"Damn! I was one step too late!"
Spider-Man descended from the sky, only to witness the chaos engulfing the streets of New York. The sight of lifeless bodies on the ground filled him with guilt—there was only so much he could do.
"Director Fury?"
His eyes widened as he spotted a familiar figure lying motionless. It was none other than Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Shocked, he rushed forward and lifted him up. No heartbeat. No breathing. His cervical vertebrae were shattered. Was he really... dead?
"I need to call Mr. Barton!" Spider-Man frantically reached into his suit for his phone, but before he could dial, a firm hand grabbed his wrist.
"Mr. Barton?" Turning his head, he found himself face-to-face with the very man he was looking for.
"Leave this to me," Hawkeye said, hoisting Fury's body over his shoulder and heading toward a nearby vehicle.
"Mr. Barton, shouldn't we take him to a hospital? I can get him there faster!" Spider-Man called after him.
Hawkeye hesitated for a moment before replying, "Stay away from S.H.I.E.L.D. for now. Protect your Aunt May. If anything happens, reach out to Tony."
"Hey!" Spider-Man raised his hand, but all he could do was watch as Hawkeye drove away into the distance.
The following days turned out to be the most chaotic Peter Parker had ever experienced. First, Fury was assassinated by an unknown assailant. Then, Captain America was framed as a traitor—the one accused of killing Fury.
That was impossible. Steve was the kindest, most determined man Peter had ever met. Thanks to all the propaganda, he was a household name—a true hero. More importantly, Peter had seen who attacked Fury. It wasn't Steve. It was a robot.
Agent Hill and Agent Romanoff had gone missing. Coulson seemed to be in trouble yet again. Peter wanted to help, but he had no idea where to start.
After all, he was just a high school kid…
Inside Dr. Zola's secret laboratory…
"Pierce, what do you need this time?" A dormant robot suddenly powered on, its eyes glowing dimly.
"Stark has an Iron Legion stationed at Avengers Tower. When the time comes for the Insight Initiative to launch, I want you to take control of them and make them ours. Steve and some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are still unaccounted for, but I have no doubt they'll surface to interfere."
To ensure their plan was foolproof, Hydra's leaders had accounted for every variable. They couldn't afford to underestimate the Avengers.
"Tony Stark's Iron Legion? I must admit, Howard's son is quite the genius. I wonder how his creations compare to my own robotic army."
"Enough of that. Regardless of how powerful his Iron Legion is, you can override it, can't you?" Pierce cut him off. The last thing he needed was Zola getting distracted with more experiments.
The plan proceeded under the watchful eyes of Hydra's leadership. As things stood, everything was going smoothly—except for one loose end: Captain America was still at large. Nonetheless, Pierce had successfully convinced the World Security Council to approve the launch of Project Insight.
...
"Mr. Stark, your Iron Legion has gone rogue."
"What?!"
Tony Stark, in the middle of designing his Hulkbuster armor at his villa, froze at the news.
Though he had overcome his fears after the Killian incident and destroyed over a hundred Iron Man suits, he later reconsidered. To prepare for future threats, he had rebuilt his Iron Legion.
"That's impossible!" Tony rushed to his computer. "J.A.R.V.I.S., who the hell could wrest control from you?"
The Iron Legion was managed by J.A.R.V.I.S., and Tony had absolute confidence in his AI's defenses. If someone had indeed breached them, that meant Tony Stark himself was now completely vulnerable.
No sooner had he spoken than every Iron Man suit in his home suddenly activated, launching into the sky before his stunned eyes.
"Damn it!" Tony frantically typed commands into his computer, only to realize he had lost all control.
An eerie face appeared on his monitor.
"Tony Stark," the figure spoke, "your Iron Legion is now mine. I will use them for a grand purpose. Soon, the world will usher in a new era."
"Son of a—!" Tony clenched his fists. He already knew S.H.I.E.L.D. was in turmoil. Fury's death was hard to believe—that old fox wouldn't go down so easily. But given the current situation, it was clear that their enemy was overwhelmingly powerful.
He recalled what Garus had told him about Hydra. This had to be their doing. They had finally revealed themselves. And now, without his suits, Tony was powerless to fight back. All he could do was wait for an opportunity to regain control.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., how long until we can override their hack?"
"Sir, it appears the infiltrator had anticipated our countermeasures. Every system vulnerability has been exploited, and my strategies are being preempted. I require more time."
Dr. Zola, a digital ghost wielding his infamous algorithm, had rendered J.A.R.V.I.S. helpless.
Meanwhile, in New York, civilians watched in shock as Iron Man suits flew toward the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier assembly base, taking up defensive positions at every key point.
"Pierce, did you talk to Tony?" one of the World Security Council members inquired as they entered the facility, glancing at the hovering suits.
"Yes, though he was reluctant at first. But with some persuasion, he agreed."
...
Far across the cosmos, on an unknown planet in the Andromeda Galaxy…
Garus and a thousand Skrulls boarded their ship.
All available energy had been used to activate the interstellar portal, but thankfully, with over a hundred energy essence crystals and the power cells provided by the Grandmaster, they had just enough power to launch the Skrull vessel and set course for Earth.
The colossal ship, stretching over ten kilometers, slowly ascended, kicking up a storm of dust with its thrusters.
"Mr. Garus, will there be a place for our people on Earth?" The Skrull Queen's voice carried a trace of uncertainty. She despised relying on others, but at the moment, she had no choice. The survival of her species depended on it.
"Your numbers are significant," Garus admitted. "You might consider establishing a city on the Moon or perhaps constructing one deep beneath Earth's oceans."
Every inch of Earth was claimed by humanity. If the Skrulls were discovered, it could lead to complications. Moreover, Garus had his own concerns. With so many shape-shifting Skrulls, it would only take one extremist among them to cause chaos.
"The Moon, then," the Skrull Queen decided. Avoiding unnecessary trouble was in their best interest.
What they didn't know was that the Moon was far from unoccupied. The hidden city of Attilan, home to the Inhumans, and the Watcher Uatu were already there, observing from the shadows…
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