Ned and MJ had completely different reactions.
Ned, the chubby kid with a boundless imagination, thought the whole situation was 'so cool'.
"Awesome," he muttered under his breath, eyes wide with excitement.
MJ, on the other hand, was confused and visibly skeptical. She tried to pull her hand free from Peter's grip.
After all, Ned was Peter's best friend, while she and Peter were just friendsâmaybe with a hint of something more, but not enough to justify being yanked out of class by a masked vigilante.
With such a sudden entrance, it made sense that Ned would follow Peter without hesitation. MJ, not so much.
Even if she did have a small crush on Peter.
"Hey! Peter! What the hell are you doing?" MJ shouted, glaring at him.
Blaine watching from the back of the classroomâshook his head. He stepped to the classroom door, gave the teacher a quick, apologetic glance, and quietly shut it behind him.
After all, three students suddenly ditching class together wasn't something easily ignored.
Even if the teacher tried to pretend it hadn't happened, the atmosphere was undeniably awkward.
'What would the students think of him now?'
'Teacher? What teacher?'
'What authority do you even have if they just walk out like that?'
'Tough gig,' he sighed inwardly. 'Being a teacher's really hard.'
---
MeanwhileâŠ
Peter had already brought Ned and MJ back to his place.
Luckily for him, neither of their parents were currently in New Yorkâthey were away on business trips, leaving the teens home alone. That meant no detours to explain anything to adults, which came as a huge relief.
Not that Peter was trying to hide things out of lazinessâit was just that none of 'this' was easy to explain.
With Ned, it was simpler. Peter could just tell him some half-truth, and he'd go along with it. But MJ? She was too sharp.
And dragging her all the way to her parents' place would only raise more questions and more resistance.
And if MJ resisted too much, she'd be the first to pull awayânever mind her parents. At that point, he might not be able to bring 'either' of them.
'Doing the right thing is never simple,' Peter thought. 'Sometimes it's downright exhausting.'
From a distance, Blaine watched Peter leaving with Aunt May, Ned, and MJ, and nodded with satisfaction.
'Whether or not aliens actually invade Queens today,' he thought, 'staying alert is the right call. If anything happens, New York's always the first to get hit.'
But this "friendly neighborhood Spider-Man"âPeterâwas still too trusting. He hadn't even asked Blaine how he knew about the threat.
Blaine scoffed.
'Well, it doesn't matter. I've got my story ready. Just tell him I've got family in S.H.I.E.L.D. Boomâinstant credibility.'
---
ElsewhereâŠ
Nick Fury stood in the command center of a massive S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, arms crossed, eyes narrowed at the horizon.
"Sir! We've located Loki!" an agent called out.
Fury's jaw clenched slightly. "Restore all communications. Notify NYPD, the National Guard, and emergency servicesâget them into full combat readiness. Deploy every available weapon from the armory."
He paused.
"This is going to be a war."
"I want live updates. Full tracking."
With a single order, the enormous S.H.I.E.L.D. base launched into high alert.
This wasn't just a battle in the sky anymoreâthis was full urban warfare preparation. The entire city was now the front line.
---
Back on EarthâŠ
Thor had fallen from 30,000 feetâbut he barely looked injured. Mjolnir crackled in his hand as a storm roared around him. Lightning surged from the clouds, flowing into the hammer with a thunderous boom.
Meanwhile, Bannerâhaving crashed into an industrial factoryâdonned a pair of indestructible stretch pants, commandeered someone's motorcycle, and sped toward Manhattan.
Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeyeânow recovered from Loki's influenceâ"borrowed" a S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet and raced toward the city as well.
---
And TonyâŠ
Tony had repaired the damaged Mark VI armor. He now flew solo toward Stark Tower.
'BOOMâ'
He streaked across the sky like a missile, the repulsors in his hands and feet blazing at full throttle.
This Mark VI wasn't just simply patched up. After discovering the new element from his father's research (bought from Blaine), Tony had created a powerful fourth-generation Arc Reactor.
It was more than just an energy sourceâit symbolized his newfound purpose and identity.
"Sir, we shut down the Arc Reactor," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported. "But the Tesseract is already online."
Tony grimaced.
'Of course. Build the world's first clean-energy skyscraper... and it turns into the launchpad for an alien invasion.'
---
Hovering outside the sail-like upper floors of Stark Tower, Tony spotted the energy spike and the Tesseract containment device.
Nearby stood Dr. Selvigâhis eyes glowing faintly with the telltale signs of mind control.
"Shut it down, Selvig!" Tony called out.
But Selvig only squinted against the sun, his expression eerily calm. "It's too late. The portal's openingâit can't be stopped."
His voice trembled with a mixture of awe and madness.
"It's going to show us a whole new universe!"
Tony rolled his eyes. "Great. Another lunatic worshiping space gods."
Without further warning, he lifted his arms. Twin beams of repulsor energy fired from his palms.
'BOOM!!'
The explosion rocked the top of the building. People in the café below gasped and pointed toward the sky.
Tony was blasted backward, tumbling through the air before his stabilizers kicked in. He managed to regain control mid-spin.
Selvig, meanwhile, had been knocked unconscious. The human bodyâno matter how brainwashedâcouldn't take that kind of blast.
"Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. warned, "the device is composed of pure energy. It cannot be penetrated."
"Yeah," Tony muttered. "Figured that out."
His eyes shifted downward.
There, standing tall with a cold smirk and a glowing scepter, was Loki.
Tony narrowed his eyes.
"Plan B."
"Sir, the Mark VII armor is not ready for combat," J.A.R.V.I.S. warned again.
"We don't have time to wait," Tony said, diving toward the loading dock.
As he landed, pieces of his current armor began detaching, reassembling and retracting as he stepped into the building.
*************************************
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