attack
Tony descended from the sky wrapped in his gleaming red and gold armor. The soldiers, alert and disciplined, immediately made way as soon as they saw him land. Right behind him, a second suit followed: War Machine, sleek and menacing in metallic gray tones.
Owen, watching from not too far away, approached with a firm stride.
Tony opened the faceplate of his helmet, revealing his confident smirk.
"Seriously? I leave you alone for one day and you're already hosting uninvited alien tourists?"
"Why did you take so long? We notified you last night," Owen replied, ignoring the joke and keeping a dry tone.
"I had to prep the heavy artillery. Besides, they gave us two days, remember?" Tony shot back, as if it were obvious.
"The heavy artillery?" Owen raised an eyebrow, glancing sideways at Rhodey, who stood just behind Tony.
"Not him. This bastard broke into my house and stole a suit to come help," Tony said with exaggerated annoyance. No sane person would actually believe someone could just steal an Iron Man suit.
"You accepted the general's invitation?" Owen asked Rhodey directly.
"My superiors wanted me to observe. Then the general literally showed up in my office, told me he already knew everything, and that I'd be useful anyway… So he added me to the team," Rhodey explained calmly, like he was talking about running errands.
"Hah, yeah… that does sound like something the old man would do," Owen laughed, knowing General Nathaniel all too well.
"So… where's the heavy artillery?" Owen asked again, this time with a more serious tone.
Right on cue, a military vehicle sped across the field, kicking up a thick cloud of dirt.
Thanks to his enhanced vision, Owen recognized the driver even before the vehicle screeched to a halt. General Nathaniel also approached, arms crossed as he observed.
"Well, looks like the brat finally arrived," he said with a calm smile.
"I couldn't carry this thing while flying, so I asked him to bring it," Tony explained casually.
The soldiers scrambled aside as the vehicle came to a stop in front of the group. It was clearly a military prototype—armored plating, a reinforced frame, and an ID tag that practically screamed top secret.
The driver stepped out with theatrical flair. Nicolas ran a hand through his hair like he was in a military recruitment commercial. He wore a camo uniform, a tactical vest bristling with weapons, and the swagger of a movie star.
"Damn, I forgot my tanning lotion," he muttered, squinting up at the sun as he pulled out a pair of sunglasses from who-knows-where.
"If you tell me he's the heavy artillery, I'm using your suit for target practice," Owen muttered with a scowl.
"Owen! That hurts! Don't forget who helped make you the best soldier in the country," Nicolas said, feigning deep offense.
"Your father," Owen answered flatly.
"Ugh… you're insufferable. No wonder your romance crashed and burned," Nicolas said with a smirk.
Owen stepped forward with a deadly glare.
"OK! I take it back! It was a joke, relax!" Nicolas shouted, immediately ducking behind Nathaniel like a scolded child.
"So… what is the heavy artillery?" Owen insisted, now visibly annoyed.
Tony turned slightly and spoke to his AI. "Jarvis, activate the rail cannon."
The vehicle began to transform. Its roof opened up, revealing a complex mechanical structure that rose with glowing blue lights: a railgun mounted directly onto the chassis, surrounded by reinforced plating.
"This was an abandoned military prototype. We never found a stable power source… until now. With four ARC reactors, it's a damn cosmic-invader shredder," Tony said proudly.
"Weren't you done making weapons?" Owen asked, both curious and impressed.
"I didn't build it. I just upgraded it. And nowadays, not having this would be irresponsible," Tony replied as if he were stating the weather.
"I'm calling dibs! That thing will keep me far away from the front line," Nicolas shouted immediately.
Everyone looked at him.
"What? I've got no training! No super suit! I don't turn into an uncontrollable green rage monster! No offense," he added, glancing at Banner, who had just arrived.
Banner raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He couldn't really argue.
"And what about our special guest?" Tony asked, changing the subject.
"Trying to lift the hammer again… the general's been teaching him a few things," Owen said, just as the vehicle that had taken Thor away returned.
Thor stepped out with a grim expression and slammed the door shut behind him.
"And it looks like he failed again," Owen added, unsurprised. "What did you teach him, old man?"
"Respect for life. But he hasn't fully grasped it yet," Nathaniel said as he watched Thor approach with his head lowered.
"Don't worry, son. Don't force it. In the end, protecting this world is the job of those who live in it," Nathaniel said, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder.
"So… are we waiting for them to attack?" Tony asked, glancing around.
"No. Now that you're all here, we launch the attack," the general said firmly. "Get ready."
Nathaniel walked off, and Owen immediately took command without hesitation:
"Tony, Rhodey: control the skies. Low flight, precision strikes. Banner, take Hulk to the midpoint, cover the infantry from the flank. Nicolas, mobile support: neutralize any giants that breach the line. Armored units: focus fire on destroying the fortress first, then provide air support. Infantry: fire under cover. If enemies get too close, fall back. Don't play the hero."
The soldiers were already moving.
"Yes, sir!" they shouted in unison.
"Can you see inside the fortress?" Owen asked Tony as the operation began.
"Two hundred hostiles. Big, blue, and very bad-tempered," Tony replied with a grin. "Doesn't seem like much."
"Don't get cocky," Owen said seriously, watching the horizon as frost began creeping across the field.
Thor nodded. "The Jotuns are powerful. My father once had to rescue me… They surrounded us before we even noticed."
And with that, the battle was about to begin.
No room for error.
No time for doubt.
Everyone took their positions. Soldiers ready. Tanks aligned. The railgun hummed with contained energy. The air was tense, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
But before Owen could give the order to attack, a beam of pure light fell from the sky, crashing into the center of the battlefield. The explosion was blinding—a celestial flash that forced many to shield their eyes.
All weapons immediately pointed toward the impact site.
Owen narrowed his eyes. "More enemies?"
The light faded slowly, and amid the golden smoke, five humanoid figures appeared—strange warriors clad in Asgardian armor or robes forged in other worlds, calmly observing the battlefield with an icy poise and total control.
Thor recognized them instantly, and his voice, tense and sharp, cut through the air.
"They're my friends!"
But there was no time for greetings. From the gates of the fortress, the Jotuns began to charge.
First a few. Then dozens. Towering as trees, built like beasts, their blue skin shimmered under the sun. With every step, ice began to form in their hands—swords, axes, spears—all born from their own bodies, weapons of death shaped by pure magical will.
"Nicolas!" Owen shouted.
"I'm on it!" came the reply from atop the railgun, where Nicolas was lying as if sunbathing. He slammed a switch. The weapon surged with power and fired a blast of energy with a deafening boom.
The projectile tore through the air like a furious thunderbolt and struck one of the giants in the chest. The impact obliterated him, scattering chunks of ice and bluish flesh across the field. The others stopped in their tracks, shocked by the brutality.
Then, from deep within the fortress, an ancient and guttural roar shook the earth.
The gate split in two, and hundreds of Jotuns surged forth like a living avalanche.
Owen raised his hand.
"FIRE!"
The world ignited.
Bursts of bullets streaked through the air like metal swarms. Tanks fired in succession, their cannons unleashing deadly precision blasts. Artillery shells ripped the ground between enemy lines, but the Jotuns did not stop.
The giants raised ice shields, sprouting from their arms like a reflex. Bullets bounced off harmlessly. Heavier impacts cracked their defenses, but only slowed their advance.
"Hold the line!" Owen shouted. "Don't let them break the formation!"
But it wasn't enough.
One of the Jotuns raised both arms and summoned an icy tempest. Spears of pure ice erupted from the ground and flew toward the trenches. Three soldiers were impaled instantly. Another was flung into the air, his body lifeless before hitting the ground.
Thor, watching from the rear, felt something break inside him. The scream of one of the dying soldiers echoed in his ears like a funeral bell. He saw a young man fall… and for a second, mistook him for a childhood friend.
His eyes widened in horror.
Nathaniel's words echoed in his mind, in that same calm, steady tone from hours before:
"Respecting life isn't just protecting your own. It's understanding the value of every single one of them."
Thor clenched his fists.
Another soldier was struck by a wave of frost and frozen inside a crystalline pillar, dead within seconds.
And Thor… could no longer just stand and watch.
But Owen had already moved. His eyes tracked every enemy movement with surgical precision.
"BANNER! NOW!" he roared as he unsheathed his two military knives and sprinted toward the front. If bullets couldn't hurt them, then it would be close combat, he thought.
Hulk's roar tore through the field and the ground shook.
And with a determined gaze, Owen launched himself into the frontline.
The real battle had begun.