Alex walked through the metal halls of the Helicarrier, his boots echoing softly with each step. The ship was quieter than usual—no chatter, no laughter, just the low hum of engines and the weight of loss in the air. Everyone knew what had happened.
When he reached the bridge, Fury was already there, standing in front of the main screen with the rest of the Avengers gathered around. Steve, Natasha, Bruce, and Tony—all of them looked tense and tired.
Fury turned when he heard Alex approach. "Morrow. Good to see you made it fast."
Alex nodded slightly. "Didn't have far to fly. What's the situation?"
"Loki's out there," Fury said, his tone hard. "He's got the Tesseract, and he's gathering power. Coulson's death lit a fire under this team, but we're still not working as one. That has to change."
Alex looked around at the group. "So, this is the team that's supposed to save the world." His tone wasn't mocking—just dry.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Didn't think my doctor would be on the team too."
Alex smirked faintly. "Had to come."
Steve stepped forward, looking at Alex. "It's great to have you here, Alex. We could definitely use your help."
"Don't worry," Alex said confidently. "With me here, you guys won't lose."
"Exactly," Fury said, cutting in. "We can't afford to lose anyone else."
Alex crossed his arms. "What's the plan, then?"
"Barton's got a lead on Loki's movement," Natasha said. "We're checking energy readings in New York. That's where he'll make his stand."
Alex nodded slowly. "Figures he'd pick the biggest stage possible." He looked back at Fury. "I'll scout ahead, see if I can sense his mana trail. If he's using Tesseract energy, I can track it."
"Do it," Fury said. "And Morrow—" he paused, lowering his voice, "—don't go overboard."
Alex gave a small smirk. "No promises." Then he turned and started for the exit.
Tony watched him go, then looked at Fury. "You sure bringing him in was a good idea? Guy's got a reputation for working better solo."
Fury didn't look away from the screen. "I didn't bring him here because he plays well with others," he said. "I brought him because we can't win this without him."
As Alex stepped out onto the deck again, the wind picked up—cold and sharp. He looked out at the horizon, where the clouds began to glow faintly blue—the first signs of Loki's energy field.
He tightened his gloves and muttered under his breath, "Alright, Loki… let's finish this."
Alex drifted through the upper atmosphere, the city lights glittering far below like a map of memory. The wind roared past his ears, but his thoughts were calm—eerily calm.
He'd seen this before. Not in this life, but in another. In the movies, in the stories he used to watch before everything changed. Before he'd died and awoken here—reborn into the world of the Avengers.
So when the readings spiked, when the Tesseract's light started flaring across the skyline, Alex didn't need to wonder what was coming next. He already knew exactly what Loki was about to do. The god of mischief was going to open a portal—straight above Stark Tower—and unleash the Chitauri army on Earth.
He could stop it.He could end this before it even began.
But he didn't.
Instead, Alex hovered there, arms crossed, watching the currents of mana swirl around the tower like a storm in bloom. "Yeah," he muttered under his breath, half amused. "Right on cue. Portal sequence engaged."
He exhaled softly and shifted his trajectory, beginning to fly in wide, slow arcs across the sky—just enough to make it look like he was scouting, not stalling. He didn't want Fury or the others suspecting anything. Let them think he was working.
In truth, Alex had no intention of interfering yet. This invasion—this chaos—was exactly what he wanted. It would draw out the true scale of the threat, and once the Chitauri filled the skies, then he could unleash himself without holding back.
Down below, the Helicarrier's control room was suddenly alive with alarms. Red lights flared, monitors spiking with energy readings that climbed off the charts.
Hill's voice broke through the noise. "Sir—massive energy surge detected over Manhattan! It's coming from Stark Tower!"
Fury spun toward the main display. "Put it on screen."
The feed flickered to life—a shaky satellite view of a blinding blue beam tearing up through the clouds, splitting the night sky like a spear of light. The top of Stark Tower glowed white-hot, and above it, space itself began to tear open.
Tony froze mid-step. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." His jaw tightened as the swirling rift grew wider, and the first dark silhouettes began to pour through. "He actually did it. He's really calling his damn army."
Bruce stared at the feed, voice low and tense. "Those aren't drones…"
"No," Steve said grimly, pulling his shield from his back. "They're soldiers."
Outside, the first wave of Chitauri descended through the clouds, metal wings and plasma fire streaking across the night. The war for New York had begun—exactly as Alex knew it would.
And far above it all, hidden among the drifting storm clouds, Alex watched the invasion begin, eyes glinting faintly with a dangerous calm.
"Show me what you've got, Loki," he murmured.
Fury's hand came down hard on the console. "Get me Morrow—now!"
Hill turned to him, already on her headset. "Patching through to his comms, sir."
The speakers crackled for a second before Alex's voice came through, faint but steady. "Yeah, I'm here."
"Report," Fury ordered. "What the hell are we looking at?"
"Exactly what we thought," Alex replied. "Loki opened the portal—looks like a direct rift into the some alien world. They're pouring through fast. Manhattan's ground zero."
Fury's eyes narrowed. "You in position to intercept?"
Alex's tone was calm, almost too calm. "Already moving. But if you're asking whether I can close that thing—no. Not yet. It's feeding on Stark's reactor. You cut the power, you cut the gate."
Fury turned to the rest of the team. "You heard him. Barton, Romanoff, Banner, Rogers—you're heading to Manhattan now. Get that portal closed, contain the fallout."
Tony was already grabbing his gear. "You don't have to tell me twice—it's my damn building."
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