Marvel: The Villain Chapter 316 316 Silence

In order to conquer Earth and seize the Infinity Stones, the Chitauri army had come prepared.

Their invasion force was staggering: one massive command ship, over a hundred Leviathan warships, more than twenty thousand serpent-faced soldiers, and an uncounted array of advanced alien weaponry.

Having received advanced warning, the U.S. military had mobilized as well. Beyond the two full armored divisions initially stationed near Stark Tower, four more divisions were rapidly deployed: the 3rd Infantry, the 10th Mountain, the 82nd Airborne, and the 101st Airborne. Adding to this force were SHIELD's Quinjet squadrons and Tony Stark's entire Iron Legion—over a hundred Mark series suits.

The two sides clashed in the streets of Manhattan for over two hours. The cost of this total war was the near-obliteration of the world's financial center. New York, once the pride of the American people, was now a landscape of rubble, twisted metal, raging fires, and thick black smoke. It looked like a war zone from the most unstable corners of the Third World.

Despite the bravery of the soldiers, they were struggling against alien technology they didn't understand. Tony fought desperately to turn the tide, but even after losing eighty percent of his Iron Legion, his efforts felt like a drop in the bucket. Most despairing was the fact that the portal remained open, allowing a never-ending stream of reinforcements to pour in.

"Stark!"

Fury's voice crackled over the comms just as Tony landed on a rooftop to catch his breath. His red-and-gold armor was battered and scarred; this was already the third suit he'd cycled through today.

"I'm here," Tony panted.

"Dr. Selvig is awake and free from the Mind Stone's control," Fury said, getting straight to the point. "Get to him. See if he knows how to close that portal."

"On it." Tony's response was even shorter. He ignited his thrusters and sped away from the front lines toward his tower.

On the terrace, Dr. Selvig stood staring blankly at the machine he had built. His face was a mask of guilt, looking for all the world like a child who had caused a terrible accident. Though he had been under Loki's thrall, the fact remained that his hands had assembled the device; he felt the weight of the city's destruction on his shoulders.

Tony touched down. "Doctor! You're back with us."

Selvig turned, his eyes wide with urgency. "I... I know a way to shut it down."

"How?"

"Loki's scepter!" Selvig explained. "The scepter and the core of the Tesseract share the same energy signature. One can cancel out the other. Like charges of the same polarity."

Tony understood the science, but his heart sank. "That won't work. Jason has the scepter."

Selvig blinked, confused. "Then find him. Take it back."

Take it back... Tony thought bitterly. Easier said than done. He swallowed his doubts and relayed the intel to Fury. "We need the scepter to close the portal."

There was a long silence on the other end. "The scepter is missing," Fury said finally. "Thor has been scouring the crater. He found nothing."

Tony frowned. "If Thor's lightning couldn't destroy an Infinity Stone, does that mean Jason is still alive?"

"Not necessarily," Fury countered. "Jason could be dead, and another member of the Joker Organization could have snatched the scepter before we got there."

"Which do you think is more likely?"

Fury didn't like guessing games. "Give it ten minutes. The Gamma scan will give us the answer."

A sudden wave of dread—a sixth sense—washed over Tony. Damn you, Jason. He clutched his chest, breathing heavily. "How's the situation on your end?"

"The battle is over," Fury said, his tone lighter. "Thor crushed them."

Crushed. Hearing that word eased Tony's anxiety. Right. Thor is there. What am I so worried about?

"Hey! What are you doing? You can't touch that!"

Selvig's terrified shout snapped Tony's head around. His skin crawled instantly.

A mysterious figure draped in a cloak had appeared on the terrace. The arrival was so silent, so spectral, that Tony hadn't detected a thing. If this person had wanted him dead, he would already be a corpse.

Ignoring Selvig, the stranger walked calmly toward the portal device and reached out a hand. It was a woman's hand, yet it looked as though it could hold the entire world.

As she reached for the machine, the energy shield flared up to block her. Suddenly, a green light pulsed from a pendant at her chest. Her hand passed through the impenetrable barrier as if it were water, and she gently lifted the Tesseract from its housing. The chaotic energy of the Stone, which had been erupting into the sky, became as calm as a sleeping child in her palm.

Tony and Selvig stood frozen, mouths agape. It was impossible. A barrier that had shrugged off missiles and EMPs was bypassed with a simple reach. A woman who could handle the raw power of an Infinity Stone with her bare hands—who was she?

Tony retracted his faceplate as a sign of respect. "You..."

The mysterious woman's form began to turn translucent. Within a few heartbeats, she vanished into thin air, taking the Tesseract with her.

*

As Fury had said, the dust had settled. Thor stood leaning on Mjölnir, chest heaving. His powerful arms and handsome face bore the faint marks of the struggle. Scattered around him were the broken bodies of the Joker's elite: A-Train, David, John, and Franklin. Behind him lay a mountain of shredded Iron Man suits and the remains of a hundred Joker underlings.

Thor had single-handedly dismantled the organization's entire fighting force.

"I will ask one last time." Thor raised his hand, and sparks of lightning danced across his hammer. "Where is the scepter?"

They lay paralyzed with exhaustion. None of them spoke; they only looked up at him.

Anger flared in Thor's chest. He prepared to call down a final bolt to end them, but at the last moment, he stayed his hand.

"No," Thor muttered. "Jason is dead. The Joker Organization is a memory. You have committed many evils, but as a guest here, I have no right to be your executioner. I will leave you to the rulers of this Earth."

He looked at them one last time. "Besides, your silence is meaningless. In a few minutes, the sensors will tell me exactly where the scepter is."

.

.

.

.

You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.

pat reon.com/GreenBlue17

500 power stones.

Top 100. All time.