(Omni-base)
Three days later (Earth's time) ....
The omni-force team, including Tommy, stood outside the headquarters building, fully clad in their suits. Zayne stood before them also clad in his phase one omni-suit, followed by Alpha, and finally the floating kara.
After more than 300 days of automatic training with the base's acceleration function and training cards, the team's strength had finally advanced to a whole new level. Even Tommy came back stronger from his journey, giving the team a profound shock. If they didn't know Tommy was a veteran ranger, they might have thought he was cheating.
As for the context of his mission, Tommy didn't disclose it yet and planned to do so after the mission.
Zayne looked at his teammates with satisfaction, genuinely happy about their new strength. It gave him even more confidence to overwhelm the incoming forces.
Standing there, he could practically sense the confidence emanating from each of them. Their previous anxiety towards the mission was now non-existent. Their new strength had washed it away.
Their new powers had practically dispelled that fear.
"Omni-force…. today might be one of the most important and perilous days for Earth and Humanity. Forces from outside the galaxy are heading towards our home as we speak. Their mission is to plunder our home and hurt our loved ones. This we shall not accept!" Zayne began, speaking with both courage and solemnity. "Our people, family, loved ones, and so much more depend on our victory today. I know we all have trained till our bones creaked, bled in battle, all for this very day."
The entire team stood up straight, with eyes burning with resolve and rage towards the invaders. They knew what this mission meant for them and the planet. If they succeeded in stopping the invaders, Earth was saved. But if they failed, Earth would be doomed and at the mercy of the invaders. Plundered and enslaved like any other failed civilization.
But they were heroes; Protectors of the planet and their home. They couldn't accept it. They would rather die than allow the invaders to get what they want.
"For this moment, we have trained till our bones creaked and blood dripped. For this moment, we have gotten stronger. Stronger than our past selves. Now..." Zayne continued as a ferocious glint flashed through his visor. "We shall show the invaders that Earth isn't just a planet they can mess with. We shall show them hell. Earth shall not be oppressed, and we shall counter at full force.
Omni-force, are you with me?!"
Zayne's final sentence came out like a roar, boosting the team's morale.
"Yes, sir!" x 6
"Omni-force, are you with me?!!" Zayne spoke again, this time his voice a little louder
"Sir, yes, sir!!!" x6. The team's reply came out even louder, shaking the area around them.
Zayne smiled under his ranger helmet and continued. "Good, Alpha opens the teleportation transit. It's time to declare war on these space pests."
His words sounded harsh, but everyone understood. These aliens, like pests, planned to destroy everything in their path. And as the 'farmers', they would harvest their lives and save humanity.
Alpha executed the command instantly, opening a rainbow-like vortex meter high and wide, before the entire team.
"Omni-force, move out." Zayne waved and commanded the team to enter the portal.
The team said no more and immediately entered. They were fully geared and ready to battle. Zayne followed after, not before giving Alpha some instructions.
Fwoosh~
The rainbow-like portal disappeared after, leaving only Alpha and Kara watching the now-empty field in silence.
....
(Space – Solar system)
Two mother ships appeared through a wormhole. The two ships converged and moved near a solar system. One looked like a biological warship and was brown in color, with smaller ships in the same framework around it. The other was entirely black and looked like a giant fortress, appearing more intimidating than the former.
Their goal... the blue planet, Earth.
No communication was established between the two legions, as there was already mutual understanding. They had no worries, for the supreme leader of each force had already made arrangements.
The instruction was simple: Conquer the entire planet and unearth all of its treasures. No other commands were made after that. Although this confused the generals and two commanders of each mothership, they dared not complain and just went with the flow.
Moreover, there was nothing to worry about. Conquering the blue planet before them would be a piece of cake.
"Looking at the size of this planet, although beautiful, it is still very small." One of the commanders on Thanos' mothership, with a bald head, murmured, looking at the holographic display of Earth. "I wonder why the lord said to be careful."
"Hmm…. I'll wait till we get close enough. Then I'll access their information to figure out the fuss of this primitive planet." The bald commander mused inwardly.
He wasn't really concerned about the mission. Through the holographic and geographic information he had previously gotten from the lord, the planet before him wasn't even an advanced civilization. They only came in contact with alien life-forms centuries ago. And from the looks of it, the alien life-forms were relatively peaceful, which lowered his evaluation of the planet's worth even more.
To him, this mission was already in the bag. This wasn't his first rodeo, and it won't be the last.
The bald commander looked at the operators of the ship and barked an order. "Add more energy to the engines; we need to get to the location as soon as possible, or else the lord shall have all our heads."
The operators shivered, immediately accelerating the energy input on the engines. Although this consumed a lot of energy and was mentally taxing, they didn't dare complain. Thanos was their god after all, and he wasn't a benevolent one.
Instead, he was a conqueror sitting on the bones of endless life. He was death incarnate.
"Good," The commander smirked, then looked at the mothership beside theirs and added. "I hope this legion doesn't delay the mission, or else I won't hesitate to destroy them."
The bald commander's face was filled with pride and indignation towards Lothor's legion. In his view, this mission doesn't need extra hands; he alone is enough. He was only allowed because it was Thanos' order and could not be defied.
He was also right to be proud. Although it couldn't be compared to Thanos' children, he was still a commander who had conquered several worlds for Thanos after all.
The bald commander looked back at the beautiful blue planet and couldn't help but yearn. Such a beautiful planet was very hard to come by, and he wished it could be his. Most of the planets he had visited paled in comparison to the planet before him.
It was only regretful that he couldn't have it for himself.
"I can still plunder a few things there before delivering to the lord. The planet isn't that important after all." In the commander's mind, taking a few things here was nothing. Since Thanos didn't rank the mission highly, it was nothing.
Such a low-value planet, Thanos wouldn't bother, right?
...….
The streets of New-York were ever filled with cars and pedestrians. Each civilian went on with their lives normally. It was lively and sunny. Although many people had weary expressions, many were grateful to have a home they could always go to at the end of the day.
This was also the atmosphere in Angel Grove, as well as in several other states, countries, and continents around the world.
Traditions in each place might be different, but humanity was all the same. If barriers didn't exist, this planet would have been more prosperous than it is now.
As people went on about their lives on the planet, suddenly....
Boom~
The firmament above shattered, and the clouds parted for the void. At the moment this occurred, every human on Earth, no matter where they were, automatically faced the sky. The sun was long gone, and only thick and heavy clouds converged as if threatening to rain down a flood.
The next second, each person watched as unfamiliar objects rushed out of the shattered sky as if the sky was birthing life. Not just any life…. but alien life-form
The humans below couldn't react immediately, as they struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Although they live with aliens and get frequent monster attacks. There was almost none on this scale.
The number of spaceships that covered the sky was too much. It felt like clusters of dark and brown stars. The only problem was that they weren't brown and black stars. They were all aliens, and from their formation and entrance, the humans watching were sure these weren't friendly.
"Wh-What are those?!" One of the people below pointed shakily at the clusters of spaceships, but nobody replied.
Instead...
"Run!" Like a trigger, the people of Earth, with terror on their faces, ran with all their might.
No matter where they were, they all ran. Their destination…the countries' safety bunkers. These bunkers were created since the first invasion of monsters centuries ago. Due to the fear of another attack, they left these bunkers and even upgraded their safety with several alien technologies.
And, it seems their quick decisions saved many of them. Immediately, the spaceships attacked. Whether it was Thanos legion or Lothor's, they were completely unable to capture or attack many of them; only a few unlucky ones were caught and interrogated. But their investigations yielded few results.
It was not that the Aliens aren't capable; it was just that the new generation of earthlings were too smart. They had faced many attacks from monsters for decades; how could they not know how to react and get to safety now?
In fact, this was one of the reasons Zayne wasn't too worried about their safety. Moreover, even if they died, he could easily snatch them back from death's grasp with the revival altar.
"Damn it, how are these natives so smart?" One of the Chitauri asked furiously in an alien language.
The aliens were simply helpless; they could only breach these bunkers little by little. But how was that possible? Most of these bunkers were reinforced with vibranium. Be it in a little or an excess amount. It was simply unbreachable for the time being. Unless another metal or tech is used to crack it open
"Stop dawdling, just capture the ones you can and interrogate them. According to the commander, we are all searching for a stone that matches the energy signature given to us." Another chitauri spoke, also displeased by the situation.
Then, the invader's 'purge' and 'plunder' of humanity began.
....
(S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters)
"Everyone, I know a lot has happened recently, but we shall not falter." Fury stood before a group of people and spoke. "I know most of you have seen the headlines, and it's not looking good for Earth."
Fury paused, looked around, and then continued. "As you all know, the planet has been invaded by aliens, and from our past observation, these days, Loki, Thor's brother, played a huge role in their successful entry."
"He's adopted." A burly figure with medieval armor chimed in, getting a few chuckles from the rest.
"Moreover, because of him, we basically have no plans and are low on man-power. But there's nothing that can be done. We can only fight back. So, are you all ready?" Fury only smiled at his comment and continued his speech
The people before him only nodded, with almost no change of expression. The exhaustion on their faces was clear as day. It was not their fault; the last few days had been hell for them.
"Good, commence initiative, Avengers." Fury didn't mind their attitude. He, too, had been through it.
The team before him was the absolute best he could find. From the day Captain America had been unearthed, it was as if luck had converged on him. A lot of things happened and brought together a team he had not expected, but was extremely satisfied with. Even a god joined the team. Although it was because of Loki, Fury was still happy.
The only nuisance was the nation's authorities, who kept on nagging him. They said his idea was bad, unrealistic, and a threat to national security. But who was Fury? He didn't give a damn and just flipped them off in his mind.
He absolutely would not stop the formation of this team of heroes. He had been planning for years. The Avengers were going to become the lifeline of Earth. That, he was confident about.
The situation might be dark and gloomy now, but the heroes of Earth shall be the silver lining. That was his conviction.
--- ✦ ---
To be continued...
Power stones, guys....