Elizabeth cursed as she slashed her sword through another infected monster, removing it's head from it's shoulders. She understood that it had once been a person, but there was nothing she could do for them, and they where in her way. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she continued to run, only vaguely aware of the destruction around her. She was a woman with a mission that she would not fail.

She had to get her blood to safety. Even if that blood didn't know about their connection. It still mattered to her that Jubilation Lee was her Daughter. Elizabeth had, of course, contacted Mat in the first few seconds after the initial earthquake, wanting to know where he and Lara where at the moment. Fortunately Lara was off the island with friends, and Mat was doing what he did best. Which meant that she could focus on the task at hand.

She was only vaguely aware that Wanda and Kurt where barely keeping pace with her. The only reason she did not outstrip the two of them entirely was a sense of duty to protect her old friend's child as much as possible.

Running parallel to them, on another street over, was an absolute wrecking-ball of destruction. An absolutely terrifying mass of muscle that slashed and clawed it's way through anything in it's path, and only referred to itself as 'Venom'. The named seemed to fit, given it's appetite for death. But the thing that worried her the most was that the creature's path would eventually intersect with her destination, and it was much faster than they where.

Her temporary worry almost cost her dearly, as a black blob of alien goop launched itself at her arm. She turned to try and pry it off, only for the goo to 'shriek' in pain as it turned into grey dust. She had not been infected, unlike the many victims around her. She cast her mind far and wide, searching for a possible answer, and was successful. She could sense several nearby minds who had been spared the infection, all of whom where mutants. Which made some sense to her. Even though she wasn't a tenth the scientist that Hank McCoy was, she did understand how viruses and infections worked on a basic level. The alien goop was simply not compatible with the Mutant Gene. Which was something that they could use to their advantage.

But her realization was cut short as what remained of the Avengers Mansion came into view. It was a complete wreck, with only the south side still standing, albeit just barely. But all around it the creatures swarmed like locusts, devouring anyone caught in their wake, save for only a few. And it was those few that she was mostly interested in.

Logan, being the brawler that he was, stood on top of a pile of rubble and bodies, slashing away at anyone who dared to come near him. He was probably in the best shape of anyone there, thanks to his healing factor. Beside him stood Jubilee, taking out targets from afar and preventing anything from getting close to a bus full of survivors that was desperately trying to get out of there with only one inflated wheel. Hank McCoy had the back of the bus covered.

But they where all dwarfed by the juggernaut known as the Hulk. With every step the massive green Goliath took the very ground shook. Any simple sweep of his massive hands was enough to send opponents flying. And to her horror, he had his sights set on her team. Most likely thanks to Logan, if the three red gashes across the Hulk's face was anything to go by.

"No!" she roared as she ran forward, thrusting out with her mind in an attempt to daze the Hulk. She was instead met with a wall of rage and pain that threatened to blot out her own thoughts, until she severed the connection. So she resorted to using her weapon instead, sweeping for his legs while he still couldn't see her. Her Katana sliced through the Hulk's thigh, but only by a small margin, just enough to draw a pitiful amount of blood.

And just enough to gain the Hulk's full attention.

"Hulk smash you!" the giant roared violently as it raised it's hands above it's head. But Jubilee blasted him from behind, causing him to turn around again. And before Hulk could do anything else, a gigantic black hand swept out of nowhere and swatted Hulk with enough force to send him stumbling to the side. "Hulk kill you!" the beast roared at it's challenger.

"Run," Venom snarled as it faced the brute, and matched it's aggressive stance. The fight between the two monsters was something straight out of a Hollywood film. The Hulk was much larger and stronger than Venom. But Venom was much quicker and more agile, using it's superior speed to outflank the Hulk and slash away with it's clawed hands.

But Venom's advantage would not last. Every blow he dodged was by a smaller and smaller margin. Sooner or later the Hulk would land a solid blow, and she did not want to think about what would happen once he did. As far as she knew, there was nothing on the planet that could survive such a strike.

Eventually Hulk managed to grab Venom's wrist and brought it into a tight lock. Now the two where face-to-face with one another. Hulk then snapped his forehead into Venom's, causing the monster to reel back in momentary pain as the Avengers seized their chance.

"Go!" Logan snarled as he indicated towards the already crowded bus. "Beast, Nightcrawler, clear that rubble and get us moving!" Elizabeth nodded in agreement as she dashed towards the bus, being the third-last on-board, followed by Kurt and Hank. The only problem now was that the bus still wasn't moving. No matter how many times the key was turned, the engine would not start. And, looking outside, she could see that the fight between Hulk and Venom was not going well. In only a few moments Hulk would no doubt strike his enemy down, and turn his fury on the only ones left to challenge him.

Even once Hank and Kurt had removed the debris from under the vehicle, the bus still refused to turn on, and they where quickly running out of time. Briefly, she wondered if they should all make a break for it, and hope that they didn't get picked off in the streets one by one.

But, before they could do anything else, something slammed into the side of the bus, hard. The whole bus shook with enough force to cause it to roll a full three-hundred and sixty degrees, until it was back on it's wheels.

"Agh!" cried Hank, loud enough to get her brief attention. "My leg!" he shouted as he clutched the limp limb, which was broken at such an angle that she had no doubt it would need to be amputated. "My leg! It's-" she never heard the rest of his wail of pain, as there was a loud, supersonic boom that shattered the few unbroken windows that remained. A wall of dust flew up into the air, partially obscuring whatever had just landed. But she could still see enough to know what it was.

A gigantic Iron Man suit, twice the height of the Hulk and three times as wide. With one hand he held the Hulk in the air, while the other held Venom to the ground.

"A S.H.I.E.L.D transport is in-bound," Tony Stark's voice boomed over a built-in loudspeaker. "Get on it. Avengers, fall back!" No sooner had he finished speaking than an aircraft that looked like a cross between a helicopter and a boat plopped down in the middle of the street. No one needed any sort of encouragement to get off of that bus. It was a mad scramble to get to the exit, even Elizabeth was almost knocked off of her feet as she tried to help Logan carry Hank out.

And they where not the only ones struggling with dead weight between them. Across what had once been the street a boy and a girl, no older than fifteen, shuffled along with an emaciated-looking girl between them.

As the S.H.I.E.L.D. shuttle filled up with as many people as it could carry, Tony was faced with a small army of infected. Not that they stood any more of a chance of downing him than either Hulk or Venom had. He managed to defeat every new opponent coming his way by having his armour sprout two additional arms to ward off enemies. Meanwhile gas hissed out of the wrists of the hands holding the two monsters in the air. And it didn't take a genius to know that the gas was an aesthetic.

"Is that everyone?" the craft's pilot shouted.

"Yes!" Elizabeth snapped back, "get us out of here!" The craft roared into the air, along with dozens of others scattered around the city, bearing away those caught in the middle of the catastrophe. Tony was not far behind them, flying through the air while still carrying his quarries.

...xxXxx...

"Out of the way!" Jessica snarled viciously as she and two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents ran through the halls of the Hellicarrier, carrying Hank on a gurney. He was not in good shape at all. Even without any sort of medical equipment she could tell that he was going into shock. The fact that he wasn't completely unconscious at the moment was an absolute miracle. She surveyed his mangled leg again, looking for anything she might have missed the first three times she inspected it. The break, which was more of a crude amputation, had occurred just above the kneecap. Several shards of bone where sticking out of his flesh, covered only by the hastily-applied bandage.

She continued to sprint down the hallway, aided by two S.H.I.E.L.D. medical attendants. The Hellicarrier was quickly becoming overcrowded with refugees, who stuffed every single hallway and non-classified room they could cram themselves into. She hadn't even seen half of her team yet, only Logan and Thor, who'd helped her load Hank onto the gurney.

"Down here," one of the attendants snapped as she pointed to the left, down the most crowded hallway yet. "Code red, coming through!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, to little avail. Those who did hear her didn't exactly have anywhere to move to, and others where pushed aside as the three of them burst into the medical wing of the Hellicarrier. Which was just as overcrowded as the rest of the ship was.

"What do we have?" the man who she assumed was the lead Doctor said as he rushed over with a blood-soaked lab coat.

"Amputation," Jessica replied quickly. "No chance of limb recovery. He's still conscious, but barely."

"I need fluids and a transfusion!" the man cried out as he pushed the two attendants aside. "Good thing you got him here as soon as you did. A few more minutes and he'd be a goner."

"A few more minutes and we'd all have been goners," Jessica grunted as she helped him move Hank from the gurney to a proper bed. Which was made extremely difficult due to a plethora of on-lookers curious about the Avenger's current state. She wanted nothing more than to turn around and shout at them to get the hell out of the way so that she, and the other Medical staff could do their jobs quickly and efficiently. But she kept her mouth firmly shut instead, and directed all of her focus on keeping Hank stable for the moment.

It took some time, but they where able to get hank into an acceptable state. He would not be walking under his own power for some time, for obvious reasons. But they where able to get him stable enough to be moved to a more private room. Though 'Private' was an objective term. There were already four other wounded people in the room.

She was finally able to stop and take a quick account of the situation. But only a quick moment, as Her Avengers ID card began to beep loudly. She was being summoned again.

...xxXxx...

Jubilee huffed indignantly as she waited in the uncomfortable chair that she'd been given by a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. She wasn't sure if her discomfort came from the chair itself, the multitude of injuries she'd sustained, the fact that three Avengers where either severely wounded or missing, or the general feeling in the room. Or it could be a combination of the four. But she could tell her unease was shared by everyone else in the room.

To her immediate left Jessica sat. And even with a quick, sideways glance Jubilee could tell that she was itching to get back out into the city. Which was completely natural, given that no one had heard from Peter in hours. In the space of ten minutes, she'd seen Jessica answer several text messages, all of them presumably from May Parker. Jubilee guessed this because she herself had received a hopeful, inquiring message from the woman who had earlier that day called her 'absolute scum'. How quickly people could change in a crisis.

Wanda, Kurt, and Azari sat on the other end of the long table, looking completely world-weary. She wasn't sure if she'd ever seen the Wakandan Prince look so exhausted before. It was actually somewhat unnerving. Kurt on the other hand, was having a minor head-wound attended to gingerly by Wanda. It wasn't much more than a scrape, but it didn't look as though Kurt minded the attention he was getting. But the few moments of peace where quickly interrupted by the large double-doors opening to allow the remaining Avengers, as well as several SHIELD officials, to enter.

"Are you sure that those things are contained?" Nick Fury snapped as he shoved a folder into another Agent's hands. "The last thing we need is those monsters getting loose on this boat."

"Absolutely, sir," an Agent replied, "the Hulk's restraints are made of pure Adamantium, and if he makes so much as a crack in one of them the whole room will be flooded with enough knockout gas to take out a small city."

"And the other thing?" Fury huffed.

"Well we're still uncertain of just how strong it is, so we modified the device you designed to hold-" the Agent began, only to be cut off by a dismissive wave from Fury's hand.

"Alright, let's get down to business," the director of SHIELD said as he addressed the entire room. "Someone go page Thor. Stark, you there?" he asked out loud, causing a small stir in the room.

"I'm right here, Fury," Tony said as a hologram of his head popped up out of nowhere. He was obviously still wearing the massive suit of armour she'd seen him don earlier. A few seconds later, A hologram of Pepper's head appeared alongside his. "Avengers, report," he said, "has anybody found anything?"

"I...might have," Jubilee said with a raised hand. Immediately all eyes fell on her, so she cleared her throat. "One of those things latched onto me during the fighting," she said. There was an immediate reaction from the Agents present, as two of them had their hands fly to their weapons as she continued. "Only, obviously I haven't been infected, 'cause I'm not a rabid monster. That thing, though, when it latched onto me it reacted."

"How?" Tony asked bluntly.

"Well," Jubilee replied steadily, "I guess you could say that it screamed like it was in pain. And then it turned all grey and dusty before dying."

"How is that possible?" Elizabeth asked intently, "out of the thousands of people who are being infected, none of them have had this sort of reaction."

"Well it's possible that these aliens have an adverse reaction to the X-gene," Jessica offered. "That would certainly explain it. After all, there are cases of viruses reacting differently to closely related species in vastly different ways. So it stands to reason that this is the case here." Jubilee nodded, knowing that she wasn't nearly smart enough to dispute what Jessica was saying. But she did know that it lined up perfectly with what she'd witnessed firsthand.

"So we might have a weapon," Fury said intently, as he furrowed his brow. "An edge, at least," he said as he reached for his ear. "Agent Hill, I want you to pull up every Agent's file who tested positive for the X-gene and get them here now. And what are you looking at, Stark?" Fury snapped, "I'm not the only one with lists like that."

"I know," Tony replied stiffly. "I read your list a week ago. Now, Pepper, report," he said as another screen lit up, this one with Thor's face. They'd finally managed to get through to him, it seemed.

"I'm heading to the south side, as the lower east side has been evacuated, for the most part. And we're holding the Bridges for the moment, but I don't know how long we can hold out." Pepper said with an exhausted sigh. "The only reason we haven't been driven back yet is because I don't think they want to attack us, just keep us busy."

"I agree," Logan jutted in gruffly. "Anywhere they go, we get thrashed. I say we regroup an' hit them hard and fast where it hurts most." There seemed to be a general sense of agreement with Logan's statement throughout the room.

"We will," Tony said with a wave of his hand, "but right now we don't know where to hit. Once we find that out, we can strike with everything we have."

"I think we need to focus on taking out the generals," Elizabeth said firmly, "that one who attacked the Bugle show, Death, or whatever she called herself. If we can take out the leadership they'll be divided and less efficient."

"So you want to draw them out?" Logan asked.

"Yes," Elizabeth replied. "If we can focus their attack into one area where we're strongest maybe we can edge out a victory. But..." her voice began to trail off as an aura of cold air filled the room. Jubilee couldn't quite explain it, but she knew something was wrong. Very wrong. She could feel the hairs standing up on the back of her neck, even before a bolt of green lightning struck the centre of the room, obliterating the table.

"You!" Fury and Elizabeth shouted in unison as Fury unloaded several bullets into the centre of the smoke-filled room. Each one bounced off of a blue-tinted energy shield as Elizabeth swung her sword through it, only for the blade to be met by another with a loud clang!

"Unexpected," a cold, dark voice said from the centre of the room as the smoke cleared. In it's wake stood an imposing figure wrapped in a dark green cloak, with hints of heavy armour underneath. His face was obscured by a metal mask, save for the piercing eyes that sent cold shivers down her spine. "But irrelevant."

"Kill him!" Fury snarled as Logan unsheathed his claws and leapt at the man, only to be swatted aside by a burst of electricity. Jean hurled what remained of the table at him, but the wood splintered against the man's energy shield. "All Agents to the-" Fury said in the seconds before he was engulfed by green energy, and flung into the wall headfirst.

Kurt teleported onto the man's shoulders while Azari dived for his legs. Both where quickly thrown off, but Wanda managed to catch them both in midair. Jessica caught the man as he began to make his way to the door, and she managed to hold him there through brute force. But her superior strength couldn't match the man forever, as he manoeuvred his body and kicked her aside before exiting through the door.

Jubilee caught up with him, with a fully charged chunk of table in her hand. She tossed it right at the back of his head and it exploded with the force of a grenade. And, surprisingly, it managed to actually catch the mystery man off-guard. He half-turned to face her, and even though she couldn't see through his metal mask, she knew he was a little surprised.

"What are you?" the man asked plainly.

"An Avenger," she snarled back as she lashed out with a blast of light, hoping to knock him to the ground. But the man didn't even budge an inch.

"A pity," the man replied as he raised his hand, and fired a blast of green energy her way. Jubilee would have ducked if she had the time, but she didn't. Luckily Elizabeth slammed her shoulder into Jubilee's side at the last minute, sending them both tumbling to the ground. In a flash the older woman was up on her feet swinging her sword again.

"Have you learned nothing?" the man sneered as the two of them crossed blades. He easily pushed her back with a flick of his wrist as Azari re-joined the fight. The cramped hallway was too narrow for everyone to pile on the man at once, so they where forced to fight in small pairs, which worked to the mystery man's advantage. They continued to battle their way down the tight corridors, though with no more success than before. In fact, Jubilee could have sworn that the man barely even noticed them, and only put in a minimal amount of effort to stop the Avengers.

It was infuriating.

"This city is filled with enemies," the man scoffed as the fight came to a large door. "And yet you continue to waste your energies on me?"

"Latverian scum," Azari hissed as he lunged at the man, who simply sidestepped his attack and waved the large door open, seemingly through some sort of magic. Inside the room, she could see two large cells. One containing the Hulk, the other, Venom. The latter of whom seemed to be just conscious enough to turn his head towards the commotion.

"Who the hell are you?" Jessica snapped as she helped Azari to his feet. The man didn't reply as he slowly made his way towards Venom's cage. The Avengers piled into the room, and the few Agents inside quickly left. But the man still didn't seem to notice, so Jessica repeated herself, louder this time, "who the hell are you?" Again, the man did not answer her. He only reached for the control panel on Venom's cage.

"Oh hell no!" Jubilee snapped, knowing full well just how much damage the creature could do. She blasted him hard in the back. The man was forced to step back in order to regain his balance, and he glared daggers back at her through his shielded eyes.

"That was a mistake," the man said coldly. "Now you will die," he said as he turned to face them head-on.

But that changed in a flash. Two massive arms burst through the glass cage and wrapped themselves around the man's torso, crushing it against the cage. Venom roared loudly as the man blasted his arm and dropped to the ground. A split second later the creature broke free of the cage and swung at the man, striking him in the shoulder and sending him into the wall.

"No!" Venom shouted as he bounded across the floor to where the man was and swung his fist down again. Only this time the man intercepted the blow with his hidden sword, and slashed at Venom's forearm. Venom reared back with a snarl as the man went on the offensive, and slashed at the brute's legs, dropping him to the ground.

"Brute," the man cursed as he twisted himself around and jumped up on Venom's back. He pulled out a small device from beneath his cloak and jabbed it into Venom's back. There was a loud roar of pain as bolts of energy extended from the device and reached around Venom's massive frame. The energy then began to pull the slimy black skin away and into a second device, this one a clear container, in the man's outstretched hand. Venom's screams quickly became far more human as the alien was pulled away by the man's device and placed in the container. "I have what I need," the man said simply. Before any of them could react, he disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared.

"Oh god!" Jessica huffed as she dived towards the crumpled form that had been inside Venom. It took Jubilee a split second to realize that it was Peter lying at their feet. And in a flash she was kneeling right next to him alongside Jessica. The first thing she noticed was that he was indeed still breathing, albeit in short, ragged, laboured breaths. His eyes rolled around, and he didn't seem to be able to focus them properly. Immediately all thoughts about their mystery attacker disappeared from her mind. "Hold his head," Jessica commanded as she slipped her arms underneath his body. "We're getting him to the sick bay now," she said as Nick Fury entered the room, along with three Agents.

"What the hell happened here?" Fury barked.

"Whoever that was," Logan grunted, "just up an' ran off with that alien slime." Meanwhile Jubilee was sure to firmly, but gently place her hands on either side of her Boyfriend's head. As the two of them picked him up, she noticed something.

"Hey," Jubilee said, "he left that alien-remover thing behind." She indicated towards the object lying on the ground with her chin as she helped Jessica move Peter towards the door. One of the Agents was quick to pick it up and show it to the Director.

"What's his game..." Fury muttered to himself. He then snapped his fingers at another Agent. "Get all our boy's from R&D to look this thing over. If it can neutralize these Aliens then maybe we can weaponize it."

"Yes sir," the man replied promptly before leaving the room.

"Shit just hit the fan," Fury said to the rest of them. "Someone attacked Strange's place, and blew it up. And now we've got a huge Enemy Warship over our heads. And where do you think you're going?" he snapped at Jessica.

"I'm taking him to the med bay," Jessica replied with a steel-like tone. "Now get the hell out of my way." There was a brief moment where she wondered if Fury was going to let them pass. But then she remembered what kind of woman Jessica was, and how quickly she'd throw the man on his ass if he got in her way. Luckily, Fury obliged.

"Put him under a full guard," Fury said to the remaining Agent. "No one in or out until he's gotten a full physical. And-" Peter's arm suddenly snapped out and latched onto Fury's shoulder.

"...Hive...hive...hive mind..." he said weakly, slurring his words heavily as his head rolled about. She had to work hard in order to keep him steady. "...central...control...ship...".

"A central control?" Logan asked aloud, "seems like a good enough target for us."

"It might be our only hope," Kurt reasoned. Both Logan and Azari nodded in agreement. "But how are we gonna get close?"

"Get him to the med bay," Fury barked, pointing at Jessica and Jubilee as he spoke. "Then get down to the Hangar. All of you. We've finally got a Hail-Mary. And we're not gonna pass it up."

...xxXxx...

Thor twirled his hammer around his wrist idly. He did not want to be where he was at the moment, currently guarding Stephen Strange's innermost vault. Yes, he knew that it was the most vulnerable target, and that the enemy would most likely attempt to attack them there. But he was not one who could simply stand by while a battle was raging on outside. Especially not when it was against the very same enemy who had once laid waste to Asgard nearly a century ago.

He paced back and forth as he waited for new orders, hoping they would be more enjoyable. Or at least, some news on the missing Avengers.

But in the meantime he simply committed himself to his assigned task, however boring he thought it might be. While all around him, SHIELD Agents swarmed like locusts. Strange had offered his Sanctum as a temporary base of operations for SHIELD to launch counter-offensives and to house civilians. Yet another reason why Stark wanted him there, and not on the attack. He was their last line of defence.

"Thor," an Agent piped up as he tapped him on the shoulder. "we're getting a call from the Helicarrier. You're wanted."

"Finally," Thor replied as he set his hammer back onto his belt. He followed the young man into the next room, where a large screen had been set up, along with multiple computer monitors. On the largest screen he could see the entire Avengers roster, save for those missing, as well as Pepper and Tony Stark, who had their own separate screens which showed the interior of their helmets.

"...the lower east side has been evacuated, for the most part. And we're holding the Bridges for the moment, but I don't know how long we can hold out." Pepper said with an exhausted sigh. "The only reason we haven't been driven back yet is because I don't think they want to attack us, just keep us busy."

"I agree," Logan jutted in gruffly. "Anywhere they go, we get thrashed. I say we regroup an' hit them hard and fast where it hurts most." for once, Thor found himself agreeing with Logan's opinion on something. Which was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

"We will," Tony said, "but right now we don't know where to hit. Once we find that out, we can strike with everything we have."

"I think we need to focus on taking out the generals," Elizabeth said firmly, "that one who attacked the Bugle show, Death, or whatever she called herself. If we can take out the leadership they'll be divided and less efficient." Again, Thor found himself nodding in agreement with a fellow Avenger. However he still knew that it was not the right moment to strike. He was just about to speak up when all of a sudden he was blasted off of his feet.

He flew with tremendous force through several brick walls before he could properly regain his bearings, and rise to his feet again. He could just make out weak cries coming from the rest of his team. Something was happening on their end, but he couldn't divert his attention to their plight. Through the hole that his body had made, he could see Enh Sabah Nur's lieutenant, Death, steadily approaching the great seal that was keeping the aforementioned warlord at bay.

"NO!" Thor shouted as he blasted forward with all the speed he could muster, and shoulder-checked her. The two of them tumbled on the ground for a bit until she kicked him away. Immediately Thor pulled out his Hammer and swung in her direction. She dodged by a hair's breadth as she drew her sword. She slashed at his exposed wrist, but Thor retracted his hand just in time. "Go back to whatever

cesspool your Master resides in," Thor growled angrily, "and tell him that the Earth shall not fall to his wretched villainy!"

"Is that so, Prince of Asgard?" Death smirked back at him.

"The Son of Odin keeps his word," Thor snarled as lightning sparked around Mjolnir, and he swung again, aiming for her head. She sidestepped his first blow, but was struck by his second. She went sailing through the air and crashed through another wall. "And I shall send you too him!" he cried as he let loose a massive bolt of lightning.

But she smirked and dived out of the way. Instead, the Lightning smashed into the great seal, shattering it into a million pieces.

"You have spelled certain doom for these people," Death sneered cheerfully as she rose from the rubble. "But that is not an unfamiliar notion to you, is it, Odin's Son?" Thor had no words for her. Only pure rage as he recklessly barrelled her over and through the many walls that led to the outside. He didn't know how many times he struck her, or she him.

Their battle was a long and fierce one. Both of them flew through the ravaged streets, pummelling one another with as much force as they could muster. It was the most challenging battle he had had since the fall of Asgard. Death could match his strength with hers, which was nearly unheard of, though not impossible. And there where many beings in the Galaxy that had been enslaved to En Sabah Nur's vast army.

But Thor found his attention being diverted quickly, as a massive war-ship appeared high in the sky. It was nearly as large as the Island of Manhattan itself. And in the blink of an eye he recognized it as being En Sabah Nur's flagship.

"No!" Thor shouted for the second time as he batted Death away with a mighty blow before making a beeline for the Flagship. He had to end things quickly, before En Sabah Nur could properly mobilize his forces to invade the planet's surface. He could not let them make landfall, or the Earth would suffer the same fate as his people had. "I will kill you all!" he cried as a small door opened up on the side of En Sabah Nur's ship.

From there the Bane of Asgard began to descend. En Sabah Nur stood tall, twice as tall as Thor was, with the ability to change his size at will. He was adorned with thick, powerful armour, which had been pilfered from the many worlds he had crushed under his boot. Set against the purple-coloured armour was an all-too familiar golden sword. One which brought fresh pain to Thor's heart. In his other hand the Alien Warlord held a large cannon, which was capable of demolishing the strongest of buildings.

"Thor Odinson," En Sabah Nur said with a powerful, booming voice. "This is a surprise, indeed."

"Monster!" Thor bellowed as he redoubled his efforts and swung Mjolnir straight for En Sabah Nur's head. The Warlord dodged his blow and kicked Thor's back.

"I was told that you perished with the rest of your pathetic people," En Sabah Nur smirked boastfully as the two of them slowly circled one another as they spiralled downwards to street-level. "Is it you that I have to thank for banishing me and my army?" He said with a sneer.

"No, it is not," another voice said defiantly. Thor turned his head to see Stephen Strange standing there resiliently, ready for a battle.

"Ah, A Sorcerer," En Sabah Nur remarked. "I have dealt with your kind before. Has this one told you of how I skewered his Brother with his own spear?" the Warlord said, indicating from Thor to Strange.

"You are not fit to speak Loki's name!" Thor bellowed as his fingers tightened around Mjolnir's handle.

"But if this is the best your world has to offer," En Sabah Nur continued, oblivious to Thor's remarks. "Then this shall all be over rather quickly," he said as he readied his stolen sword. "I will enjoy killing you again, Odinson. You will-" his remaining words where drowned out by a loud whooshing sound coming from above. Iron Man dropped from above wearing an imposing suit of armour that managed to dwarf the alien conqueror.

"Get off my planet," Tony Stark growled. "Right now, you scum." The three defenders of earth shared a single glance, as they all knew what was about to happen. They had each others backs, no matter what. And all that Thor could do was hope that they would be able to last long enough for the remaining Avengers to enact whatever plan Tony had hopefully come up with. It wasn't much, but it was all that he had at the moment.