Chapter 127 – The Children of Thanos
"Storm, take the controls. I need to examine this corpse," Jean said.
She stepped toward the remains of the Chitauri soldier, her telekinesis lifting a surgical blade. With a quick, precise motion, she sliced through the creature's skull. Inside, she found a neurological structure that defied everything she knew about biology.
"Professor, these aliens... they have cybernetic components integrated into their very tissue. They aren't biological; they're bio-mechanical constructs," Jean reported, her eyes widening. "You were right about the signal. They aren't thinking—they're executing commands. The source of that signal has to be outside the portal."
"Understood," Charles said, looking at Storm. "Tell Tony. He needs to know."
Storm patched the call through to Stark. It was the frequency they had established during their last collaboration.
"Hey, Professor! I'm a little busy here!" Tony's voice was strained, breathless. He was currently struggling to secure Loki, who stood in the middle of the chaos, watching in bewilderment as the Chitauri were systematically dismantled in every corner of the city.
"Listen, Tony—I'm on the ground," Charles said quickly. "The Chitauri are receiving a unified signal from an external source, likely from beyond the portal. You have two choices: close the portal to cut the signal, or destroy the command base on the other side."
"Are you sure?"
"The autopsy is fresh, but the evidence is compelling," Charles replied.
"Forget it," Tony decided. "If I close the portal, the signal dies anyway. And we don't know what that signal actually is—it might just be a tactical layer. I'm sticking to the original plan: take the Scepter and shut it down."
Tony realized the battlefield was contained. If they could keep the invasion trapped within New York, they would win, even if the city ended up a ruin. It would be a definitive victory that no one could spin.
He saw his opening. Loki was distracted, staring at the slaughter of his own army. Tony fired a repulsor blast, catching Loki's arm.
BOOM!
The Scepter clattered to the ground. As it fell, Tony dove, his armor screaming as he boosted toward the weapon. He snatched it from the dirt and banked toward Stark Tower.
"Loki! Stay right there," Tony yelled over the comms. "Once we close this gate, you're going to answer for every drop of blood spilled today."
But as Tony retreated, Loki didn't look defeated. He looked amused.
"Is this the 'mighty' Chitauri army?" Loki laughed to the empty air. "You claimed you'd conquered a hundred worlds. Yet, you can't even break out of a single city? Is this truly your strength?"
Loki wasn't worried. He didn't know about the fail-safe Dr. Selvig had hidden in the machine. He assumed Tony was taking the Scepter to study it, hoping to find a way to close the portal. It didn't matter. The power of the Tesseract was beyond human destruction. He wasn't talking to himself, either. He was goading those who had sent him.
"The power level of this world is indeed exceeding expectations," a cold, thin voice echoed.
From the portal, two figures emerged, stepping through a shimmer of gravitational distortion.
Ebony Maw. Cull Obsidian.
The Maw floated elegantly in the air, his eyes scanning the ruin of the New York skyline.
"If you don't intervene, this invasion will fail," Loki taunted. "Why send so little? Did you know this world was dangerous, and you used me and my army as bait to test the waters?"
The Maw didn't even glance at Loki. "There are things you aren't meant to understand. But this excursion has confirmed one thing: this world is indeed a grave threat."
Thanos had once sought the Infinity Gauntlet, but his investigation had been blocked by Odin. He knew then that the nine realms were a puzzle to be solved carefully. He had turned his focus to the Stones themselves, realizing that without them, the gauntlet was just a gold-plated toy. He had given the Scepter to Loki—an exiled Asgardian—to set the chess pieces in motion. It was a test. If Loki succeeded, it was a bonus; if he failed, it was still a successful reconnaissance mission.
But the Maw was shocked. He had expected the Chitauri to steamroll this planet. The Earth's technology was primitive compared to the galactic standard, yet the planet was swarming with "mysterious" power.
He saw the four-armed green giant, whose strength rivaled Cull Obsidian's. He saw the "Thunder God" channeling the same primal force as the King of Asgard. He saw the man made of explosions, the giant beast of a man growing with every hit, and the telepathic interference that shattered his soldiers' minds.
This wasn't a standard invasion. This world was a powder keg of biological and supernatural anomalies.
"Your soldiers are pathetic," Loki hissed. "You have two of your finest here. What are you waiting for?"
"I said, be silent," the Maw replied, his voice devoid of emotion.
He watched the city "come alive" with mutants and Fruit Users. He realized that the Chitauri had been nothing more than an expensive, expendable probe.
"Interesting," the Maw murmured to himself. "We have truly stumbled upon something far greater than we anticipated."