The silence following the decrypted message was more suffocating than the explosion that had destroyed Ultron. The room seemed smaller now, as if the weight of cosmic inevitability had pressed inward from every wall. Even the faint hum of damaged monitors sounded louder than they should have. No one spoke. Not immediately. They all knew instinctively what that message meant.
Thanos was no longer a whisper.
He was coming.
Alexander stood with his arms crossed, eyes locked on the now-blank screen. His mind processed thousands of possibilities. Deployment. Priority: Earth. The phrasing alone struck him as calculated. This was not a retaliatory strike. It was planned. It had been in motion before Ultron even spoke. Perhaps before Ultron was ever born. This was not coincidence. This was inevitability.
Across the room, Steve Rogers stepped closer to the center console and tapped through layers of data. The soft beeps of the interface echoed faintly. "We need to figure out what kind of timeline we're looking at. If these ships are as advanced as S.H.I.E.L.D. estimates, they could reach our system in weeks. Maybe less."
"Or days," Bruce murmured from the corner. He hadn't said much since the battle ended, his gaze constantly flicking between Vision and the floor. His mind raced with what-ifs and equations he couldn't balance. Now, however, his voice had weight. "If they have cosmic transit tech, wormhole generators... we're not talking about linear travel. We're talking about folding space."
"Then we're already behind," Natasha said. Her eyes were hard, focused. She had switched from reflective to combat mode without missing a beat. The red in her ledger didn't need another line. "Where is Stark?"
"En route," Steve replied. "He's stabilizing the satellite systems over Sokovia. Said he'd be here within the hour."
"He's going to lose it," Bruce added. "When he sees that image. He tried to build a suit of armor around the world, and now the real enemy is on the way."
Wanda stood quietly near the far wall, her arms wrapped around herself. Her red energy flickered softly beneath her skin, like a candle trying not to go out. The Mind Stone's flare had left her rattled in ways she couldn't explain. Her powers were chaotic, unrefined, yet deeply attuned to the unnatural. And when she had seen Thanos... even through the grainy feed... something inside her recoiled. Her nightmares now had a face.
Vision hovered beside her, arms folded behind his back. His presence was calm, but his eyes were distant. "He has begun to move," he said softly. "And he is not coming alone."
Alexander turned toward him. "What do you see?"
Vision didn't blink. "I see death. On a scale even I do not yet comprehend. Worlds reduced to silence. Civilizations erased in moments."
There was a pause. Everyone absorbed those words.
Then Alexander spoke again. "We need to act before he does. We need to understand what he's looking for."
"The Stones," Thor said. He stepped forward, gripping Mjolnir tightly. His cape fluttered with the breeze drifting through the broken window. "He seeks all six. Ultron's use of the Mind Stone was the signal flare. Vision's birth only confirmed it. Now the Titan knows Earth holds one."
Steve looked up. "Then we protect it."
"Protection will not be enough," Vision replied. "He will not be deterred by resistance. He has waited centuries. He will not stop now."
"Let him come," Alexander said. His tone was steady, but the shadows around his feet stirred like predators in a cage. "If he's watching us, then he knows I'm here too. And I am not afraid."
"That's what he wants," Natasha said, folding her arms. "To make us overconfident. He breaks people long before he kills them."
The floor shook lightly beneath them as another shuttle touched down outside the facility. The low vibration passed through their boots like a distant heartbeat. S.H.I.E.L.D. reinforcements. More gear. Temporary command posts were being established near the eastern wing. Reports were streaming in from around the world. Scientists confused. Leaders panicking. Civilians unaware. The world wasn't ready.
But the Avengers had no choice.
Steve finally looked around the room. "We can't face this alone. We'll need allies. All of them. Not just governments, not just warriors. Anyone who's willing to stand against him."
"What about Wakanda?" Natasha asked. "They have resources beyond anything else on Earth. Vibranium tech, cloaking systems—"
"We'll reach out," Steve replied. "T'Challa's already been monitoring global threats. If he knows what's coming, he'll act."
Alexander walked toward the cracked window, looking out at the horizon. The city below was slowly recovering. Civilians were returning to their homes. Smoke still drifted from a few structures, but the people carried on. Unaware. Unprepared. His fingers twitched. He could feel the tension in the air—like the moment before lightning struck. The calm before the next storm.
Wanda stepped beside him. Her voice was quiet, but certain. "We can't hesitate. Not anymore."
Alexander looked at her and nodded. There was no hesitation in his voice. "No. We can't."
The lab was silent again. But above them, stars continued to move.
And far beyond the edge of the solar system, a fleet of ships pierced the void. Black hulls. Crimson engines. Designs not made by man. Not built for war, but for conquest. For genocide.
At their center, aboard the largest of them, Thanos stood before a circular display. The chamber around him echoed with silence and reverence. His loyal followers remained still, awaiting orders they knew would come.
The display flickered with images of Earth. Cities. Satellites. Land masses. Power readings from the Mind Stone. S.H.I.E.L.D. networks. Names.
And at the center of them all—Alexander.
Thanos lifted the gauntlet.
One stones glowed.
A low vibration trembled across the ship as power hummed to life. The stars seemed to shift.
And Earth waited.
To be continued.
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