Captain America did not put his shield down, but he relaxed his shoulders just a little bit. He looked at the golden helmet, then at the bright yellow cape floating in the air.
"Doctor Fate," Captain America said. He sounded tired but glad for the help. "I'm Captain America."
Behind the golden mask, Stevan smiled a huge smile. He wanted to say, I know! I have your action figure! But he knew that would sound very strange. He had to act like a real superhero. He had to be cool.
"I know who you are, Captain," Stevan said in his deep, echoing voice. "The whole world knows you."
Captain America nodded. He looked up at the sky. Another giant Leviathan space-whale was flying over the buildings, dropping dozens of alien soldiers onto the streets.
"Well, Doc, if you have magic, we sure could use it," Captain America said. He pointed his finger up at the giant monster. "Can you do anything about the big fish?"
Stevan looked up. The monster was huge. It looked like a flying submarine covered in thick, dark metal armor.
"The beast is heavy, but it is slow," Nabu said inside Stevan's mind. "We have the power to stop it. Show them what the Lords of Order can do."
"I will take care of it," Stevan told Captain America.
He didn't wait for an answer. Stevan pushed his energy down, and he shot up into the sky like a rocket. The Cloak of Destiny snapped in the wind as he flew higher and higher. He passed burning windows and broken glass.
In seconds, he was high above the streets. He was flying right next to the giant Leviathan.
Up close, the monster was terrifying. It smelled like old metal and dead fish. Along its sides, Chitauri aliens were hanging on, shooting their purple laser guns at the buildings.
Then, Stevan heard a loud, familiar sound. It was the high-pitched whine of repulsor blasts.
Iron Man zoomed around the corner of a building. The red and gold armor was scratched and covered in black soot. Tony Stark was shooting small missiles at the Leviathan, but they just popped against the thick armor like tiny firecrackers.
"JARVIS," Iron Man's voice came out of his suit's speakers, loud enough for Stevan to hear. "Are you seeing this? Tell me there's a guy in a gold helmet floating next to the giant ugly space worm, and my brain isn't just broken."
"I see him, sir," a robotic voice answered from Tony's suit. "His energy readings are... off the charts. It is not science I can understand."
Stevan flew closer to Iron Man. "Stark!", his voice magically loud so Tony could hear it over the wind. "Fall back! I have this!"
Iron Man stopped in mid-air and hovered, looking at Stevan. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"
"Just watch," Stevan said.
______________
Stevan flew right in front of the giant Leviathan. The monster opened its huge mouth, showing rows of metal teeth. It roared, a sound that made Stevan's bones shake.
"Focus, Stevan," Nabu commanded calmly. "Draw the symbol of Ankh. Bind the beast."
Stevan held both of his hands out in front of him. He closed his eyes behind the mask. He pictured the shape he needed. A cross with a loop at the top. The ancient symbol of life.
Golden light exploded from his gloves. The light hung in the air and drew a giant, burning golden Ankh. It was as big as a house.
The Leviathan tried to fly right through it, but magic was stronger than alien metal.
When the monster touched the golden symbol, the light suddenly changed. The Ankh exploded into dozens of thick, glowing golden chains. The chains shot forward like angry snakes. They wrapped tightly around the Leviathan's huge mouth, forcing it shut.
More glowing chains wrapped around the monster's long body, tying up its metal fins.
The beast thrashed and rolled in the air, trying to break free. But the magic chains only glowed brighter and held tighter. The monster roared a muffled sound through the chains. It stopped flying forward and started to fall.
Stevan flew down with it. He pointed his hands at the empty street below them, making sure no people were in the way.
"Down!" Stevan shouted.
He pushed his hands down, using his magic to pull the giant monster fast to the ground.
CRAAAASH!
The Leviathan hit the empty street. The ground shook like a giant earthquake. Dust and broken road flew high into the air. The giant beast lay there, tangled in glowing golden chains, completely stuck. It groaned, but it could not move.
The Chitauri soldiers who had been riding it fell off. Before they could stand up, Stevan pointed a finger at them. A wave of golden sparks washed over them, putting them all to sleep instantly.
Stevan floated down and landed softly on top of the giant, defeated monster. He stood tall, his yellow cape blowing in the wind.
A second later, Iron Man landed on the street next to him.
Tony Stark lifted the metal faceplate of his helmet. He looked at the giant monster tied up in glowing chains. Then he looked at Stevan. His mouth was open in surprise.
"Okay," Tony said, blinking. "That was... new. What are you? Some kind of super-magician?"
"I am Doctor Fate," Stevan answered.
"Doctor Fate. Great. Love the name. A bit dramatic, but it works," Tony said, talking fast. "Listen, Fate. We have a big problem up there." Tony pointed at Stark Tower.
The blue beam of light was still shooting up into the sky, keeping the giant hole open. More and more aliens were flying out of it.
"It's a portal," Stevan said. He knew exactly what it was from the movie, but he had to pretend he was figuring it out. "Powered by a very dangerous artifact."
"The Tesseract," Nabu's voice echoed. "An Infinity Stone. A pure source of cosmic power. It is causing this chaos."
"We have to close it," Iron Man said. "But my suit can't break the energy shield around the machine. Nothing can get through it."
"Magic can," Stevan said confidently. He wasn't sure if he could actually break the Tesseract's shield, but he knew they needed Loki's scepter to do it. "We need to get to the roof of that tower."
______________
Before they could fly up, the sky flashed with blinding white light. A second later, a massive boom of thunder shook the city.
A man flew down from the sky, landing heavily on a crushed car. He was huge, with long blonde hair, a bright red cape, and silver armor. In his hand, he held a large, square hammer that sparked with real lightning.
It was Thor, the God of Thunder.
Thor looked at Iron Man, and then his blue eyes locked onto Stevan. Thor gripped his hammer tightly. He could feel the power coming from the golden helmet. It was an ancient, deep power, older than Asgard itself.
"Stark," Thor said, his voice booming. "Who is the golden warrior? His magic is loud."
"He calls himself Doctor Fate," Tony said, pointing a metal thumb at Stevan. "He just tied up that giant space-fish with glowing jump ropes. He's on our side."
Stevan felt his heart beat fast again. Thor! He was standing next to Iron Man and Thor. It felt like a dream, but the smell of smoke and the loud explosions proved it was very real.
"Greetings, Odinson," Stevan said. He used the name he knew Thor liked to be called.
Thor looked surprised. "You know my name, wizard?"
"I know many things," Stevan replied. It was the perfect, mysterious answer. Nabu seemed to agree, humming quietly in Stevan's mind.
"We need to stop the portal," Tony interrupted. "Fate thinks his magic can help us shut down the machine on my roof."
Thor shook his head. "My brother, Loki, is up there. He has an army protecting him. And he has a scepter that controls minds. We cannot just walk up to him."
"We don't walk," Stevan said, floating up a few feet into the air. "We fly. And we strike fast."
"The Asgardian is right," Nabu warned Stevan inside his head. "The scepter Loki holds is dangerous. It contains another Infinity Stone. The Mind Stone. You must not let it touch you. Just in case it can twist even the strongest minds."
I know, Stevan thought back to Nabu. I saw the movie. I know not to let him poke me with it.
"Alright, team," Iron Man said, closing his faceplate. "Cap is leading the ground forces with Natasha and Clint. Hulk is... doing what Hulk does."
As if on cue, a loud roar echoed from a few blocks away, followed by the sound of a building collapsing.
"We take the sky," Tony finished. "Let's go say hello to Loki."
____________
Stevan flew up first, shooting toward Stark Tower like a golden comet. Iron Man and Thor followed close behind him.
The sky was a total mess. Hundreds of Chitauri soldiers on flying sleds swarmed around the blue beam of the portal. When they saw the three heroes flying up, they turned their guns and started shooting.
Hundreds of purple lasers filled the air.
"Incoming!" Tony yelled over the radio.
Stevan did not slow down. He held his hands out, fingers wide open. He didn't just make a shield this time; he used the magic in a new way.
"Winds of Order!" Stevan spell it.
A massive blast of golden, magical wind exploded from his hands. It was not normal wind; it was heavy and solid. The golden wind hit the swarm of alien sleds like a brick wall. Dozens of Chitauri were knocked right off their vehicles. Their sleds crashed into each other and exploded in balls of fire.
Thor flew past Stevan, swinging his hammer. Lightning blasted from the metal square, blowing up more alien ships.
Iron Man shot lasers from his hands, clearing the rest of the path.
They reached the top of the tower.
The roof was a large, flat patio. In the center, a machine was holding the glowing blue cube—the Tesseract. The blue beam shot straight up from it into the portal.
Standing near the edge of the roof, looking down at the destruction with a cruel smile, was Loki. He wore dark green and gold armor, and held a long, curved golden staff with a glowing blue blade at the end.
Loki turned around as Stevan, Thor, and Iron Man landed on the patio.
Loki laughed. It was a cold, mean sound.
"So, the mortal in the metal suit brought friends," Loki said. He looked at Thor. "Brother. Have you come to watch me win?"
"It is over, Loki," Thor demanded, pointing his hammer. "Turn off the Tesseract, or I will destroy it!"
"You can't," Loki smiled. "The barrier cannot be broken. Not by you, not by your toys."
Loki's eyes shifted to Stevan. He frowned. He could sense magic, just like Thor could. But this magic felt completely different. It felt too perfect. Too ordered.
"And who are you supposed to be?" Loki asked, pointing his staff at Stevan. "Another one of Earth's silly dress-up heroes?"
Stevan took a step forward. His golden cape flared out. He wasn't afraid of Loki. He had the power of a god inside him, too.
"I am the end of your chaos, trickster," Stevan's dual-voice boomed across the roof.
"Do not talk to him," Nabu warned sharply. "He is the master of lies. Take the staff. We need it to break the shield."
Before Loki could say another word, Stevan raised his hand. He didn't shoot a blast of energy. Instead, he reached out with his magic to grab the weapon.
A giant hand made of solid golden light appeared in the air right next to Loki. The golden hand closed its fingers tightly around the middle of Loki's staff.
Loki's eyes went wide. He tried to pull the staff away, but the magic hand was too strong.
"Give it to me," Stevan commanded, pulling his own hand back.
The golden hand ripped the staff right out of Loki's grip. The magical hand brought the dangerous weapon across the roof, straight into Stevan's waiting golden glove.
Loki stood there, totally shocked. No one had ever just taken his weapon from him like that.
"Now," Stevan looked at the machine holding the Tesseract. "Let's close that door."