The void burned with fire and ruin. The ship that had once carried the last survivors of Asgard floated broken, its hull torn open by the force of Thanos and his Black Order. Thor fought like a storm, lightning flashing across the wreckage, his fury endless, yet even he could feel the crushing inevitability pressing down upon him. Loki stood at his side, blade drawn, while Heimdall struggled to hold the survivors together, his own body failing from wounds sustained in the desperate flight from their dying home.
The Mad Titan moved with terrifying precision, his gauntleted hand striking Hulk down in a brutal contest of raw strength. The jade giant roared, his fists hammering against Thanos's chest, but the Titan caught his arm, twisted, and sent him crashing into the shattered floor. Each blow Thanos delivered broke bone and pride alike. Hulk's rage faltered, his power dwindling until the monster that had never known fear lay defeated.
Thor shouted and hurled himself at Thanos once more, but the Titan's strength was absolute. A single punch sent the God of Thunder sprawling, his chest cracked, his lungs wheezing for air. Loki's courage faltered, his eyes darting to his brother, to Heimdall, and to the survivors who could do nothing but wait for death.
Heimdall raised his sword one final time. His eyes glowed as he summoned the last of his strength and the Bifrost answered his call. Golden light tore across the void, engulfing Hulk's broken body and hurling him through space. He turned his gaze on Thor one last time and whispered a prayer, a vow that Asgard's legacy would not die here. The light of the Bifrost stretched wide and with one final effort, Heimdall pushed it outward. Not just Hulk, but the wrecked ship itself shimmered and vanished, pulled across the stars.
When the light faded, Heimdall slumped to the ground, his breath gone, his lifeless eyes staring into eternity.
The wrecked ship tore into orbit above Earth, its hull burning against the upper atmosphere. Inside, survivors clung to what little remained of hope. The flames consumed the air, and the broken pieces began to fall. But before they could be claimed by gravity's pull, the heavens opened with a different brilliance.
From the orbital station above Earth, Mechanicus systems had detected the anomaly. Alex Price stood in the command center, his eyes cold, his voice sharp as binary chants spilled into Gear's processors. "Lock onto the Asgardian vessel. Deploy intercept drones. Prepare medical teams."
Within moments, Mechanicus craft surged into motion. Nanite-guided drones stabilized the ship's descent, wrapping it in containment fields and towing it toward the docking arms of the orbital station. Thor staggered upright, dragging Loki with him, both bloodied and beaten. The survivors were lifted from the ruins and carried into sterilized bays where medical automata and Mechanicus medicae priests tended to their wounds.
Alex himself moved quickly, his robes trailing like shadows of steel, his hands already directing swarms of nanites to knit broken flesh and repair failing organs. Thor's eyes widened at the sight of the strange man who seemed half human and half machine, yet who wielded power rivaling the gods themselves. Loki, pale and silent, said nothing, though his gaze lingered with suspicion.
Hulk lay unconscious, his body bruised and broken. Even as the nanites worked, Banner's human form shivered and gasped for air. When he finally stirred, panic gripped him. He could feel the monster within, but it cowered in fear, unwilling to surface. For the first time, the Hulk had been beaten so completely that he refused to return.
Tony Stark was already en route, called by Alex's terse transmission. The Avengers gathered in the orbital station, their faces hardening as they took in the sight of Thor and Loki, battle-worn gods who had once stood against them, now humbled and broken.
Thor spoke first, his voice heavy with grief and rage. "Asgard is no more. Thanos has come. He seeks the Infinity Stones, relics older than your world, older than mine. With them, he will bring death to half of all life in the universe."
Loki stepped forward, his usual arrogance tempered by the weight of what he had seen. "He believes it mercy. A solution to resources dwindling, to civilizations tearing themselves apart. He seeks balance by slaughter. The Stones are the key, and he will not stop until he holds them all."
Silence fell across the chamber. The Avengers exchanged glances, the enormity of what had been spoken sinking into them like chains. They had faced Ultron, Loki, Hydra, but this was something far greater. A god who wielded armies. A Titan who had already shattered Asgard.
Alex watched them, his expression unreadable, but within his mind the system whispered calculations, probabilities, paths of survival. His goal had always been knowledge and technology, but now the weight of survival pressed heavier than ever. He turned to Stark, to Rogers, to Vision, his words clear. "Then we prepare. The Titan has shown his hand. We will not be caught unready."
Thor clenched his fists, lightning crackling faintly at his fingertips even as pain wracked his body. His eyes blazed with determination. "Then we fight. We fight for the living."