"Christy!" Bucky called urgently as he burst through the farmhouse door, finding his wife exactly where he'd expected—seated comfortably on their living room sofa, one hand gently resting on her growing belly while she read a book about child development.
Christy looked up with the serene smile that had captured his heart, though her expression shifted to concern when she saw the tension in his posture. "What's wrong, Bucky? You look like something serious has happened."
Bucky paused at the threshold, struck as always by the peaceful domestic scene his wife represented. After decades of violence and chaos, these quiet moments with Christy felt almost miraculous. But the urgency of Tony's situation and Steve's warnings about Hydra activity made delay impossible.
"Tony's in trouble in London," Bucky explained, moving to sit beside her. "There's been an alien invasion—Dark Elves with advanced warships. He needs backup, and we've got the only ship capable of matching their firepower."
Christy's eyebrows rose at the mention of alien invasion, but she'd grown accustomed to the extraordinary nature of her husband's work. Living with a former Winter Soldier turned Avenger had required significant adjustments to her worldview.
"That sounds serious," she agreed. "But Bucky, I'm hardly in any condition to help with an alien invasion. What exactly did you have in mind?"
"I want you to come with us," Bucky said quickly, before she could object. "I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. The Chitauri ship has excellent defensive systems and life support. You'd be safer there than anywhere else, and I'd have peace of mind knowing you're protected."
Christy studied her husband's face, reading the deeper concerns he wasn't voicing. "This isn't just about the invasion, is it? You're worried about leaving me here alone."
Bucky nodded grimly. "Steve's been tracking Hydra activity. They're being subtle about it, but they're definitely active again. If they decide to move against me while I'm away..." He didn't need to finish the thought. Both of them understood what Hydra was capable of, and neither wanted to imagine Christy facing them alone.
"Besides," Bucky added with a forced lightness, "when was the last time we took a trip together? We could see London, take some photos, make it a little adventure."
Christy laughed despite the circumstances. "A little adventure involving alien warfare and dimensional convergence? Your idea of romantic getaways has certainly become more exotic since we got married."
But she was already standing, moving toward their bedroom to pack. The logic was sound, even if the situation was surreal. The farm's defenses were impressive, but they were designed to deter human threats. Against an organization like Hydra, which had access to advanced technology and decades of experience in dealing with enhanced individuals, passive defenses might not be enough.
"All right," she decided. "But I'm bringing plenty of books, and you're promising me that actual sightseeing will happen once you've dealt with the alien invasion."
Within twenty minutes, they had gathered essential supplies and were boarding the sleek Chitauri ship that Marcus had provided them. The ship was a masterpiece of alien engineering, its systems enhanced by Tony Stark's modifications to make it more compatible with human operators.
Steve was already in the pilot's compartment, running pre-flight diagnostics with the efficiency of someone who had become surprisingly comfortable with alien technology. The irony wasn't lost on any of them—a man who had spent decades frozen in ice was now operating spacecraft that most Earth scientists couldn't even comprehend.
As they prepared for departure, Steve's communication system activated with an incoming message from SHIELD.
"Captain Rogers, this is Agent Hill," came Maria Hill's voice through the ship's speakers. "We've got a developing situation in London that requires immediate Avengers response. Multiple alien vessels have emerged during what appears to be a cosmic alignment event."
"We're already en route," Steve replied, his hands moving confidently over the alien control interface. "What's the current tactical situation?"
"Tony Stark is engaged with the primary hostile ship, supported by experimental RAF fighters using reverse-engineered Chitauri technology. The engagement is ongoing, but the alien ship appears to have superior firepower and defenses."
"Understood. We'll be there in fifteen minutes."
As Steve spoke, a red dot appeared on their tactical display, rapidly approaching their position. The ship's identification systems quickly resolved the contact as a friendly SHIELD aircraft.
"Captain, this is Black Widow," Natasha's voice came through the comm system. "Hawkeye and I are requesting permission to dock. Our quinjet doesn't have the range to reach London and return, and frankly, we could use the firepower your ship provides."
"Granted," Steve replied, activating the docking bay systems. "Come aboard."
The rear cargo bay opened smoothly, allowing Natasha's quinjet to settle into the docking cradle with practiced precision. Within moments, Black Widow and Hawkeye had disembarked and were making their way toward the main compartment.
Clint was clearly unhappy about the sudden mission call, his usual professional demeanor marred by obvious frustration. "I was supposed to be home with Laura and the kids today," he grumbled as they walked. "First vacation I've had in six months, and naturally the world decides to end again."
"Nobody scheduled this invasion, Clint," Natasha replied with amusement. "Besides, those dimensional portals over London would have required investigation even without the aliens. Better to deal with everything at once."
Their conversation stopped abruptly when they entered the main compartment and saw Christy sitting comfortably in one of the passenger seats, a pregnancy book open in her lap.
"What the hell?" Natasha exclaimed, staring at the pregnant woman in obvious disbelief. "Bucky, please tell me you didn't bring your pregnant wife to an alien battle zone."
"I didn't have a choice," Bucky replied defensively, moving protectively closer to Christy. "Hydra's active again, and I'm not leaving her undefended on the farm. This ship has better defensive systems than most military bunkers."
Clint and Natasha exchanged glances, understanding the tactical reasoning even if they didn't like it. They had all dealt with Hydra's persistence and resourcefulness. The organization's ability to strike at personal vulnerabilities was legendary.
"The ship does have excellent life support and defensive capabilities," Steve added diplomatically. "Christy will be safer here than anywhere else, and we can focus on the mission without worrying about secondary threats."
"Fine," Natasha sighed, settling into the co-pilot's seat. "But she stays in the secure compartment once the shooting starts. No heroic gestures, no insisting on helping with the battle."
"I have no intention of playing action hero," Christy assured them with dry humor. "I'll be perfectly content to observe London's liberation from a safe distance."
With the team assembled, Steve engaged the ship's propulsion systems, and they accelerated toward London at speeds that would have been impossible for any Earth-built aircraft.
Meanwhile, over Greenwich, Tony was discovering that aerial combat against Dark Elf fighters required tactics he'd never had to develop. The alien craft were faster and more maneuverable than anything he'd encountered, their weapons systems capable of tracking targets with near-perfect accuracy.
"JARVIS, can you identify any tactical weaknesses in their flight patterns?" Tony asked as he rolled to avoid another volley of crimson energy blasts.
"Enemy fighters appear to prioritize offensive maneuvering over defensive positioning," his AI replied. "They're aggressive but predictable. Recommend using their aggression against them."
Tony grinned behind his faceplate. "Now you're talking my language."
He deliberately slowed his flight pattern, presenting what appeared to be an easier target to the pursuing Dark Elf fighters. As they moved to exploit the apparent vulnerability, Tony suddenly accelerated and changed direction, leading them directly into the phase matrix that Jane's team had prepared.
"Professor Selvig, on my mark!" Tony called through the communication system as he approached the designated zone. The British fighters were already in position, having successfully drawn several other alien craft into the trap area.
"Ready when you are, Mr. Stark," Selvig replied from his control station.
Tony watched his targeting display carefully, waiting for the optimal moment when the maximum number of enemy craft would be within the matrix boundaries. The Dark Elves were following him with single-minded determination, apparently unaware that they were being led into a carefully prepared trap.
"Three... two... one... ACTIVATE!"
The phase matrix engaged with a deep, harmonic resonance that seemed to vibrate through the fabric of space itself. The air within the designated zone began to shimmer and distort, taking on a liquid quality that defied normal physics.
"Excellent! Initiate overclocking sequence!" Tony commanded, even as he accelerated out of the matrix zone.
The harmonic tone increased in intensity and frequency, creating a field effect that essentially froze the local flow of time within the matrix boundaries. From outside the zone, the entire area appeared to be trapped in amber—Dark Elf fighters locked in mid-flight, energy blasts suspended motionless in the air, explosions frozen at the moment of ignition.
"That should buy us some time," Tony breathed, watching as the temporal field stabilized around their trapped enemies. "How long can we maintain this?"
"Unknown," Selvig replied honestly. "The phase generators weren't designed for this kind of sustained operation. We might have minutes, or we might have hours. The convergence energy is making everything unpredictable."
Inside the matrix, chaos reigned as the Dark Elf forces found themselves experiencing temporal distortion from their own perspective. Fighters that had been flying in formation suddenly found massive warships materializing directly in front of them with no warning. Pilots attempting evasive maneuvers discovered that their craft were responding to controls they had input several seconds earlier.
Two of the smaller fighters, unable to adjust to the temporal displacement, collided in a spectacular explosion that bloomed silently within the frozen timestream.
Aboard the main Dark Elf ship, Malekith felt the rhythmic vibrations of the ongoing explosions and realized something had gone seriously wrong with his assault plan.
"What is happening to our fighters?" he demanded, his pale features twisted with frustration. "Why are there so many explosions, but no damage to this ship?"
His tactical officers were frantically trying to make sense of sensor readings that defied interpretation. Their fighters appeared to be destroying each other while the enemy forces remained largely untouched.
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