mages disappearing in his wake, while the non-magical teams surged toward the exit, leaving only Morex and Maria inside.
Everyone had gathered outside. The Greatmagi gripped their brooms, ready, while the X-Jet sat waiting a short distance away. Compared to yesterday, the numbers had clearly swelled, and Maverick took a moment to review the plan one last time. Meanwhile, Isabella and her crew had their gadgets trained and streaming live, feeding every move back inside the room and across the magical world.
"The plan is simple. Don't hold back. Unleash the most destructive magic you have. Hit hard, hard enough to make them turn tail and retreat at once, because together we are more than capable of that. But the longer we engage, the greater the chance their weapons will be deployed all at once, so we must act decisively without giving them so much as a breath."
He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping the somber faces mirroring his. "Remember, not a single innocent life should be affected today."
"Mr. Caesar, is there a faster way for the X Jet to reach the location? It's halfway around the world," Hank asked, standing beside Xavier.
"Yes. Get your bird in the air and I'll handle the rest," Maverick said, giving no further details.
---
Taklamakan Desert. A vast sea of sand stretching endlessly under a scorching sun, the wind whipping dust into blinding waves, and the isolation made it one of the most remote places on Earth.
Suddenly, the silence of this vast wasteland was torn apart as a massive, shimmering portal flared open in the sky, its edges crackling with orange sparks, and—
BOOM! A deafening roar erupted from within, shattering the stillness over the barren desert. From the glowing vortex, a large, pitch-black aircraft shot out with a thunderous woosh, engines screaming, leaving a streak of blue light as it pierced the sky.
Maverick didn't bother hiding his ability with sorcery. Maybe Dumbledore and the Archmages understood what they were seeing, but the rest could only assume it was some unknown, unheard-of form of magic. Of course, he caught the curiosity in their eyes—most notably Dumbledore's, and even his teacher's, but with time pressing and tension rising, no one made a big deal of it.
And thanks to the Sling Ring portal—well, minus the ring in his case—everyone avoided the hassle of apparating separately, and all of them, including the X-Jet carrying the X-Men, reached the target location together just as quickly.
Woosh. Woosh. Woosh.
Through the blazing portal shot the Greatmagi on their broomsticks, the X-Jet having led the way, followed by the Archmages gliding atop their luminous constructs. Finally, Maverick stepped through, and the shimmering gateway snapped shut behind him like a curtain of fire.
"Group up! Follow the plan exactly!"
There was no pause in their movement, no time to take in the wasteland or the blistering heat, and formations formed instantly. The Greatmagi scattered, pairing off in groups of two, and, following the five Archmages and the human comet blazing ahead, they surged into the clouds without hesitation.
At the same time, trailing behind, Isabella and her crew rose more deliberately, flanked by Ali, Lupin, Sirius, and Sarah. Two Greatmagi alongside Sirius and Lupin were enough, if needed, to intercept any stragglers daring to slip past the main offensive. Their mission was clear: provide cover while simultaneously setting the stage to film the interception and broadcast it to both the Muggle world leaders and the entire magical community.
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Author's Note:
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