Back To The Basics

Charlie had just finished a tough mission, wiping out the main base of the God Envoy organization. After clearing out their operations, he reassigned the Avengers to different areas, giving each hero a specific role for ongoing missions. For now, though, he was taking a break from working with the high-level heroes and instead using his downtime to manage the lower-ranking C-level heroes.

Once things were set up, he asked Friday to resume his previously delayed plan, which involved rotating the C-level heroes in each city. These heroes would handle smaller issues and side missions that the local AIs couldn't manage on their own. 

This was a new kind of "rest" for Charlie. Over time, his physical abilities had increased significantly, especially with the intense missions he'd been taking on. By now, the effort required to control a C-level hero was so minimal that he barely felt it, and his stamina had improved to the point where he could recover almost as quickly as he used his energy.

Using a C-level hero was now Charlie's way of relaxing, winding down from intense battles, and recharging himself. It also gave him time to work on equipment customizations.

One of his favorite features in the tech module was the equipment editor, a powerful tool where he could design and customize gear. He could lose himself in it for hours, building and tweaking different items. He even found that spending the night in the editor felt like a recovery period.

Charlie's need for sleep had decreased dramatically. With his improved stamina, he didn't need to sleep to recharge physically, although he still got mentally tired if he worked too long. Currently, he slept about once every two days, and even then, only for a few hours. This short rest was enough to leave him refreshed and ready for the next day's battles.

Meanwhile, without a leader, the God Envoy organization was falling apart, with more branches being discovered across the world. Local AIs could manage the lower-level heroes in the raids, making it unnecessary for Charlie to personally handle each mission. These branch operations were mostly straightforward, so the AIs could take charge while Charlie relaxed.

Although Charlie was taking a break, his on-call heroes were out in the field, working alongside the Ninth Special Service Division to clear out pockets of the God Envoy organization in different locations. They were ating with local authorities to carry out coordinated raids, gradually dismantling the organization's influence.

The leader of the God Envoy organization was still missing, but Charlie knew his ultimate goal was the "descent core." If the enemy focused on targeting this core, he'd be forced to act cautiously, limiting his movements. Charlie had been strengthening defense networks across various locations, so it was only a matter of time before they could track him down.

This time, Charlie was customizing a weapon called the "Sonic Bomb," which he'd been interested in for a while. He'd found it in the technology module's library and immediately recognized its potential.

The Sonic Bomb, designed by Tony Stark, was known in the "Marvel Avengers" game as a powerful tool for defense. However, as soon as it appeared, terrorists had hijacked it and almost caused a disaster in the city. 

Stark's tech projects were sometimes known to be "unstable." While they worked perfectly in his hands, they often became dangerous when stolen and misused by villains.

The Sonic Bomb was one of these dangerous tools. According to Stark's notes, the bomb had an explosion range of over ten kilometers, with the power to liquefy almost any material within that radius.

When Charlie described the Sonic Bomb to his teammates, they'd looked at him—and his Iron Man armor—uneasily, as if saying, "So, this is what you use to fight?"

Charlie didn't fully understand how the weapon worked, and the science behind it seemed wild. But he didn't need to know the technical details; his team of scientists could handle that. He just had to be able to use it effectively.

As he got into the work, Friday interrupted him with a serious tone. "Sir!"

"Huh? Already?" Charlie asked, a bit confused. "I didn't think it had been that long."

"No, sir, not the time. There's an emergency."

With that, Friday opened her white palm, projecting a radar-like image. Earth was at the center, with a small dot in orbit—Charlie recognized it as their watchtower, the outpost used to monitor deep space.

In front of this radar screen, a bright red dot was steadily approaching Earth.

Charlie's heart sank. "Could it be…?"

"Yes, sir," Friday confirmed. "A large, unidentified object is approaching from space." She paused, her tone grave. "It looks like the moment we were preparing for has arrived."

Charlie frowned.

He'd been expecting this. He'd been telling himself daily to be ready for this exact situation. Most of the equipment they'd been building—the unfinished Stark Space Station and Iron Man Six—was for this purpose.

Aliens.

No one knew for certain how strong aliens were. Superheroes had managed to defeat alien fleets in their own universes, but there was no way to know if they could do the same here.

"Just as we planned, Friday, initiate Starry Sky Project No. 1."

"Yes, sir. I've contacted Earth's high-level officials and the Ninth Special Service Division through secure channels, and the unmanned probe on the watchtower has been launched."

Charlie took a deep breath, calming himself.

There was no surprise here; he'd known this would come, and they had planned for it.

"Also, call in all the heroes scheduled for the plan. We need them ready," Charlie ordered, his eyes narrowing. "The Avengers are assembling."

…

"Are you serious?"

Ivan Petrov and several teammates followed Captain America through a busy camp full of people, moving quickly.

"Aliens? But I heard our radar didn't detect anything…"

"The enemy has anti-radar technology, so your radar won't work," Captain America replied without looking back. "We have special detection tools."

The watchtower's "radar" wasn't like regular human radar. It was a complex device, able to scan deep space with alien technology. Most anti-radar methods couldn't fool it.

The team exchanged nervous glances, struggling to process the sudden news. The alien threat felt like a storm that had come out of nowhere—swift and without warning.

"How bad is it?" Ivan asked, frowning.

"We're still confirming," Captain America said, leading them to the core of the camp. "We've contacted your superiors, but I'm worried they won't act fast enough.

"The Avengers wanted me to prepare you. We'll need all available forces from the Ninth Division, including the mothership if possible.

We've also contacted the nearest defense team and urged them to move in quickly without waiting for official orders…"

"Wait," Agent Duan Lan interrupted. "You're saying… the target is here? But why…?"

She didn't finish her question as everyone's eyes turned to a small box in a special container—the descent core.

After a moment of silence, Larry Wade spoke up. "They're here for this thing?"

"The Avengers' AI calculated possible landing points based on the core's location, and this happens to be a strategically significant one," Captain America said gravely.

"It's not certain, but we have to prepare. No matter what, we must protect the core, or the situation could get much worse."

Everyone's faces showed mixed emotions. It was hard enough learning about aliens, but now, realizing the aliens were targeting them directly, was almost too much to take in.

"Tsk," Larry Wade muttered. "I've never fought an alien before."

"So, what exactly are we up against?" Ivan asked. "Giant monsters with claws and teeth? Space battleships? Or something else?"

"We're still confirming. The probe will make contact soon; we should know shortly…"

Captain America's words trailed off suddenly.

"Captain?" The team sensed something was wrong.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Charlie had just cut off his microphone to speak privately.

"Friday, what's happening with our detectors…?"

Friday opened her hand, displaying the screen. The red dot on the radar was still flashing, heading straight toward Earth with a steady, deliberate approach.

And right in front of it, the signal from the watchtower's probe had just disappeared.

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