(MCU) Arcs Collide: Chapter 35 - Is the Battle Over?

Chapter 35 - Is the Battle Over?

Summary: The first battle is over. Now it's time to talk about what could be next.

There was a moment of complete silence as everyone on the coast and in the clearing watched the donut-shaped spaceship ascend and disappear from sight.

Tony was the first to shake himself out of it, turning to scan the forest as deeply as his HUD allowed. When no sound came from the trees, he formed the helmet around his head, intending to fly over and investigate.

Just as he prepared to take flight, T’Challa emerged from the forest, followed by his team and twenty-four Wakandan warriors.

They all looked worse for wear, with bruises and cuts on their exposed skin. Some had torn clothing, yet despite their appearance, they bore small smiles of triumph.

T’Challa glanced toward Rhodey and Carol, who were standing nearby and speaking. “Considering we saw the enemy flee, I presume you were victorious?”

Rhodey smiled at the king and replied, “Tony and Hulk took care of the big one in the water. Strange and Lang handled the telekinetic weirdo alien. They ran off with their tails between their legs, but they did figure out about the second stone.”

T’Challa nodded, his smile undiminished. “Still, a major victory for us. The discovery of the other stones was inevitable.”

Carol smirked. “I see you didn’t become alien snacks yourselves.”

Val, resting her sword on her shoulder with the blade still slick with dark blue blood, responded arrogantly, “Dealing with some overly wild dogs? Easy as drinking a bottle of vodka.”

Jessica, meanwhile, was frowning, trying to wipe a dark blue stain from her leather jacket. She grumbled, “Damn it. This was my favorite jacket, and those animals ruined it.”

“Uh, don’t you have a closet full of those, Jess?” Iron Fist asked hesitantly, knowing to tread carefully around her when she was angry.

Jessica glared at him. “This is my favorite one—the one I wear to weddings and all that crap. If I’d known I’d be fighting space dogs, I would’ve taken it off first.”

Tony, amused, chimed in, “Relax, Jess. The cleaning department is on the seventh floor. They’re used to handling bloodstains, so they can save your jacket.”

Jessica huffed but nodded, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly. Tony counted it as a win.

Nebula, clearly tired of the post-battle banter, got straight to the point. “Cull and Maw retreated?”

Rhodey turned serious. “We should have a full debrief with the council. Strange, can you open a portal to the conference room?” He glanced around and caught sight of the three unconscious teammates, adding with a sigh, “And another to the medical floor?”

Stephen rolled his eyes, as if the request were child’s play, despite his obvious injuries and missing portions of his robe. With a flick of his sling ring, he created a portal revealing Christine Palmer on the other side, already in her medical gear.

Used to Stephen’s antics, Christine addressed him professionally. “Send all the injured through. Helen and I have a team prepared.”

Stephen stepped aside as Barnes carried Rogers over his shoulder, Sam hefted Barton in the same manner, and Jessica brought Romanoff. All three looked exhausted.

Stephen said flatly, “Just these three for now. The rest of us will debrief and check in later.”

Christine rolled her eyes. “Of course, they are. And of course, you will. I swear, Tony sets the worst example for medical care.”

“I resent that!” Tony called out, mildly offended. Most ignored him, though Carol and a few others shot him deadpan looks.

With the medical team handling the injured, the rest of the group followed Stephen through a second portal into one of the conference rooms.

The large screen at the far end of the room lit up, displaying the faces of the Accords council members.

Mrs. MacKenzie, the head of the council, was the first to speak, her voice both serious and hopeful. “Is the threat gone?”

Tony appreciated her directness.

Carol gave a curt nod, replying in a neutral tone, “For now.”

Ms. Price, another council member, asked next, “Any injuries or fatalities?”

Rhodey shook his head, his voice calm and relieved. “Nothing serious. Stephen took the worst of it on our side, except for a few Wakandan warriors who were ambushed.”

T’Challa quickly interjected. “Six of the twenty-four required medical attention. None are in critical condition, and they’ve already returned to Wakanda for treatment. I expect a full recovery for all of them.”

Carol added, rolling her eyes, “There’s also the matter of Rogers, Barton, and Romanoff. We sent them to the medical team, who confirmed they’re not in critical danger.”

Mr. Popescu, the Romanian representative, smirked mockingly. “I assume they broke formation again?”

Rhodey sighed heavily. “Rogers, yes. Barton and Romanoff were technically following orders, but they jumped the gun and ignored my warnings.”

Mrs. MacKenzie nodded slightly before proceeding carefully. “I see. And the enemy?”

Gamora stepped forward. “They were two of Thanos’s top generals. One had telekinetic powers, and the other rivaled the Hulk in strength. Once they spotted Iron Man, they released a horde of Outriders—a race of mindless aliens Thanos uses as cannon fodder.”

Rhodey continued, “We divided into three teams: one led by T’Challa, one by Captain Marvel, and the third by me. We’ll provide a detailed report by the end of the day.”

Carol chimed in, “We restrained the monster, and the telekinetic alien was defeated by a surprise attack from Ant-Man. Unfortunately, before we could capture them, the monster broke free, and both fled.”

Dr. Otruff, the German representative, leaned forward. “Perhaps it’s for the best. We’re unsure if our facilities could hold aliens of such power.”

Nebula scoffed. “You won’t need to worry about those two anymore.”

The French representative raised an eyebrow. “Oui? And why is that, Ms. Nebula?”

In her usual flat tone, Nebula replied, “Thanos doesn’t tolerate failure. Maw and Cull not only failed to collect the stones, but they were humiliated by defeat on such a low-level planet. Thanos will punish them. I highly doubt we’ll see them again unless Thanos plans a full assault on Terra.”

Gamora nodded in agreement. “Full assault or not, Thanos prefers to retrieve the stones personally. After losing one during his attack on your planet and confirming the existence of two here, he’ll likely come himself. The next enemy we face will most likely be Thanos.”

The council members frowned at this news, and Ms. Price asked, “And what do you mean by ‘full assault’?”

Gamora sighed heavily. “It’s Thanos’s last resort for planets he considers high-priority threats, like Xandar. If he chooses that option, he deploys his full-scale destroyer, carrying his entire army—the Chitauri, Outriders, the Black Order, and himself.”

The council members, along with some team members, paled at the thought of such destruction.

Mrs. MacKenzie cleared her throat, trying to stay composed. “Are you aware of any weaknesses we could exploit to prevent his army from causing chaos?”

Gamora and Nebula exchanged glances before Gamora turned back to the screen. “It’s difficult to say. Thanos will be cautious, knowing he’ll face Iron Man and that Earth holds at least two Infinity Stones.”

Nebula added, “Today’s fight will have proven to him that your planet is better prepared than it was before. He’ll adjust his plans accordingly.”

Ms. Price sighed. “So, we return to a wait-and-see approach.”

Mrs. MacKenzie nodded slowly. “But we have learned more today. Dr. Stark, will you and the planetary defense team be able to prepare for a full assault?”

Tony hesitated, calculating the challenges. “At best, we have a couple of months before Thanos arrives. Equipping every city on Earth with proper defenses in that time would be nearly impossible.”

Groans echoed from several council members, and Tony empathized. Even with years, the task would be daunting.

“Perhaps another solution exists,” T’Challa suggested calmly. “Today, we proved the effectiveness of a certain tactic.”

Some looked puzzled, but Rhodey caught on. “You mean the safe house in the forest?”

T’Challa nodded. “Indeed. The enemy descended directly upon the location, as Tony predicted.”

Carol rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “We could use that again. When Thanos comes, we move all the stones to a single location to draw his attention. But won’t he still try to massacre half the planet’s population?”

Gamora appeared intrigued. “Likely not. Thanos’s current goal is to collect the stones. If all of them are in one place and he assumes Iron Man will be leading the defense, he’ll focus his entire army on that spot instead of spreading them.”

Tony, excited by the plan’s potential, added, “We can improve the force field using the data we’ve collected on the Outriders and Chitauri. It could trap the entire army in one location once they land.”

Ms. Price’s eyes gleamed as she summarized the idea. “So, we choose a single location—preferably somewhere where you can fight without risking civilians or infrastructure damage. We fortify it, use the two Infinity Stones we possess as bait, and ensure Iron Man leads the defense to lure Thanos.”

“Wait a minute!” Wilson interjected, his military instincts kicking in. “Thanos wants to fight Iron Man. If Tony stays inside the force field, Thanos will too. But with two Infinity Stones, can any force field truly hold him?”

To everyone’s surprise, Barnes spoke next. “An army without its commander is far less dangerous and easier to defeat. If we can separate Thanos from his forces, they’ll be more manageable.”

Tony saw the logic in the plan, but the thought of fighting Thanos one-on-one while the titan wielded two Infinity Stones made him uneasy.

Once, he might have accepted such a risk without hesitation. But now, he had people who cared about him—a family. Kids, even if not by blood. FRIDAY, Vision, Peter, Kamala, Harley, Kate—they all had a place in his heart. And then there was Carol. He’d made her so many promises, and he wanted to keep them.

Before Tony could voice his concerns, Scott raised his hand. “Umm… I know Tony’s super awesome and all, but letting him fight some crazy alien with two ultimate power stones sounds…”

“Suicidal,” Hope finished curtly, clearly disapproving.

The room grew tense until Gamora broke the silence. “Thanos has also mentioned fighting the green monster and the Asgardian king. He’ll be looking for me and Nebula too.”

“The five of us might still not be enough if he already has two stones,” Tony pointed out.

Bruce stepped forward, his voice filled with determination Tony hadn’t expected from him. “We’re not letting you face him alone, Tony. The Hulk and I have your back. I’m sure Thor will too.”

Mrs. MacKenzie glanced at the council members before concluding, “It seems we have a plan, though it needs refinement. We’ll search for suitable locations and aim to have results by the end of the week. Colonel Rhodes, I expect the full report soon.” Her face softened. “Thank you all for your efforts today.”

With that, the meeting ended, and the screens went blank.