Standing in front of one of the business centers, a middle-aged brunette wondered whether it was worth doing what she had planned. After thinking a little more, she finally decided and took the first step toward the entrance to the building.
Having given her information at the entrance, she was escorted to the required floor. Almost immediately, the secretary let her inside. A luxuriously arranged office with well-equipped equipment and furniture was waiting for her. A blonde in a business suit was sitting at an expensively made table. Who was working with documents.
The man she saw was not the one she had planned to meet, which left her confused.
- Good afternoon, Miss Hanson. Please sit down. My name is Anna Sycheva. You were looking for a meeting, the office owner greeted her in a friendly manner.
- I thought there would be a meeting with Dr. Ice here. I don't think...
- Alexander is currently unavailable. - she tried to calm her guest down before he left the office. - At the moment, everything related to his assets goes through me. He entrusted me to develop the company while he is busy. In addition, for several days now, instead of Alexander, you have been corresponding with me - Anna took out her phone and showed this very correspondence.
Knowing that in front of her was not just some employee, Maya was still afraid to act openly with a person she was wiggling for the first time. Sighing, she decided to take this step. Taking a small folder out of her bag, she silently handed it to the owner of the office. Anna tried to absorb the information after looking through the folder for several minutes and glancing at her guest.
- What do you want for this information? - In the folder there was a very promising project that Ledov would have liked. Even if he didn't fully understand all the terms, the information was written so that it could be understood.
- I need protection and guarantees on some issues. - Realizing that there would be no way back, Maya decided to continue the conversation, despite her internal doubts.
- what you brought can change the world, why did you decide to betray your employer?
- I'll tell you everything when I talk to Alexander.
Okay, then I'll start preparing the documents and let him know that we need to hold a meeting.
****
While in one place business negotiations were taking place . In another place preparations for the battle were taking place. Many did not understand what was happening and two police officers who were assigned not to let anyone through.
- Steve, do you think London will become the second New York? - asked the first, taking a sip of coffee.
- I don't know Dave, but what's happening doesn't do much good. - They were put in place and told not to let anyone from the civilians through.
- and those guys in golden armor, like knights. Could it really be that Thor brought them - many saw how the beam of light passed several more times and each time more people in armor appeared.
- I hope that they won't send us to decide what everyone is gathering for.
- Well, yes, Iron Man, Thor, Aquaman (title in the works) and a bunch of other military guys and these guys are like role-players. I'd rather stand somewhere further away. - Everything that was happening was kept secret, but civilians were taken away from the possible battle zone.
- I agree that whatever is planned there will be a big mess.
****
The next day, several blocks of London were evacuated. There were no people in sight except for a large man in a red coat and the girl he was supporting.
- Thor seems to me to be getting worse, are you sure that Malekith will come - it was scary to look at Jane, the bruises under her eyes. Veins were visible all over her body. The ether that was in her would soon kill her completely.
- Yes. We made sure that Malekith knows that we are here. If he does not respond now, then everything he did will be pointless. Therefore, he will definitely come for you.
- I believe but I'm scared - in response the man simply hugged her, giving her warmth and confidence.
While the couple were passing the time in an embrace. A ship of dark elves flew up to them in camouflage mode. Having shown himself, Thor got into a fighting pose. He knew that they would not attack with the help of the ship's weapons, but there could be other tricks.
After watching for a couple of minutes, the invaders themselves began to descend from the ship. At the head of their delegation was Malekti himself. Seeing the enemy's face, the desire to throw a hammer at his face grew stronger with each passing second.
- And here we are, you do not want to give her to us, but are ready to sacrifice all the worlds just to let her live a little longer. - Malekith stood on the dais, his voice confident and menacing, as if he were not just a leader, but the very essence of darkness. His followers gathered around him, their eyes burning with greed and hatred. They awaited his command, ready to fulfill his every desire.
- Yes, I am ready to do it, but if you think that you can take over worlds with this power, you are deeply mistaken. - Thor was holding the hammer threateningly all this time, hinting at how exactly it would interfere - I propose a deal: you take the ether, and then I will kick your ass.
- How vulgar, I expected more from the prince of Asgard, but I agree to take the ether for this. Kill him. - At that moment, Malekith's soldiers attacked Thor. Malekith himself went to the girl.
The fear on her face pleased the leader of the dark elves. While Thor was fighting off the attack, he decided not to stand on ceremony and snatch the ether. Jane's scream was heard throughout the area. Thor, who had sent the elf flying with his hammer, looked at Jane and paid for it with several blows.
Hahahahaha - Jane's body fell limply to the ground and Malekith did not hesitate and began to absorb the ether.
Seeing Jane's body lying on the ground and not moving, Thor did not hesitate and flew away from the meeting place, taking the former vessel of ether.
Having flown several hundred meters, the couple simply disappeared. But in place of the king of the dark elves, an explosion appeared.
****
In a remote place from the earth stood a small group of people. Tony Stark in his battle armor, Alex with several doctors and equipment for receiving patients and Fendral with several guardians of Asgard. They all waited for Thor to do his part of the job. At the moment, all nine worlds had rifts that allowed you to move between them as if you were entering another command.
- Commander, order to kill the goats - the frivolous attitude towards the ongoing actions was stressful for everyone except Alex.
Thanks to his equipment, he was able to see what was happening on the other side of the fault and understand when to expect the bait.
- and here is Superman together with Lois - Thor himself without thinking put his girlfriend on the couch where Alex immediately took hold of her and several doctors assisted him. Thor himself did not take his eyes off.
Big guy, don't get distracted, we're acting according to plan - after all, Tony has some kind of core - trust Alex, he helped your mother and will help her.
- Thor, don't look at me like that. She'll be fine, she's just in pain shock. I'll restore her a little and hand her over to Fandrel.
- Thank you, friend - Thor exhaled heavily and cheered up - I am in your debt.
- then start by making them regret that they even thought of attacking your house - Looking at Tony, Thor turned his gaze to Fendrel, receiving a nod and from him Thor went through the rift to the battle.
If you look at the sensors of Iron Man, you can see a map of London on it, where there were many green and red dots. With some manipulations in some places on the map, there were more red dots, which allowed the green dots to be in the majority.
- Dear warrior, please explain to me what is happening, because Thor was not stingy with explanations after I became the guardian of his lady.
Stark looked at the curious Asgardian and ate a map of London with many dots.
- After I got access to the research on the rifts and a little help from Jane, we were able to create equipment that can be used to manipulate these rifts. - After doing a couple more manipulations, the number of marks changed, in some places there were more red ones, in others there were fewer - thanks to this, I am now separating the soldiers of this Malekith so that our people can deal with him with fewer losses.
- What is this? - Fandral pointed to the new red dots that appeared in the sky.
- And these look like new guests - after examining the camera it was visible as several dozen spaceships enter the airspace of the earth - roadie, I'm sending you the coordinates. Hey, water one, are you there for long?
- A couple of minutes, don't rush me - Tony wanted to join the battle, but according to the plan, he was waiting for Alex to be free and they would go to help together.
****
If a British military officer had been told a week ago that he would be fighting aliens, he would not have believed it.
Of course the battle in New York showed that we are not alone in the universe. But it was already as if it was a little forgotten. But now firing at creatures not from this planet. He feared for his future.
Command put them all in their places and said that the battle would begin at any moment. Sitting for half a day in some jungle, a second later he found himself back in London and a shootout began.
Many of his comrades had already been killed. The aliens' weapons pierced any armor that the British soldier was wearing. Some were less fortunate when they were captured by some gravity grenades . Watching his friends turn into minced meat only caused anger and a desire to shoot everyone. The warriors in golden armor sent from another world fought well and with the help of their shields covered the earthlings as best they could.
Now, sitting behind the wall, several people were preparing for the final attack before they were called upon.
But suddenly the enemies who were pressing them simply disappeared. All participants were briefly explained what it was. But to see how people could simply appear and disappear was like magic for many. This gave time to regroup to another position. Moving, he looked at the sky and saw ten more small ships, each of which was like a pile of iron trash that somehow managed to fly. Realizing that reinforcements had arrived for the enemy, the only thing he could do was move towards his own.
****
Ten small frigates of various space riffraff appeared within range of the destroyers.
Having received the order, a squadron of ten units that circled around the city headed towards the unidentified objects that entered the atmosphere. The order was simple: destroy them all. If possible, do it outside the city.
Trying to intercept, the pilots fired the first salvo. Missiles launched at the alien ships hit only two of them, one of which took a hit on the energy shield. But even a direct hit on the spacecraft did not give much result, the ship itself was able to continue the battle. Such a number of misses was due to superior weapons and good maneuverability of the ships themselves. Half of the pirate fleet that entered space went to intercept the British Air Force, the rest went to the ground. Realizing that the battle would not end quickly, the pilots requested support. Due to less maneuverability, the hunters became victims and they began to pursue. The warrior joined the chase. Using a salvo of missiles from his shoulder, he could hit the vulnerable points of one of the ships. Which began to fall rapidly after such a blow. The small size of the warrior helped him avoid many attacks and allowed him to set the battle. By drawing attention to himself, the warrior could free the fighter pilots who began to go into a new circle to give another salvo. In 10 minutes of battle, only four fighters against three ships remained alive. Missiles did not penetrate shields very well. Fortunately for the defenders, one pirate captain did not consider all this disadvantageous, so he left the space and flew into space. Continuation of the battle could have cost the lives of all the pilots and even the warrior who was clad in excellent armor. Having received a signal from the command, all the remaining fighters in the sky began to leave the combat zone, because in a few seconds the sky over London was painted with dozens of explosions of air defense missiles of varying strength. The damage that was inflicted on all the pirates remaining in the battle was fatal. The power of the shields could not withstand and therefore many fragments fell on the streets of London.
****
After handing Jane over to Fandral's care, Alex left the rift where they had been hiding all this time. There was no battle where they came out, but gunshots were clearly heard everywhere.
- We need to hold out for another 5 minutes and then that Snow White won't be so dangerous -
- Tony here is the Hudson River I can help those who are here and you check those ships that flew to the city -
- Okay, take care of yourself, icicle –
Alex sighed heavily and wanted to come up with a clever answer, but he had more important things to do. Getting to the river was not difficult. In this area, the problem was caused by a large T-shaped spaceship. The weapons were powerful. And even though it was hanging in one place, it did not reduce the danger.
When he reached the river, he began to concentrate. The dirty river, which seemed lifeless and useless, suddenly came to life. The water began to rise, turning into a powerful tsunami, which hung over the river, as if ready to strike.
The sounds of battle died down for a moment as a huge wave caught the attention of all involved. Some fighters and invaders stopped to watch this natural wonder. In some areas, the battle stopped completely as all eyes were drawn to the water element hanging over the city.
- Show-off -
Alex ignored the voice in his earpiece, but felt his body tense. He began to slowly direct the flow of water through the streets and squares. The wave moved with incredible force, passing through crowds of enemies and destroying everything in its path. Many earthlings tried to hide or run away, but the flow of water passed them by - it was as controlled and precise as it was possible for a person to control such a scale for the first time.
It was incredibly difficult to control such a mass of water, especially for a novice on such a scale. Alex felt his muscles tense, his mind struggling to control every movement of the flow.
Eventually, the tsunami swept across the entire area, sweeping away the enemies and destroying their fortifications.
- Doctor Ledov time the process of convergence passed the line. –
- Thanks, Jarvis. All that's left to do is deal with the main bastard.
****
Everyone who was directly or indirectly preparing for the battle tried to make sure that all events took place in a certain place so as not to affect the local population. Even after informing the city authorities about the imminent alien attack, the city authorities treated everything with skepticism. Civilians suffered for this. Information about the attack was not widely spread among citizens and ordinary law enforcement officers, so when space pirates began to land on the streets of the city, this quickly caused panic. Of course, the ships were just pirate rabble that could quickly assemble a malekith. Their only goal was to sow chaos while their employer did his job. And even though there were armed people on combat alert all over the city, they were not prepared for the fact that a ship could land in the middle of the street and a battle in the middle of the city would begin. Civilians were forbidden to leave their homes on this day. Therefore, there were not very many victims among the civilian population.
Steve and Dave were standing and driving people away from the closed territory yesterday, and today they were shooting at space pirates on the city streets.
- but someone suggested dismantling the armory so that everyone would be armed - Steve decided to reload while hiding behind a column.
- "You won't get anything because there won't be anything" - Dave was clearly quoting one of their bosses quite well, considering how this phrase caused irritation.
The situation in this area was not rosy: having a more quantitative and qualitative advantage, the pirates suppressed one policeman after another.
Many of the aliens were humanoid in shape, so fighting them was like fighting a regular shootout with painted clowns.
- FLARE GUN - Seeing how one of these pirates took out a bigger weapon, Steve did not hesitate and warned his own.
The plasma charge that hit the column caused an explosion that concussed everyone. And Steve himself was pushed by something.
When Steve came to, he discovered that he was covered by a man with whom he had spent most of his time for several years.
Dave - he shook him a little - Dave. Dave. DAVE. BITCHES. I'LL KILL YOU. - the rage simply overwhelmed him, from which he thoughtlessly began to shoot at the intruders.
Of course, it didn't bring any results. The cartridges ran out earlier. And now he is the only one left on this street, several of his comrades are lying wounded and waiting for help that may not arrive in time.
But the music from above distracted the robbers from ending his life. As if death itself, the iron man descended from the sky. Beam weapon mini rockets or just a blow from a power suit. One minute and those who could not resist the guards of order were destroyed by one superhero from the ground.
- help will come to you soon, help them as much as you can, but I have to go, there are still many Martians on earth -
Steve himself simply watched silently as Iron Man flew away from him.
****
Thor stood in front of Malekith with his hammer in his hands and his enemy on his knees. The blood that flowed down his body did not bother the god of thunder.
- This is what your thirst for power has led to. The last survivors who followed you are now dead. Most likely, you are the last survivor -
The battle was much harder for Thor. He had never had such an enemy before. The chase across several worlds, the damage from the red ether storm took its toll.
- No... you can't whitewash me. YOU WILL ALL DIE...
In a last desperate attack, Malekith tried to release all the power of the Aether in order to take as much as possible with him. Thor tried to stop Malekith from doing this, but the blast wave threw Thor back. But a second later, there was nothing in Malekith's place.
- How are you there, Superman? Are you alive? - The scarlet metal armor landed next to the thunder god.
- he is not defeated yet we must finish
Wait, wait - Tony managed to stop Thor, turned to the place where Malekith was and a small rocket flew out of his shoulder and disappeared into the rift - if after this he survives, then your father will finish the job.
*****
My king the battle is over - Heimdall stood and watched the battle all this time. The king of Asgard with his guards were waiting nearby and he kept them informed of the main events.
- And Malekith? - Heimdall found Malekith in his own world with his sight. He was terribly wounded. The great explosion that the knight in scarlet armor caused had dealt terrible damage to the elven lord, but had not killed him.
- He is wounded, but not killed, my king.
Then launch the beaver and destroy it, then we'll go get the ether.
- it will be done - Heimdal immediately began to carry out the order and the bivrest engine came to life again.