Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Fifty-Eight. All That Remains

"Attention Kree Ships. A force from Earth has taken control of your main cruiser, and if you continue to fire, we will destroy you." Peter announced over the communications channel Natasha had finished hacking into. "So you don't doubt our intentions. We will lock on and destroy one of you in ten seconds unless you stop firing."

Natasha nodded as the ship slowly turned and its main cannon adjusted itself and locked on.

"So, Do you feel lucky punk?" Peter asked, as Natasha rolled her eyes and prepared to fire.

We surrender flashed across the screen on the main cruiser.

Peter frowned, "guess the Kree aren't idiots after all."

Everyone, we have disabled the three cruisers in space. There will be no more bombardments, but we can't force the ground troops to surrender. Sorry, but that's the best we can do for now. Stay safe, and love you.

~

Hank had been overjoyed when they got to New York. Peter had even let him unshrink one of his smaller mobile homes in their parking lot before Hope had joined in living with the others in the warehouse.

She had reached out to Scott, gotten a few glares from Cindy, but once Hank had sat down, apologised to her, and then promised to make up for his mistakes, the group had actually bonded over a relaxing soak in the pool Peter had.

Scott was under orders from Shield, with his little stunt there would be no leaving until his probation was over but Hope had made plans to expand on the shrinking insect-based team and had spent hours pouring over dictionaries and thesaurus, while Nicolas Fury helped.

Strategic Tactical Infiltration and Neutralisation Group

The nicely fitting acronym that Hope had been very pleased with herself was born, and once they filed all the relevant paperwork, Sting would be part of AIM, and able to do some good.

Until the aliens arrived.

Now, Wasp was flitting between alien footsoldiers, while Ant-Man herded them towards her. Falcon was in the air, taking out anyone who used those damn jump packs they had, and Captain Marvel was flying, taking out the larger ground support they were building. Laser rotary cannons did not look like a fun thing to defend against.

Hank coordinated from the mobile home. He was too badly injured from forced shrinking to help, and even Liv, who he found absolutely charming, as well as masterfully intelligent agreed with his prognosis. He would die if he tried. He didn't mind though. His generation saw the rise of the super-powered, but what he was watching through his ant-cam was mind-boggling.

He had once thought being able to shrink was the pinnacle of technology, on a much higher level than Stark's arc reactor or even the Erskine formula he had worked on. To watch as super-human fought with super-alien was humbling, and Hank knew he had to do better, not just because of Cindy, but for the world. Shield could still go fuck itself, however.

Alongside Sting were Reed and his team. His experiments into the reality damage had produced some amazing things, a new fabric that changed with their powers, unstable molecules, carefully collected from the clothing they wore when Doom experimented on them. Reed knew his work drove the others away, but if they could only see he was trying to help they would understand. He could only shake his head, nobody understood.

And then the aliens arrived. Standing in the Baxter building, trying once more to siphon away the strange radiation, that he had dubbed 'Cosmic Energy' he watched as a bright red streak cut across the sky and took some kind of blue projectile with it. Flicking on the news, he saw the ruin of the world, and finally turning his phone back on, he saw the countless messages. The world was under attack, and New York was to be a battlefield.

Sue was flagging. Unlike the rest, her powers relied on her emotional state, and while Ben and Reed were playing swing and hit with Kree soldiers, her forcefields were starting to hurt as the blaster fire impacted them. Even as Johnny flew overhead and blasted them with superheated gas, she was still getting tired.

A flare of red landed next to her, and as the bright energy blasted a group of Kree into oblivion, the woman she recognised as Wanda put a hand on her shoulder.

"There is no shame in being tired, and no shame in wanting to stop." and she reached behind her back and took out two wrapped bars, "Here. Peter makes us carry supplies in case we get hungry." and Sue grabbed one of the chocolate covered energy bars and wolfed it down.

"You don't have anything to drink?" and Wanda laughed as a small portal appeared next to her. Sue's brow furrowed as she saw a refrigerator and Wanda looking through a selection of soda.

"Felicia drank all my cola, again. Is lemonade okay?"

"Water," and Wanda shrugged as she handed a bottle to Sue.

Wanda waved her hand and a crimson energy field covered the pair. "Rest, you look like hell."

Sue sat down on the edge of the sidewalk, "How do you do this?"

Wanda shrugged, "I was living in a warzone most of my life, and then here. Of course, everyone will pick on New York, it has the largest collection of known powers in the world."

Sue drank more of the water and poured a little into her hand and wiped it over her face, "And it doesn't bother you?" but Wanda shrugged and reached through a portal for a drink for herself.

"A lot of powered don't want to fight, but I do. I have things I want to protect."

As she saw a trooper moving to fire, she flicked her wrist and he vanished into a sling ring portal. As she took a drink, they could hear him screaming and then impacted with a sickening crunch on the ground.

"How are you doing that?" Sue asked, wanting anything to distract her from the carnage around them,

"If I said magic would you believe me?" Wand asked,

"No," Sue said and Wanda could only laugh,

"Fine, I am altering reality using a set of basic instructions, like a computer. I can enhance it with my own Augment power." Wanda explained,

"Because of the Stone?" Sue asked

"No, well, yes and no. Magic is the result of the stone being used. We found out that these assholes altered humans, trying to make gods and well, here we are." she said with a smile and a shrug.

But Sue had another thought, "wait, you can fix Ben, you can stop Reed from." and she faltered.

"Stop him from being a negligent and inattentive boyfriend?" Wanda asked and another trooper vanished into a sling ring portal. She had seen the look on Sue's face, and this one would take him over the volcano where Ultron had been disposed of.

Sure started to peel the label from her bottle, "He's trying so hard to fix us."

Wanda laughed, "There is nothing to fix." and she took a deep breath "I can only explain it the best I can. You are not water. If you are hot, you do not become steam, if you are cold, you do not become ice. You are a cake. You started as flour, egg, sugar, and milk but now, you are cake."

Sue frowned, "so you're saying the damage can't be undone?"

Wanda nodded, "There is no damage. The stone altered reality. You are not the human Sue Storm who visited Egypt. You are now the Reality Altered Sue Storm who walked from Doom's machine. You were once flour, and now you are cake."

Sue nodded, "and Ben?"

"He is living rock, Carol told us there is a rock species in the galaxy called Kronan, so I guess he is one of them now, I don't know. A lot of the more sciency stuff goes," and she made a woosh noise and raised her hand over her head, "metaphysical yes? Normal physics, ask Peter."

Sue set the bottle down, and ran her hands through her hair, "Reed won't talk to him. He blames him for this."

"So? Talk to him anyway. Who is Reed to tell you who you can and can't talk to? I can even see if Stephen will talk to you. He knows more about the Reality Stone than anyone. But they will both say the same. There is no damage. Once flour, now cake."

Johnny floated overhead, "You know, a battlefield is not a good place for girl time," and Wanda lay a hand on Sue's knee and with a small smile she nodded. Wanda curled a finger and a portal appeared next to Johhny

"Oh haha, like I didn't just watch you do that." but as he turned to fly away, he smacked face-first into an invisible barrier. Grumbling he flew off straight up and continued his assault on the Kree.

"He is right though. If you wish to stay at the warehouse I can get you there." but Sue stood and shook her head

"No, there are things I want to protect as well." As she held out a hand, Wanda and Sue floated into the air and began to clear the streets once more.

~

Doom watched as the sky filled with Doom Bots, and the pathetic attempts of the Kree cruisers to target and destroy his country was thwarted again and again.

He intercepted the radio chatter, Parker had finally neutralised the cruisers in space.

A Pity, he thought as he was busy preparing a Doom Bot capable of entering the atmosphere and claiming them for himself.

It would have been so much easier to force the Earth to capitulate with space weaponry. But their weapons were of no matter. He had seen the future. He knew what was coming and knew how to fight against it. It was a pity that half the galaxy would perish, but as long as Doom lived, then all would be welcome in his paradise.

~

Jean sped across the ocean, as fast as her powers could carry her.

Shuri had shared the message, that her forces were decimated, and her defences were not enough. With Wanda protecting the skies of the US, and the others trying to stop the bombardment, it was up to her to save her.

She fought back the bile and anger as she reached the shored of Afrika. The sand area was blasted into glass, and the cities were in ruins. Even as she approached Wakanathe grasslands were covered in skeletons, of both animals and people. Nobody had escaped.

Within the secondary shield, she spotted the ground ship, and her aura flared,

The ship they arrive in crumpled and collapsed as her powers flattened it. She could smell the burning flash, the still cooling bodies and the acrid ash in the air. The Kree had already picked their forces clean and were now heading to the capital.

Shuri, I'm at the gap in the shield, how long do I have?

Shuri lifted her head as Jean sent her a message.

The battle had not been going well. After thirty minutes of rhythmic pulses, the shield had finally collapsed, and while a section of Kree entered, another moved the shield breaker and began to assault another segment.

They were not stupid and knew the bottleneck would act against them. Instead of advancing, they held back at the shield, where another force could gain an advantage.

It was now a war of attrition. For each Dora taken out, another replaced her, but there were more Kree waiting. Far from the battle and fresh, ready for combat, the Kree had the advantage.

Shuri perked up,

Jean, come to the capital. We do not have much time.

Jeans aura flares and she flies. Passing over burned and still smoking remains she swallows and bites back her tears,

No, we cannot hide, they will not let you be kind. This is what they are, Helios says to her,

No, we can, we dont have to but Jean freezes as she approaches the shield.

There are hundreds of Kree and Dora Milaje fighting, and the Kree are winning.

As Jean lands, and grabs hold of a dozen men, "Stop! We won't" but she sees the rest ignore her, slashing and firing pistols into the crowds at the shields gap.

"Please, stop." but she spots Nakia, deflecting a blow with her sild and as she moves to stab the Kree, another sidesteps and tucking his pistol under his arm, fires twice into Nakia's side, before Okoye reacts and decapitates him,

Nakia.

Sitting in the pool, sharing stories of her time with the Dora

Nakia.

Complaining as Jean trims her hair, that it itches and won't grow in straight

Nakia.

Laughing as Peter walks into the pool but biting her lip as he distracts her and Jean nudges her in the ribs as her eyes go straight to his manhood.

Nakia.

Of dark lips teasing and tasting pale skin, and of gently soft moans,

NAKIA!

Jeans aura flares, dying from a bright yellow into a deep crimson, and black flares at its edge.

Grief pours from Jean, and the Kree are engulfed in flame, they can barely scream as they are simply gone.

The Kree are obliterated. Her fiery aura spreads and as the black flames spread, and as the Dark Pheonix strips them of not just flesh but life itself, she screams in anger.

The Dora grasp at their heads as the psychic shockwave overwhelms them and several collapse, their eyes roll back in their head and blood trickles from their noses.

Jean, please, stop, she hears Helios beg, but it is too late.

The last of her controls slips and the courtyard is engulfed in black flame, and as Jean stands huffing and panting, she sees everything around her is gone.

I am sorry, and she slumps to her knees, as she lifts her hands, he sees them covered in black soot.

Helios?

There is no answer.

Feeling inside herself, she feels nothing. There is only the chilling quiet.

Helios was gone. Everyone, Dora and Kree alike, was gone.