Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Battle for New York Part Deux
Meli'zandr POV
I and the heroes went our separate ways but not before I offered one of the plasma weaponry I scavenged from the Psion ship to Captain America. The Axe belonged to the Psion officer. Iron Man became fascinated with the weapon but he knew now was not the time nor place to examine it. He did ask me if I had a lightsaber though. I could only chuckle before taking out the halberd and we all went to carry out our objectives. I was running low on solar energy at this point and I wanted to conserve it until the Sun replenishes my reserves which was the reason why I took out halberd in the first place.
I resumed taking down the fliers all the while keeping an eye out for the leader. Around half an hour passed like this but the enemies kept on coming. At some point, three giant serpents had gotten past Thor and all of them were heading towards the edge of the perimeter. As such I targeted one of the leviathans, Iron Man targeted another and the Hulk and Thor went after the last one.
I immediately threw my halberd at the creature's eye, blinding it before using magic to teleport it back to me. The creature, enraged by my attack shifted its route and began flying towards me and I began leading it around the battlefield, causing it to run into its allies in the process before coordinating with Iron man to make it collide with its other counterpart.
The collision between the two behemoths significantly damaged their armours. Causing them to pursue us even more aggressively. I compressed my energy into another explosive Star... Bomb. Yeah, that's what I'll call it. I threw the bomb into the mouth of one of the creatures just as it opened it to roar. The Starbomb went down its throat before detonating a few seconds later. I saw smoke emerging from its nose and mouth before it started to fall onto the ground below.
Fearing for anyone still in the general vicinity, I flew down below it and tried to use my strength to cushion its fall. By the time I set it down, Iron man and Thor had already defeated their targets. I took a small rest as holding the serpent was no easy feat even with my strength.
However, it was cut short when I felt something approaching me from behind. I took off into the air, barely dodging several bolts of plasma which came from another flying craft. At the helm was the man wearing a helmet with long protruding horns. I immediately recognised him as Loki, the god of mischief and the one who was leading this invasion. In his hand was a sceptre that radiated ominous energy. It was similar to ambient energy I noticed at Kamar Taj as well as whatever was powering the portal.
After his initial attack missed, Loki flew around and stopped right in front of me, this time he did not attempt attacking me and simply spoke.
"You're not human," he said with a puzzled expression.
"You would be correct," I answered as I flew up so that we were both at each other's eye level.
"Your power is extraordinary. You would be better as my general than a protector of these mortals. Tell me, girl. Why do fight in defence of these miserable cretins when you could serve a god." he said.
I merely scoffed in response. "What kind of a god depends on another army for his conquests? Neither you nor your army is your own. Even if you subjugate this world it will not be yours. It would belong to the true masters of these creatures while you remain a mere puppet for them. Yet you dare to even think that I, a Princess of Tamaran would ever serve under a coward like you."
I then took a deep breath as I circulated both my chi and solar energy into one of my arms." And above all else, do you think I will ever follow you after you subjected this planet and its people to this war? " My arms started to glow as the green solar energy gathered into my palms. And in a blink of an eye, I shot it at Loki only to see it pass through him harmlessly.
Illusions. I thought just before I flew to the side just in time to see an energy bolt go through where I had been floating from behind me. I spun midair so as not to give Loki a clear shot at me while simultaneously preparing another star bolt. I managed to move to the flank of the now visible form of Loki before launching the star bolt. Loki acted quickly however as he materialised a barrier using the sceptre and blocked it effortlessly. He then attempted to fly away and I began pursuing him.
"Friend Rogers, I am pursuing Loki," I spoke into the communicator.
"Roger that. We need the sceptre to close the portal. Do you need assistance? " I heard from the other side of the earpiece.
"No. You should focus on saving the civilians. I can handle it for now." I replied just before shooting a pair of homing star bolts. Loki managed to lead the first one into a building before blocking the second. He then began firing back at me with the sceptre and I began dodging the blasts while firing as well.
This exchange continued until I readied a starbolt but instead fired a beam from my eyes, something he wasn't expecting. The beam nicked his face and then hit the craft he was piloting and it came crashing down right into the Stark Tower penthouse. I followed after him to retrieve the sceptre. I set myself down on the concrete floor, a few meters away from the wreckage of the craft just in time to see Loki climb out of it hacking and coughing with blood dripping from a gash on his head.
"Do you think *cough* that this *cough* will change anything? These mortals were made *cough* to be ruled over. If not me then someone else will. So why bother fighting against their fate? " Loki spat mid-cough before he took a step.
I spared a look at the so-called God in front of me, recalling the years I spent as a slave, as a test subject until fate gave me the tools necessary to break away from my bondage and reclaim my freedom. The moment that I raised my arms against the Psions, I was ready to either become free or die trying. And so with that in mind, I began speaking.
"Yes. Humans are weak and they are heavily outclassed by most beings in the cosmos. Millenia ago, they weren't even in the middle of this planet's food chain. If the predators didn't kill them, the elements and the diseases would. But eventually, they learned to adapt they made tools and gathered knowledge. They created tools and learned to combat the predators, they learned to build structures and clothing to brave the elements and they learned to cure diseases. Because like all life, they are not content to remain as they are. In the face of adversity and being slaves to anything, be it a creature or even nature, they will unite to shatter their limits to overcome it and that's why you will fail. That's why everyone who comes after you will fail as well. Because no matter what you do, you will never fully extinguish their spirits."
As soon as I stopped talking, I summoned my spear and got in a stance. Loki took one as well, and both of us stood with our weapons drawn waiting for the other to other to make the first move.
Loki charged at me and lunged while extending the sceptre which I parried before countering with a series of stabs. Loki dodged it by backflipping before and using his free hand to throw several knives at me. I blocked the knives with my spear but Loki used that chance to turn invisible.
I began focussing on my surroundings, trying to discern where he was. All of a sudden I saw movement from my left at the corner of my eyes and turned around to find Loki attempting to stab me. I attempted to parry it only to see my spear pass through it before the visage faded. The next thing I knew, I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen and looked down to find a knife stabbed into my side with blood pooling around it. I also saw Loki's smiling face as he aimed the sceptre's blade at my chest. My leg rose on instinct as I channelled my chi through while my hand went on to grab the sceptre.
I managed to grab it before the kick hit his chest which flung his body back. The force of my chi-enhanced kick knocked the wind out of his, allowing me to grab the sceptre from his grasp.
I gave the sceptre a once over and felt an enormous amount of energy pouring through it. That was until I saw Loki get up while clutching his chest in pain.
I readied to fight him once more when something came inside the penthouse suit. It was the Hulk. the green behemoth looked even more menacing up close.
"Go. Hulk stay," he said I obliged as the portal was still a clear and present danger. I flew up to the top of the tower where Black Widow and another man were waiting.
"I got the sceptre. I'm stopping the portal." I said while open
"Wait. We have an incoming nuke. And I know just where to put it." I heard Iron man reply over the earpiece. It took me a few seconds to realise just what he was about to attempt.
"Black Widow. Could you come over here?" I called out to the woman who came up to me with a confused look which deepened once I handed her the sceptre.
"I'm going to assist Iron man. I need you to handle the device." I told her before passing her the sceptre and flying away before she even had a chance to ask any questions. It didn't take me long to find him flying alongside the missile. He was attempting to tilt yhe missile upwards to line it up with the portal's entrance. His voice came on the earpiece the moment he saw me approach.
"What the hell are you doing kid?!" He screamed into the earpiece.
"Saving your life," I replied before sending a kick to his chest kicking him off the missile before I grabbed onto it. I effortlessly redirected the missile, taking it with me into the portal. I was greeted with the vastness of space. And an entire armada of the invaders.
They had not yet even bothered to send the main invasion force. The forces we had been fighting didn't even compare to what was yet to come. I look around and found the ship that released both the troops and the creatures. and after aiming the missile at it, I let the missile go before propelling myself back toward the portal. A while later, the missile detonated, engulfing the ship and those surrounding it. I re-entered the portal and the first thing I did was yell into the earpiece.
"Quick. Close it now!!" I yelled looking back at the portal where I could make out the explosion approaching closer and closer.
I heard a loud crackle of electricity before the beam going into the portal was shut off and the portal began to close rapidly.
Thankfully it managed to close up before the explosion got to it or otherwise this city would also have to deal with radiation.
"Good job kid. Form up on me." I heard Captain America say. I began descending towards the ground when I also noticed something different. The aerial attackers were falling out of the skies and I no longer heard the ground troops firing. It seems that these 'things' were being controlled by a hive mind of sorts. And the missile had hopefully killed whatever was controlling them.
I and the Avengers converged onto the street outside of the Stark Tower. None of us talked but it was clear that we were all glad that it was over.
"Sorry for kicking you. Mr Stark." I apologised sheepishly to Iron Man who had a small foot-shaped indent on his chest piece below the glowing thing. He was also visibly in pain as his arm was supporting the region I kicked him.
"Water under the bridge kid. This is not the first time it happened and it won't be the last." He waved his hand before adding. "Let's not come into work tomorrow. I think Princess Leia fractured a couple of my ribs. Hey, have you guys had Shwarma? There's a Shwarma place a few blocks away. My treat."
"We are not finished yet?" Thor replied looking at the Stark Penthouse. We all followed his gaze and I remembered Loki.
"And then Shwarma after? " Tony asked and I practically felt Captain America shake his head in resignation.
A few minutes later, we were watching Loki climb out of a crater, his armour now in tatters, fresh bruises on his body and a traumatised look on his face as he looked at the Hulk with fear in his eyes.
"If it's all the same to you, I think I'll have that drink now," he said with a grunt.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone