The Kree Supreme Intelligence was present via holographic projection. An organic supercomputer holding the sum total of the empire’s knowledge, it was accompanied in the flesh by Ronan the Accuser, their primary enforcer of the law. When the Intelligence spoke, it was all Kl’rt could do to avoid sneering. The Kree were the Skrulls’ eternal enemies—the war between the two species ran back for thousands of years. Now, for the present, they too were allies.
“Swords are needed, indeed,” the Intelligence said. “As are ships, as are soldiers. Which we Kree count in the tens of millions, and is there any fighting force in the universe more elite than Ronan and his Accuser Corps?”
Ronan stood before the holographic image and stared straight ahead with the sort of military discipline the Skrulls had always admired, even when they fought against the blue- skinned bastards. If old grudges were enough to stop the alliance, however, he’d have killed every last person in the room,excluding perhaps only J’son.
Gladiator leaned forward and looked toward the Supreme Intelligence’s visage. The creature could not be present—it could not be moved from Hala, the homeworld of the Kree. Its massive form was the culmination of hundreds of generations of history and artificial intelligence combined. The Kree chose to be ruled by the memories of the past. They chose to let a machine think for them.
They were fools, but they were fools with a massive army.
Gladiator spoke. “Yes, and I am here on behalf of the Shi’ar
Imperial Guard—yet why only speak of them when there are so many other worthy warriors who have joined our cause?” He gestured toward a creature that seemed as much insectoid as reptile, with a narrow form and too many teeth and claws for anything but a nightmare. “The living army of the Brood, for example, grows more formidable with each passing year.”
He indicated Annihilus in his exoskeletal armor. “We have all seen what havoc the Annihilation Wave of the Negative Zone can cause when unleashed.” Then he pointed again to a contingent that had come from the Earth—the group known as the Avengers. Once again, Kl’rt managed to refrain from sneering.
They were allies.
For now.
“To say nothing of the hundreds of thousands of planets gathered together with armies of differing sizes, here to represent their interests as well as our own. We are united, all of us, to oppose a threat that is truly universal in scope. These Builders must be stopped before they destroy all of our planets, all of our lives.”
There were nods and mutterings of agreement—and if any disagreed, they kept their silence. Stepping to the center of the assemblage, Kl’rt revealed a hologram of his own.
“This is footage of our encounter with the Builders,” he said. “As you can see, Warlord Dm’yr was able to wipe out the advance fleet by catching them in the blast radius of an exploding sun.” One-eyed Dm’yr had indeed lured the enemy close, shedding his own blood to distract them. Without a moment’s hesitation, he incinerated them—along with his own forces.
Truly, he had been a warrior among warriors.
“The majority of these bastards are still out of our reach, and coming this way,” Kl’rt said grimly. “But they can be beaten. They can be killed.”
“Yes, but you surprised them,” J’son responded. “Projections of all available intelligence suggest a low probability of success if we have a head-to-head encounter.” He pulled at the tip of his beard. “What we need… is another trap.”
“Yesssss,” the Supreme Intelligence responded. “There is a location. Accessing intelligence archives. The Konn-Dar encounter from one of the Kree-Shi’ar conflicts.”
“The location lies in the projected path of the Builder fleet,” Ronan the Accuser said. The man was a behemoth, massive even by Kree standards. His blue skin was dark, his eyes were lighter, and the armor he wore was far from ceremonial. It bore the scars of hundreds of conflicts. He looked toward the leader of the Shi’ar Empire. “Majestor Gladiator, do you remember this battle?”
Gladiator peered at the man who had led armies against his people.
“I do. The Corridor.”
“What is this ‘corridor’?” Kl’rt didn’t like being left in the dark.
Gladiator turned to look his way. “There is a gravitational singularity, and a pair of massive asteroid belts. The gravity waves, the electromagnetic fluctuations, and the density of the belt make it hard for anyone to see what is waiting just ahead of them.”
Kl’rt understood.
A trap, indeed.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
FEINT, PARRY, AND LUNGE
“I HATE waiting.”
Bruce Banner spoke mostly to make conversation. They’d been in the same location, hidden against the side of an asteroid and in a low-power mode, for more than five hours. The Builder armada— or at least one branch of it—was heading directly for them.
I suppose they might have left me behind, he thought without saying it. After his most recent “Hulk-out,” he’d awakened in a S.H.I.E.L.D. containment unit, naked and alone. That they trusted him enough to bring him along was a testament to how badly they needed all their heavy hitters. He still questioned the logic of the decision.
The view was spectacular. In the distance, a great black orb pulled in the energies and gases and matter from this universe and swallowed it hungrily. Vast swirls of cosmic debris and thousands of chunks of rock from the asteroid belt were waiting their turn to be consumed. It was the sort of image that most people from Earth would only ever see rendered in CGI. The power of the view was not lost on the scientist.
The Corridor was a debris-free pathway between the remains of two shattered planets. The quincruiser hid in one of the asteroid fields, along with many ships of the allied fleet. Many more waited in the asteroid belt on the other side.
Steve Rogers was dressed in his full Captain America regalia, augmented by an armored environmental spacesuit and helmet, as with all of the people on the ship.
“Well, Bruce, I promise you the fight will be here soon enough, and you’ll wish you were still waiting.” Sometimes the man took everything too literally. Then again, given Banner’s tendency to change into a thousand pounds of gamma-fueled rage monster, keeping him calm was a good idea.
Shang-Chi sat next to Captain America. “Expectation of disaster is a poor way to plan for success, Captain.”
“Not at all.” Cap shook his head. “Preparation for the potential is an important part of any planning.”
Bruce agreed. “Shang, the plan is to let the enemy fleet maneuver themselves between us and the black hole,” he said. “By giving them no place to run, we essentially force them to fight back, probably to the death. Today’s combat forecast is sketchy at best, with a better-than-good chance of calamity.”
Shang-Chi looked over his shoulder. “It is your optimism that I admire most,” he said. Bruce was pretty sure that was meant as a joke, and started to say as much.
Shang-Chi motioned for silence. “Just got the heads-up,” he announced. “We are ready to engage the enemy.”
Cap nodded. “Quincruiser two,” he said into the comm. “Carol, did you pick that up?”
“Got it. Fleet’s entered the kill zone,” Captain Marvel answered, her voice remarkably calm. “We’re just waiting for the signal. Everyone get ready.”
Bruce took a few deep breaths to make sure he stayed calm, as well. “Everyone” meant the folks aboard the quincruiser and other spacecraft, as well as those who didn’t need them for combat in airless space. The Hulk could withstand terrifying amounts of physical damage, but he still needed to breathe; Hyperion and several others did not. Falcon, who was as susceptible to the vacuum of space as Banner was, wore a specially developed suit that allowed him his full flight capabilities in the void.
Just outside of the asteroid field, he could see motion as the enemy ships came within visual range. Then off to the right— starboard, Banner supposed—there was a bright flash, launched as planned by Commander Jorr of the Kr
ee forces.
“There’s the signal,” Cap said. “Let’s go.”
Suddenly the asteroid field was abuzz with activity as stationary spacecraft burst into motion. All of them had the same target: the Builder fleet, the center of which had reached the planned coordinates. Flashes appeared—a few at first, then a multitude. In an instant chaos erupted, and everywhere they looked their field of vision was filled with combat. Their ship shook alarmingly as they took a hit, then another, but their shields held.
“Heavy fire from both sides, Captain.” Shang-Chi spoke with amazing calm. Bruce could feel his heart hammering and forced himself to relax as much as possible. A vessel exploded nearby, and the white-hot flash left a momentary imprint on his vision. That faded as shards of the doomed craft flew past their view port. Another vessel shot into the gap, its weapons blazing. The smaller figures of individual combatants dodged and wove around—and sometimes through—the warships. Eye-beams flashed, piercing combatant ships with needle-like accuracy.
“Keep pushing,” Cap said. “The plan is to split their fleet, if possible. The command vessels will let us know if—”
“Allied armada,” Ronan the Accuser’s voice came through the comm-link. “Based on the movement of the ships within the Builder fleet, the Supremor has calculated a ninety percent chance that the command vessel is at the coordinates we are sending you. Retask all operations. Reprioritize your objectives. Destroy that vessel.”
In the live video feed, the flashes of contact continued throughout the conflict, but a greater concentration appeared in one particular location—the coordinates Ronan had supplied. Banner saw Thor and Hyperion and a dozen alien life-forms he’d never met before turn and head for the ship being targeted.
Hyperion hit it first. He was little more than a speck in the distance, but he moved through the void of space at a speed the naked eye could barely follow. He struck the front of the command vessel, leaving a hole the size of a transit bus. It couldn’t have been two seconds later that he exploded out of the rear of the ship, taking massive sections of the interior with him.
By the time he’d finished his run, several Destroyer-class vessels and multiple small forms had cut loose with attacks of their own. Thor’s lightning arced through space and hit the ship in a dozen places, each blast melting metal and blackening the hull. Smasher employed beams that cut from her goggles and ripped a line along the hull, easily shattering the ship’s defensive shields. Several others followed after her, members of the Imperial Guard who worked with her in a flawless example of teamwork.
It only took seconds for the powerful attack to destroy the command vessel. It went up in a burst of flames that were quickly smothered by the vacuum of space. Cheers came over the comms from a dozen ships.
Bruce felt a grim smile coming on. If this was the best the enemy could do, they’d win this conflict easily—and his other would never have to come out and play cleanup. He preferred it that way.
His smile vanished when the rest of the ships dropped their cloaks.
“Mother of God!”
Adrenaline kicked in, and he forced himself to calm down. There were so many ships. So many more than they’d expected or believed possible, and these vessels were massive, dwarfing the vast majority of the ships in their fleet.
“Like fish in a barrel.” Bruce was unaware he was speaking. It wasn’t a compliment—merely an observation. His stomach seethed with nervous energy. There was nothing good about the situation.
Peace. Bruce wanted peace. Even when he’d created the first gamma bomb, the plan was to use it to stop people from attempting another war.
The void of space shifted. The stars, the great vista of the event horizon, the asteroids—all disappeared, suddenly lost behind the vast ships that manifested from nowhere as if pulled from a magician’s hat.
Even as the Builder ships seemed to pop out of nowhere, they opened fire, attacking every enemy vessel they could put in their sights, firing volleys of weapons that would have shamed any military he’d ever known. Streaks of light, massive explosions, balls of energy and fire bloomed along the sides of allied ships. People— oh, so many people—died in volley after volley of enemy fire.
The heavens bled fire and the mortal remains of thousands. What had been cheering was replaced by the screams of the dying.
Bruce swallowed hard and forced himself to take deep breaths.Still his blood sang in his body and the world threatened to take on a green tinge he knew all too well.
Over the comm-link, the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree spoke. “Probability of survival approaching zero if you do not withdraw from this theater. Close to thirty-three percent of the fleet has been lost or severely damaged in less than a minute.”
“Sound the retreat. Now!” Ronan’s voice was calm but loud. “Run!” As he spoke, the Kree ships began to veer away. The Skrulls followed seconds later, and the Shi’ar called for a tactical withdrawal. Amid a continuous series of explosions, the allied fleet broke apart and scattered. Hundreds of ships retreated even as dozens were destroyed.
The Builders continued firing.
Bruce took in great gasps of air and closed his eyes, focusing on staying calm. Several impacts struck near the quincruiser, which shivered and shuddered as pieces of debris crashed into shields, and then into the body of the ship itself. Stark built amazing weapons and armor, but everything had its limits.
Bruce’s heart sang and screamed. It was becoming a given that he’d be changing. When hurled into the vacuum, would the helmet expand enough to protect him? Or would this be the thing that finally ended his nightmarish dual existence?
“We’re fine, Bruce,” Cap said. “Deep breaths. Nothing to worry about.” Steve’s voice was calming, despite the situation. True to his word, the shields held. Cap spoke into the comm.
“Carol, we’ve taken several hits, but we’re still intact. Not sure if we can get clear unaided without Manifold jumping us straight to the rendezvous site.” He paused, then added, “Can you get clear?”
“We’re fine, Cap. I’m a better pilot than you on my worst day.” That was true enough. She was a trained fighter pilot, whereas Cap had learned on the job as a member of the Avengers and had substantially fewer flight hours logged. “We’ve got full power and we’re flying free, but the fight took us closer to the singularity than I’d like. Jump—we’ll catch up.”
Shang-Chi looked at the readings. “We might not make it without an assist, Captain.”
Cap looked aft. “Okay, Eden—you’re on. Get us out of here.”
From the back of the ship, Eden called out, “I’m working on it.
” “Grab any friendlies you can.”
“As if you have to ask.”
Even as he spoke, Bruce saw Hyperion vanish from the vacuum, followed by Thor and several others he could not recognize amid the chaos. The Shi’ar cruiser began to give off spikes of energy. Before anyone could react, the vessel burst in a ball of fire.
Captain Marvel’s quincruiser was caught in the blast.
Then the cruiser in which they flew was elsewhere.
* * *
IN AN instant, they were back at the Nomad station—Eden had taken them to a location he knew.
Captain America turned in his seat and looked toward Banner. The thin scientist had a death grip on the armrests of his seat. His breathing was hard, but steady. There was a tinge of green to his skin that had nothing to do with nature, but it was fading away.
“We lost them, Cap.” Bruce spoke calmly, considering the circumstances. “Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, Cannonball, Sunspot… I don’t know who else.”
Cap frowned. “Captain Universe, still in a coma. Abyss. Nightmask. Starbrand.” So many who might be dead, but he couldn’t simply accept that. “That’s all of them. And don’t expect that they’re dead. They’ve been through worse.”
Shang-Chi spoke softly. “Perhaps not in the void of space.” “
Not until I see a body,” Cap countered. “
Only then do I consider death as an option. I learned that the hard way, Shang.” The man nodded his head and said nothing more.
* * *
STEVE ROGERS remained silent in his seat for what seemed like an eternity, but likely had been only a few hours. He’d seen potential flaws in the plan from the beginning, but had never expected anything on the scale of the ruse they’d just encountered. He’d never expected a fleet that size. It was unsettling.
He looked to Banner again and saw that the man had calmed himself. All traces of green were gone. For that he was grateful.
Spider-Woman walked calmly from the back of the cruiser.
“Where are we headed?” She was holding herself together remarkably well—Cap was impressed. Jessica Drew had spent a long time as a prisoner of the Skrulls, and he knew working with them now had to be eating at her. He had been in a similar situation, replaced by a Skrull doppelganger and kept prisoner, but for a much shorter time than she had experienced.
“We are to head for the Shi’ar agricultural world of Whaan Prime,” Shang-Chi said. “We’ll meet with the rest of the fleet. The natives have been told to be prepared to handle the massive injuries and casualties we have accrued.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TRIBUTE
THERE WERE hundreds of ships raining down into Earth’s atmosphere. At the Peak, the invaders tried to take the space station from S.W.O.R.D. command.
The invaders spent all of ten minutes in control of the station before S.W.O.R.D. agents took it back. That was just long enough for the intruders to set up a subspace beacon that would call the rest of their forces to the planet below.
Nation after nation fell with unsettling ease.
* * *
FROM ATTILAN, Black Bolt summoned the Illuminati.
Prince Namor of Atlantis had already surrendered. Doctor Strange’s whereabouts, always enigmatic, remained unknown.
Corvus Glaive and Supergiant were sent to locate the blue-furred Beast in upstate New York. They met a great deal of resistance from the X-Men, but the end result was inevitable. They had numbers on their side, and they did not care how many of their troops fell fighting for Thanos’ glory.
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