The skies above Wakanda were aflame. Great black ships broke through the upper atmosphere like blades slicing through silk, vomiting streaks of molten fire as they descended. Lightning lanced across the heavens, thunder roaring in answer. The world had come to war.
On the plains outside the Golden City, thousands of energy barriers shimmered to life, turning the landscape into a field of light. Wakandan warriors stood shoulder to shoulder, shields humming, spears crackling with blue energy. Beside them gathered the heroes of Earth Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Loki, the Hulk, and hundreds of soldiers ready to die for a planet they could no longer protect with words.
And from orbit, a bright column of light tore down from the sky Mechanicus descent thrusters burning as Alex Price landed amidst the storm. His armor, a dark silver weave alive with faint golden lines, hummed with restrained power. The mask covered his face completely, eyes glowing a faint crimson beneath the visor. He looked almost human, but not quite. Even Thor had to pause when he saw him.
"Price," Stark's voice crackled through the comm. "Nice entrance. You trying to upstage me again?"
Alex smirked under the mask. "You couldn't upstage me if you tried."
"Yeah, well, let's hope you can back that up. We're about to have company."
The ground began to tremble.
At the edge of the barrier, the first wave came. Hundreds of black, six-limbed beasts slammed into the energy field, their claws sparking against the shield like knives on steel. Behind them came more tens of thousands of Outriders, their screams echoing across the valley.
Captain America clenched his fists. "Everyone, stand ready!"
The barrier opened in a narrow arc, and the horde poured through.
The battle erupted like a living storm.
Thor hurled Storm-breaker, lightning shredding lines of enemies by the dozens. Loki stood at his side, daggers flashing, every movement precise and deadly. Hulk tore through the swarm like a tidal wave of rage, his roars shaking the earth. Captain America and Black Widow fought as one, moving through the chaos with the precision of experience and desperation.
And above them all, Alex moved.
He was faster than human eyes could follow, his armor leaving afterimages of blue light with every step. His pistols, each forged from hybrid alloys of Kryptonian and Wakandan metal, fired bolts of concentrated plasma that ripped through armor like paper. His voice came through the battle-net, calm and focused.
"Flank left, Thor! Hulk, hold the middle I've got your rear covered!"
"Ha!" Thor laughed, electricity dancing around him. "You think the God of Thunder needs cover?"
"After last time with Thanos, yes."
"Fair point!"
The battlefield burned with energy and fire. For every Outrider that fell, ten more took its place. The air was thick with smoke, plasma discharges, and the smell of burning metal. The Wakandan forces were holding, but barely.
Above them, the sky broke open again Thanos' warship descending like a mountain of fire. Its energy cannons lit up, striking the orbital defenses that still floated overhead.
"Stark," Alex called, his voice steady despite the chaos. "Talk to me."
"Orbital grid's down to forty percent," Tony replied. "Vision's secure, Shuri's got the Mind Stone removed and stored. We're evacuating the lab now."
"Good. Keep it that way."
Then the ship opened fire.
Dozens of energy lances pierced the clouds, annihilating entire sections of the battlefield. A third of the Wakandan line disintegrated in seconds. Hulk roared, shielding those he could. The air was filled with screams.
And then silence.
Through the smoke, a figure stepped out.
Tall. Armored. The Infinity Gauntlet glinting on his left hand like the eye of a god.
Thanos.
The Mad Titan surveyed the battlefield with calm disdain. His voice carried over the winds. "Childish resistance. You fight to delay the inevitable."
He raised his hand, the Power Stone igniting in a burst of violet flame. A wave of destruction surged forward, annihilating everything in its path.
Alex raised his gauntlet, whispering a binary prayer. The Mechanicus sigils along his armor blazed as he redirected power to the shield matrix. The impact shook him to his core, systems straining, but he held the line.
Thor leapt from behind, Stormbreaker cutting through the purple haze. The axe struck Thanos square in the chest but the Titan caught it with one hand and flung the god aside like a toy.
Loki lunged next, knives flashing, striking with speed born of vengeance. Thanos caught his wrist mid-strike, eyes cold.
"I remember you."
A burst of energy threw Loki across the field, armor cracking, smoke rising from his chestplate.
Alex rushed forward, plasma pistols roaring. Each shot exploded against Thanos' armor, staggering the Titan a step but not stopping him. Alex closed the distance, his fist crashing into Thanos' chin with enough force to create a shockwave.
For a brief moment, they stood locked, power against power.
"You shouldn't exist," Thanos growled.
"Neither should you," Alex replied, eyes glowing brighter.
The ground around them shattered. Energy flared, throwing both men apart.
Above, Iron Man and Captain Marvel descended together, twin streaks of red and gold fire.
"Now!" Tony shouted.
The three attacked in unison. Thor's lightning, Stark's repulsors, and Alex's plasma converged into a blinding torrent. Thanos roared, raising the Gauntlet to block the blast. The Power Stone flared and the explosion lit up the sky.
For a moment, it looked as if they had won.
Then Thanos stepped forward, smoke trailing from his armor, half his face burned but still smirking. "All that for nothing."
He slammed the ground. The Reality Stone pulsed. The battlefield warped turning into a nightmare of red glass and broken time. The heroes were thrown apart, scattered.
Alex's systems screamed warnings as spatial distortion surged around him. Through the chaos, he could see Tony and Carol struggling to reform the attack. He could hear Cap's voice shouting orders through the comm. He could see Hulk trading blows with one of Thanos' remaining lieutenants.
And he saw Thor, crawling toward Loki, who wasn't moving.
Alex steadied himself. The Time Buster bullet sat locked inside his gauntlet pistol, its golden casing shimmering faintly one shot, one kill, but at the risk of the timeline itself.
He exhaled, steady and slow. Not yet.
Thanos advanced toward Vision's position, moving through what remained of Wakanda's line. Strange had appeared, illusions multiplying around the battlefield, but Thanos cut through them with ease.
Captain America ran to intercept, shield raised. One punch from the Titan sent him sprawling. Stark lunged next, armor damaged and flickering. Carol slammed into Thanos from behind, but he used the Space Stone, bending her trajectory and hurling her into the mountainside.
Alex landed between Thanos and Vision, armor battered, one eye of his visor cracked and sparking.
"You won't take another step."
Thanos studied him for a moment, almost amused. "You are strong. But strength means nothing when destiny calls."
The Gauntlet glowed. Alex braced, rerouting power from every auxiliary system to the plasma matrix. The impact shook the very crust of the earth.
Lightning from Thor struck at the same moment, joining Alex's beam in a cataclysmic flare. Hulk tore through the flank, roaring in fury, hammering his fists into Thanos' side. Stark and Strange joined from above, energy burning like the heart of a star.
It was every hero, every hope, every breath of defiance Earth had left against one god.
Thanos bent his knees, pushing back. The Gauntlet's light grew brighter, brighter still, until it swallowed them all.
And then silence again.
When the dust cleared, Thanos was gone.
The battlefield lay in ruins. Smoke curled into the orange dawn. The dead covered the ground for miles.
Alex dropped to one knee, breathing hard. The Time Buster bullet glowed within his gauntlet, still unused.
Tony's voice broke through the static. "He's gone. But he didn't have all the Stones. He's regrouping."
Alex looked up, toward the horizon where the first light of morning cut through the smoke. "Then this isn't over."
Thor stood beside him, half-burned armor still sparking. "No," he said, voice grim. "It's only begun."
The wind howled through the wreckage, carrying the echo of a war far from finished.