Tony wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear that.

"Everyone has their hobbies," He muttered.

Thor, never one for subtlety, snorted in mockery. "You are simply afraid to die."

Tony shot him a look, feeling a surge of irritation. Talk is cheap, he thought. If I had a god for a father, I’d be a daredevil too.

But the situation was what it was. Ignoring the bickering, Fury closed his eye, mentally processing everyone’s stance. After a long silence, he opened it and spoke firmly: "Prepare to move out. Let’s finish this once and for all."

"Understood, Sir!" The Avengers stood ready.

Fury immediately issued his combat orders:

All carrier-based squadrons on the Helicarrier are to enter maximum combat readiness, fully loaded with missiles, and undergo a final systems check.The U.S. 1st Armored Division, currently assembled at the airfield, is to take flight immediately for the military base closest to the ranch.

With those tasks set, Fury addressed the team. "The squadrons are on standby. The 1st Armored Division will be deployed by 4:30 PM. We strike at exactly 5:00 PM. Any objections?"

Everyone looked at one another; no one spoke. Now that the orders were real, the lightheartedness had vanished. This was the final showdown—against the Joker organization. No one knew how many people in this room would be alive to see the sunrise.

The atmosphere grew heavy until Tony broke it with a half-joke. "I think the timing is perfect. If we finish early, we might make it back for late-night snacks. Thor, have you tried Mexican food? I know a great spot."

Thor, arguably the most relaxed among them, shook his head with genuine anticipation. "I have not, but I wish to. Your Earth’s food is magnificent; we have nothing like it in Asgard."

Banner chimed in, "I recommend Japanese. Once you try it, you’ll never forget it."

Natasha smiled softly. "I think fast food is fine too. Personally, I’m a fan of sandwiches."

Thor’s mouth practically watered. "Then let us begin and end this quickly. I can wait no longer."

Thanks to Tony’s banter, the psychological pressure eased. By the time they finalized the tactical approach, the clock struck 4:30 PM. Fury received confirmation: the 1st Armored Division had reached the drop zone.

He set down his communicator. The Avengers stopped their small talk and focused on him.

"The time has come. Get ready."

The team gave each other determined nods and headed to their respective quarters. Twenty minutes later, fully geared, they gathered at the bridge. Located at the front of the carrier, the bridge offered a panoramic view and was currently buzzing with over a hundred personnel.

Fury stood at his command station, his gaze sweeping over them. "Move out. Victory will be ours."

The heroes gave a solemn nod and headed for the flight deck. Natasha and Banner boarded a Quinjet; they were to fire the first shot of this war. The jet accelerated down the deck, with Thor and Tony streaking into the sky right behind it.

*

Ten minutes later.

The ranch appeared on the radar within a ten-kilometer range. Natasha flipped the safety cover off the fire button and glanced at Banner. "Nervous?"

Banner looked at the heart rate monitor on his wrist and gave a dry laugh. "It tells me I’m a little tense."

Natasha smiled. "When all of this is over, where do you want to go? What do you want to do?"

Banner shook his head with a bitter smile. "To be honest, I haven’t thought about it." Before the gamma accident, his world was just knowledge and Betty. After Betty died, his only wish was to destroy the Joker organization for revenge. He hadn’t looked beyond that.

Natasha persisted. "It’s not too late to think about it now."

Banner scratched his head. "I... when I get tired... I’ve thought about leaving it all behind. Maybe open a restaurant."

"A restaurant?" Natasha was surprised.

Banner, thinking she didn’t like the idea, quickly added, "It was an old thought. Probably childish." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"No," Natasha interrupted. "I think it’s a wonderful idea."

"Really?" Banner asked, disbelieving.

"Of course." Natasha beamed at him. "Don’t forget, I like sandwiches."

"I’ll remember that."

The ranch was now five thousand meters away. Natasha’s smile vanished, and she pressed the trigger. The belly of the jet opened, and ten specialized air-to-ground missiles streaked toward the target: the ranch!

*

Inside the base, Jason’s battle with the energy raged on. Outside, the sky was darkening. This invisible war had lasted nearly twenty hours, and a victor had yet to emerge. The associates were frantic with worry but could do nothing but sit in silence.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Suddenly, the base alarms blared, and the lights turned a warning red.

"Warning! Missile strike imminent. Time to impact: 30 seconds!" Chloe’s urgent voice echoed through the halls.

All the others paled. They all had the same thought: S.H.I.E.L.D.

Flash!

In the next heartbeat, Harley placed her hand on Jason’s left shoulder and warped out of the base. Once she was gone, the others huddled together, holding hands. Knowing S.H.I.E.L.D. would eventually come, they had prepared several contingencies. An aerial bombardment was one of them.

Flash!

Harley reappeared, grabbing the rest of her comrades and warping them away. Their designated retreat point was a mountain deep in the range, ten miles from the ranch. She dropped them on a rocky ledge; she had no intention of hiding them. Since the base was compromised, a fight was inevitable, and running was not the Joker way.

While others prepared to meet the enemy on the peak, Jason and Christine had to be elsewhere. Jason’s hiding spot was unique: Harley had used her spatial powers to carve out a hollow a thousand meters deep inside the mountain itself. He and Christine were tucked away in there. It was virtually impenetrable; unless S.H.I.E.L.D. leveled the entire mountain and then spent weeks excavating hundreds of meters down, they wouldn’t find him. Harley had even dug dozens of similar bunkers within a hundred-mile radius—if S.H.I.E.L.D. got lucky, she could just warp him to the next one.

Standing on the summit, they saw streaks of fire across the horizon.

Three! Two! One!

BOOM!!!

The ten missiles burrowed deep into the earth. The backup headquarters was vaporized in an instant. A massive, dark-red mushroom cloud billowed into the sky, accompanied by a world-shaking roar and a violent tremor. The earth around the ranch collapsed like dominoes. Houses, trees, and animals were buried in a scene of total apocalypse. The mushroom cloud rose miles high, painting the already dim sky with soot. At the center of the ranch, a terrifying crater appeared—three miles wide and over hundred feet deep.

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

pat reon.com/GreenBlue17

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