"Avengers," Jay said, and his voice carried the weight of inevitability.

  The Avengers felt it before they saw it.

  A warmth spreading through their bodies, but not like Jay's healing aura. This was deeper and more fundamental. Like reality itself was reaching into them and saying "No, you're not broken. You never were."

  Tony's arc reactor surged to one hundred percent, then kept climbing. The power output spiked beyond what should be possible. His armor's damage unmade itself as if it simply ceased to have ever been damaged.

  The Mark VII materialized around him, replacing the dying . It was sleeker and more powerful. Technology that shouldn't exist yet, pulled from a future that might never happen.

  "JARVIS, what..." Tony's voice carried genuine shock.

  [Sir, I... I don't have an explanation. Our systems show no record of the damage we sustained. Not only that, this armor has no record in my memory. But I have memory logs showing it did. Both states are simultaneously true. This is... this is simply impossible, sir.]

  Steve's broken arm didn't just heal. The concept of it being broken was simply erased. One moment it hung useless, shattered bones grinding, the next it was whole. His shield's hairline fractures vanished. The vibranium gleamed pristine, as if septre's attack had never landed.

  Natasha gasped as her ribs reset themselves and her concussion cleared as if she'd never been hit. The internal bleeding stopped, blood reabsorbing into healthy tissue. She stood straight, and the pain was just... gone.

  Her torn suit dissolved, replaced by something new. Black with gold highlights. And on each wrist, hummed with contained energy.

  "What the hell are these?"

  [Enhanced Spider Bites, Agent Romanoff,] JARVIS supplied helpfully through her comms. [Electrical discharge weapons with advanced taser technology. Approximately fifty thousand volts per discharge. I have no record of their construction, but I know exactly how they function.]

  Thor felt his exhaustion lift. But more than that, his divine power surged back, fresh and vital. He'd been running on empty, fighting with nothing but will and determination. Now his reserves were full again, his lightning crackling around Mjolnir with renewed strength.

  "By the Norns..." Thor's eyes glowed briefly. "My power returns as if I'd rested for days. This mortal commands time itself?"

  Banner, still Hulk, roared as the exhaustion that had been creeping in, slowing his movements, was gone.

  The jade giant grinned, all teeth and savage joy. "HULK READY TO SMASH AGAIN!"

  They were not only restored but upgraded.

  Loki stared, his theatrical confidence cracking further. "That's... that's not possible. Temporal manipulation requires the Time Stone. You don't have the Time Stone!"

  "Don't need it." Jay's power pulsed again, crackling across his skin like living lightning and the crack in Jay's temple widened further, spreading like frost across glass. Reality bent around him, visible as distortions in the air. "When you can just tell reality what happened, stones are optional."

  His vision blurred for a moment, and the world tilted. He steadied himself, taking a breath.

  Not much left. Maybe one more push, two if he was lucky.

  But enough for what came next.

  Jay's power exploded outward again. Not just covering the rooftop, but spreading across Manhattan. Across the entire city. Through every street, every building, every shelter where heroes fought and bled.

  ?Financial District - Baxter Building Entrance

  Frank Castle's mech-suit sparked, systems failing after twenty minutes of holding the line. Out of missiles, low on ammo and power core redlining.

  "Come on," Frank growled through gritted teeth. "Just need to hold for a few more minutes. Five more..."

  Then light washed over him, and the mech-suit exploded outward.

  Metal erupted, grew, expanded impossibly large. The compact battle suit transformed into something magnificent.

  A Gundam.

  Sixty feet tall. Black and white armor with a skull symbol on the chest. Beam sabers at its hips, mega beam cannons on its shoulders and a shield the size of a city bus locked into place on the left arm.

  Frank stood in the cockpit, surrounded by holographic displays as weapon systems came online one after another.

  He didn't question it. Didn't even waste time wondering.

  As a soldier, he knew you don't question the weapon. You use it.

  Frank's hands found the controls, and the Gundam responded.

  "Alright, you bluebleeders. Round two!" Frank said quietly.

  The mega beam cannons fired. Twin lances of golden energy carved through a Leviathan. The Gundam's foot came down, crushing a squadron of Chitauri chariots beneath tons of metal.

  Frank's voice was cold fury. "THIS IS THE PUNISHMENT YOU GET FOR THREATENING MY CITY!"

  ?Midtown

  Peter Parker crouched behind wreckage; Harry's torn jacket wrapped around his face. His body screamed and was injured with three broken ribs at least, a dislocated shoulder and could barely see straight from the concussion.

  But he kept fighting. Because what else could he do?

  A Chitauri soldier rounded the corner. Peter tried to punch it, but his arm didn't respond as he saw the alien closing in, and he thought, 'If only I had a kiting option.'

  Light washed over him, and his injuries vanished. The broken ribs ceased to be broken. As the concussion unwrote itself and his shoulder popped back into place.

  And finally, his clothes changed.

  The torn jacket and makeshift mask dissolved. In their place, a materialized. It was Red and blue, sleek and form-fitting with a spider symbol across the chest. Lenses that adjusted to his vision, suddenly giving him enhanced sight as HUD displays flickered to life in his peripheral vision.

  And brand new web shooters appeared on his wrists.

  "What the..." Peter looked down at himself. "Is this... am I wearing...?"

  [Welcome, Peter Parker,] a voice said in his ear. [I am FRIDAY. Your personal AI assistant. Would you like a tutorial on your suit's capabilities?]

  "I have an AI?!"

  [Yes. You also have approximately thirty seconds before the Chitauri soldier recovers and shoots you. Might I suggest webbing it to the wall?]

  Peter's hands moved on instinct. Web fluid shot out, electric variant, catching the alien and pinning it. The soldier convulsed as fifty thousand volts ran through it.

  "Holy crap. Holy crap holy crap holy CRAP!"

  [Your emotional response is noted. However, there are civilians trapped in the building to your left. Would you like assistance plotting an optimal rescue route?]

  Peter's spider-sense pinged.

  "Yeah, let's save people."

  He launched himself into the air, web-lines singing. The new suit moved with him, enhancing his strength, his speed, his reflexes. Everything he'd been struggling with for suddenly felt natural.

  Peter Parker stopped being a scared kid in a torn jacket.

  He became Spider-Man.

  District X

  Callisto fought with controlled fury, her enhanced senses tracking every threat. But there were too many. Always too many.

  A Chitauri chariot screamed toward the bunker entrance. Civilians still streaming inside. She couldn't block it, nor could she reach them in time.

  Suddenly, light pulsed, and her body exploded with power.

  Enhanced senses became supernatural awareness. She could hear heartbeats three blocks away, smell the ozone from alien weapons and even feel vibrations through the ground, mapping enemy positions without seeing them.

  Her reflexes tripled as she moved, faster than any normal human, intercepting the chariot mid-flight. Her hand punched through its hull. She ripped out the power core and threw the entire vehicle into a building.

  "Morlocks!" Callisto's voice carried absolute authority. "Stop holding back! Show these invaders what happens when you threaten our home!"

  Marrow's bone blades, already formidable, grew longer and sharper. She could shape them now into different weapons. Swords, spears and shields grew from her forearm.

  She charged into a squad of Chitauri soldiers. Bone blades carved through armor. Each movement was lethal and perfectly placed.

  Anole's reptilian form bulked up, his scales hardening beyond natural biology. Energy blasts that should have hurt him bounced off harmlessly. His regeneration accelerated as an alien blade cut his arm, and it regrew in seconds.

  "I'M A GODDAMN LIZARD!" Anole laughed, tail whipping out to take down three Chitauri. "AND I'M ANGRY!"

  Sack grew larger, his grotesque form expanding, becoming a living wall between the civilians and danger. Chitauri fired at him. He absorbed the hits, his malleable body catching energy blasts and kinetic impacts.

  "None shall pass," Sack rumbled, his voice deeper, more resonant. "This is our district. Our home. And you are not welcome."

  ?Shelter Near Grand Central

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Danny Rand felt his chi return. And not just return, but Amplify.

  The Iron Fist ignited again, but brighter and stronger. Both hands glowed golden, not just his right. The energy extended up his forearms, creating of pure chi.

  "The Iron Fist serves the innocent," Danny whispered, assuming a stance. "And you have harmed the innocent."

  He moved.

  A single palm strike created a shockwave that knocked a dozen Chitauri off their feet. His kicks left golden afterimages. Every punch detonated like a bomb.

  Luke Cage felt his already bulletproof skin harden further, becoming impenetrable on a level beyond human enhancement. A Leviathan tried to eat him, but its teeth broke against his flesh.

  "You know what?" Luke grabbed the creature's jaw, muscles bulging. "I'm tired of playing defense!"

  He ripped the Leviathan's mouth open, actually tore the creature's jaw apart with his bare hands. Blue blood sprayed on him as the Leviathan's death throes carried it into a building, but Luke had already moved on.

  "Power Man's the name!" Luke laughed, grabbing a Chitauri chariot and throwing it like a javelin. "And you aliens just got powered the fuck down!"

  Jessica Jones, who'd been barely conscious, sat up as her body healed. She was more than healed. She was enhanced.

  Her flight, which had been struggling, stabilized. She could feel the power now, understand it. Control it properly for the first time since getting her abilities.

  And her strength... she'd always been strong. Now she was in Luke's league.

  "Okay," Jessica stood, cracking her knuckles. "Now I'm pissed."

  She launched herself at a Leviathan. Her punch connected with its skull, and the impact echoed like thunder. The creature's head snapped back, neck vertebrae shattering.

  ?All Across the World

  The light didn't just touch the heroes Jay knew.

  Across the entire world, Jay reached out. Through every continent, every nation, every hidden corner where potential waited dormant.

  In Japan, Noriko Ashida, who'd been dreaming of heroes all her life, felt electricity crackle between her fingers.

  In India, the Invincible felt his armor respond, the ancient technology surging with new power beyond what his father had designed. Beside him, 's alien heritage awakened fully, his strength multiplying as he looked up at the sky, knowing where he was needed.

  In Africa, Ngozi, a local hero, discovered she could not only turn invisible, but also phase through matter like a ghost.

  In Europe, dozens of mutants who'd been suppressing their powers, terrified of persecution, felt those abilities amplify beyond imagination.

  In South America. Robert Decosta, a boy who could use the power of the sun itself responded.

  In Australia. Two surfer siblings, Life Guard and Slipstream, responded to his call.

  And Jay pulled them.

  And in their minds, broadcast across every newly awakened consciousness, a single message:

  "Take the chance if you want to be more than yourself. If you want to be an Avenger."

  Hundreds of thousands of people, all across the globe, felt the offer. The call.

  Most ignored it and chose to stay home, safe and ordinary.

  But thousands still answered.

  With a 'SNAP', Jay muttered through gritted teeth, "Let there be Heroes!"

  Rainbow light flashed across the world. Teleportation on a scale never attempted.

  The crack in Jay's temple spread further, branches spider-webbing across his forehead.

  But it was done.

  People appeared in Manhattan, confused and terrified but empowered. In the streets, on rooftops, in safe zones away from immediate danger.

  Surge appeared on a roof, lightning crackling around her body. Below, Chitauri swarmed. She didn't think just acted. Lightning lanced downward, frying a dozen aliens.

  "Holy... I'm in New York. I'm in NEW YORK!"

  Two blocks over, Chakra materialized in a flash of light, his armor gleaming. A Leviathan turned toward him, jaws opening. Chakra's hands came together, channeling energy through his suit. A massive blast of concentrated power struck the creature head-on, punching through its skull.

  "This is for you 'bhaiya'," he said quietly, remembering his brother, then launched himself at the next target.

  Krrish landed beside a National Guard unit that was being overrun. His enhanced strength, fully awakened now, let him move faster than the eye could track. He grabbed a Chitauri chariot mid-flight, spun, and hurled it into three more.

  The sergeant stared. "Who the hell are you?"

  "Someone who wants to help." Krrish's alien heritage showed in his eyes, glowing faintly. "Where do you need me?"

  The sergeant pointed toward a collapsing building. "There's civilians trapped inside."

  Krrish was already moving.

  Nagozi from Africa materialized near a Chitauri squad. She panicked, and her instinct took over. Her body phased and becoming intangible. Alien weapons passed through her harmlessly. She reached out and touched a soldier. It began phasing too, but only partially. The creature screamed as half its body passed through the ground while the other half stayed solid.

  She looked at her hands, then at the civilians cowering nearby.

  "Run! I'll cover you!"

  The story repeated across Manhattan. Newly awakened heroes, unprepared, thrust into a war zone. Some died. Some finally fled, seeing the reality of war. But most fought because Jay had offered them a chance to be more.

  To be heroes.

  To be Avengers.

  ?Stark Tower Rooftop

  Steve raised his shield. The pristine vibranium caught the light.

  "Avengers..."

  Tony's repulsors charged to maximum. Natasha's Spider Bites crackled with electricity. Thor spun Mjolnir, lightning dancing. Hulk cracked his massive knuckles.

  "...ASSEMBLE!"

  The word hung in the air for a heartbeat, then they moved as one.

  Steve charged first, shield raised, Tony took to the air as Natasha flanked right. Thor came from above, and finally Hulk bounded forward with earth-shaking force.

  Five warriors V/S One enemy.

  Captain America led the charge, shield flying from his hand. The vibranium disc spun through the air with perfect precision and struck Loki's barrier. For the first time, the protective magic cracked against the Avenger's attack. Hairline fractures spread across the shimmering surface. Steve caught the shield on the rebound and followed through with a shield bash that shattered the barrier completely.

  Magical energy exploded outward in golden shards.

  Iron Man came in from above, repulsors at maximum output. Twin beams of concentrated energy hammered into Loki, driving him back. The god's feet carved furrows in the rooftop as he slid backwards. He tried to create illusions, tried to teleport, but Tony was ready.

  "JARVIS, track the energy signature! Find the real one!"

  [Target acquired, sir. Marking now.]

  A holographic indicator appeared over the real Loki. Tony's micro-missiles launched, all twelve converging on that single point.

  Loki's eyes widened. He threw up defensive magic, green energy forming a dome.

  The missiles hit. The dome held for exactly one second, then it shattered.

  Fire and shrapnel tore at Loki's armor. He screamed, stumbling backwards and smoke rose from a dozen wounds.

  Black Widow moved in close, her enhanced agility carrying her around Loki's wild magic blasts. She got inside his guard, Spider Bites crackling, and jabbed both hands into his ribs.

  Fifty thousand volts coursed through the God of Mischief.

  Loki's body went rigid as his back arched. Electricity danced across his armor, finding every gap.

  Natasha didn't let go, held on while electricity cooked him from the inside.

  "This is for Clint, you son of a bitch."

  Loki collapsed, twitching. She released him just as Thor descended, and for a moment, something flickered across his face.

  Grief.

  The memory of a brother he'd once loved. Of childhood pranks and shared secrets. Of a time before ambition and jealousy had poisoned everything.

  But that brother was gone. Had died the moment Loki chose conquest over family.

  Thor's expression hardened as his grip on Mjolnir tightened until his knuckles went white.

  "Brother." Thor's voice carried just... sadness. "It ends."

  Mjolnir struck.

  The hammer connected with Loki's chest, and the sound was thunder made solid.

  The impact created a shockwave that shattered windows for three blocks. Loki flew backward, tumbling through the air, crashed into the Stark Tower logo, denting the massive metal letters. He tried to rise, tried to speak, tried to summon more magic.

  Hulk landed beside him. The rooftop cracked under his weight.

  "NO MORE TRICKS. JUST SMASH."

  The green giant grabbed Loki by the leg. Lifted him and swung him. Slammed him into the rooftop as concrete shattered from impact. Lifted him again and slammed him again. Left side, then right side. Alternating impacts. Then one final time, just for venting more anchor.

  "PUNY GOD!"

  The rooftop cratered. Loki lay in the center, his armor shattered, his face bloody, his breathing labored. One arm bent wrong. Ribs visibly broken and blood seeping from a dozen wounds.

  The Avengers circled him. Five warriors who'd been broken, beaten, pushed beyond their limits. Who'd lost a teammate. Who'd fought through hell.

  And won.

  Steve stood at the circle's head, shield raised. Tony's repulsors hummed, aimed at Loki's skull. Natasha's Spider Bites crackled. Thor held Mjolnir ready. Hulk loomed, fists clenched.

  Loki looked up at them through swollen eyes, his theatrical confidence completely gone.

  "You... you can't..." He coughed blood, green mixed with red. "Father will... the Allfather will..."

  "Let him come," Steve said quietly. "Let Odin himself come. We'll tell him his son is a murderer. A tyrant. Someone who chose conquest over family."

  Tony's repulsors stayed charged. "Move, twitch or even think about illusions. I dare you."

  "I had a throne waiting," Loki's voice broke, became something small and desperate. "A place. A purpose. I was supposed to matter. To be remembered as more than Odin's mistake. More than Thor's shadow. The Mad Titan promised me..." His good eye focused on nothing, seeing some distant possibility that would never exist. "I was going to be a king."

  Despite the warning, Loki's hand subtly twitched, tried to perform a quick spell, but suddenly an arrow flew true.

  It threaded between falling Chitauri bodies, past debris and smoke, as it followed a perfect trajectory and lodged itself directly in his left eye.

  The God of Mischief screamed as his hands scrabbled at the arrow embedded in his eye socket. Blood poured down his face, mixing with the gore already there.

  Clint's voice carried across the distance, with surprised calm.

  "Shouldn't have used my corpse as a propaganda piece, you theatrical piece of shit."

  The Avengers stared in surprise.

  Tony's head snapped around. "What?"

  Steve's shield dropped an inch. "Clint?"

  Thor's eyes widened. "The archer lives?"

  Hulk's rage flickered, replaced by confusion. "Bird man not dead?"

  Natasha's Spider Bites powered down as her hands fell to her sides.

  Clint stood on a lower rooftop, forty feet away. A new bow in hand with a full quiver on his back.

  Alive.

  "CLINT!"

  Natasha jumped, straight off the edge of Stark Tower, sixty stories up, diving toward the lower rooftop, with no hesitation and just the absolute need to reach him.

  She hit the rooftop hard, rolled and came up running. Clint barely had time to lower his bow before she crashed into him. They went down in a tangle of limbs with Natasha on top, her hands grabbing his face, then his shoulders and finally his chest. Checking, confirming and making sure he was real.

  "How? I saw Loki kill you. How are you..." She couldn't finish, through the tears that were streaming down her face now that all her control was gone.

  Clint's arms came up, wrapping around her tight. "I don't know. I was with my parents, and then there was this light, and someone was giving me a choice to come back. So, I came back." He held her tighter, his own voice rough. "I wasn't going to miss the end of the world. Not when you guys need a sharpshooter."

  Natasha pulled back just far enough to look at him.

  There was nothing. Just clean skin.

  "You died."

  "My death was… greatly exaggerated." Clint joked.

  Natasha's expression shifted. The relief vanished, and he hit him hard. Right on the shoulder.

  "DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!"

  "Wasn't planning on it, Nat. Dying sucks. Zero out of ten. Would not recommend."

  She hit him again. Then a third time. Each impact harder than the last. Then pulled him into another hug, her body shaking. Her professional mask completely shattered now. The tears came freely. Months of partnership, years of trust, the bond between them too deep for words.

  She'd lost him.. And now he was back.

  "You're such an asshole," she whispered against his shoulder.

  "Yeah." Clint's voice was thick. "Yeah, I know."

  They stayed like that for a long moment while the world burned around them. Aliens dying in the streets. The mothership still looming overhead. And two assassins holding each other like lifelines.

  Then Tony's voice came through their comms, gentler than his usual snark. "As touching as this reunion is, we've still got a giant alien mothership and approximately hundred thousand Chitauri soldiers between us and victory. Maybe save the rest of the hugging for after we win?"

  Natasha helped Clint up, wiped her eyes, got her professional face back on.

  "Let's go finish this."

  Clint grinned. "After you, partner."

  Across Manhattan

  Steve's voice cut through every comm channel, every commandeered radio and every borrowed phone.

  "All enhanced individuals, this is Captain America. I know some of you just woke up with powers you don't understand. I know most of you are scared. But right now, Earth needs you, and I need you to listen carefully."

  On a rooftop in Midtown, Surge froze mid-lightning charge.

  "Form up into groups of three to five. Find the nearest police officer or soldier. They'll tell you where to go. If you can shoot energy, hit the flyers. If you're strong, protect the civilians. If you can make shields, guard the evacuation routes. Stay together and watch each other's backs."

  In the Financial District, Nagozi phased through another Chitauri squad, then stopped. Looked around. Found two other enhanced individuals nearby.

  "You two! With me! We protect this block!"

  Robert Decosta from S?o Paulo landed next to a National Guard unit, breathing hard.

  The sergeant stared at the flying kid for exactly two seconds, then pointed. "Leviathan, three blocks east. Keep it away from the hospital."

  "On it!" The kid shot into the air.

  Across Manhattan, chaos began organizing itself. Not smoothly, as people were still confused, scared and making mistakes. But they were listening, following orders and working together because Captain America asked them to.

  Chitauri forces that had been pushing forward found themselves facing organized resistance as the humans' scattered defenders became a coordinated army.

  Leviathans fell from the sky, brought down by concentrated fire. Chitauri chariots exploded as heroes with energy kited them from far away, while those with super strength threw cars, debris, anything they could lift on the ground forces as they found themselves boxed in, trapped and eliminated.

  The Chitauri communication network was filled with panic, retreat orders, confusion and fear.

  For the first time since the invasion began, the aliens were losing visibly.

  Steve stood on a rooftop, watching the battlefield shift. His tactical mind processed everything.

  "Tony, status on the mothership?"

  "Johnny's doing his best impression of a star up there. The hull's compromised, but it's still operational. We need to destroy that ship."

  "Then we destroy the ship first." Steve's voice was absolute. "Avengers, form up. We end this. Now."