"An alien invasion? Are you serious?" Kagura blinked in surprise.
"If it's the Dark Elves, they sure got here fast. Weren't they supposed to still be playing tower defense with Thor in Asgard?"
"I've confirmed the presence of an unidentified flying object in low Earth orbit," Tony Stark said as he closed the holographic display projected from his watch.
"JARVIS just reported a massive black, cross-shaped ship about 20,000 kilometers out. So, are these Dark Elves?"
"A black cross... yeah, that matches," Kagura nodded. "Their target is probably the Aether. No scratch that. It is the Aether, without a doubt."
"Seriously? 'Dark Elves'?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "Are they gonna come riding warhorses in armor, blowing horns, and shooting arrows at us or something?"
"Is this some fantasy RPG crossover?"
"They're only called 'Dark Elves' because that's what the Asgardians named them," Kagura explained. "But don't let the name fool you. These guys are seriously advanced."
"Their tech blows ours out of the water and they've given Asgard a run for its money. We need to take this threat very seriously."
"Oh... great," Tony muttered. "So if they're picking a fight, we're totally screwed?"
"JARVIS, any signs of hostility?" he asked quickly.
"Sir, a squadron of smaller escort ships is approaching New York."
"Surveillance satellites near low orbit have been attacked."
"Two of Rhodes Island Industries' orbital 'Halo' stations have already been destroyed."
"Damn." Tony clicked his tongue. "JARVIS, wake up the Iron Legion. Begin immediate evacuation of all New York civilians."
"Alert every member of the Avengers, we're going to war!"
"Hold on, JARVIS. Don't issue the evacuation order just yet." Kagura stepped in.
"Instead, broadcast a shelter-in-place warning. Get everyone indoors. Trust me when it comes to alien invasions, I have a better plan."
Tony frowned. "I really don't think keeping people inside buildings is safer. We can't guarantee structures won't get destroyed in the crossfire."
"We can't protect every building and fight off aliens at the same time. Not even with the full Avengers roster!"
"Relax, Mr. Stark. I've got it under control."
As Kagura spoke, she manipulated a nearby floating holographic window, transferring the container holding the Aether into an underground vault, well out of reach of the Dark Elves.
"Alright, Kagura, you've got me curious. What exactly is this brilliant plan? Even your Griffin Security Agency can't stop aliens from leveling the city."
"You're right, this enemy is probably even more dangerous than the Chitauri. Their ships are far more powerful. This might be the biggest threat Earth's ever faced."
"I know," Kagura nodded. "But I need you to trust me. Keeping civilians indoors is the safest move."
She paused, then smiled slyly. "By the way, Mr. Stark, do you remember that mysterious construction crew a year ago?"
"The one that spent half a year digging around in the underground garage of Stark Tower? Said they were fixing the sewers?"
Tony scoffed. "Yeah, how could I forget? That mess shut down the garage for months total nightmare for my employees."
"What about it? You telling me that ridiculously slow construction team has something to do with this invasion?"
"Hehehe~"Kagura chuckled, covering her mouth. "That wasn't any slow construction team!"
"Kagura, now's really not the time for riddles," Tony snapped. "If you know something, spill it."
"Come to think of it... since 2012, there was that suspiciously long and inefficient underground infrastructure project in New York. Don't tell me that was your doing?"
"Bingo!" she grinned, summoning her holographic interface.
"Cortana, activate the Third New New York Fortress Mode. Let's get ready to welcome our extraterrestrial guests!"
"Command confirmed, Master."
"Initiating Fortress Mode for Third New New York City."
"CTOS system integration complete."
"Power grid, computing networks, primary substations, and comms systems now under centralized control."
"Traffic lockdown initiated. Citywide alert broadcast."
"Civilian shelter compliance at 95.9%. Beginning urban transformation."
"Building descent systems operational."
"Shield systems online."
"Defense and weapons systems online."
"Target tracking locked."
"Integrating into the unified combat command network."
"Wait, wait, wait—'Third New New York City'? 'Fortress Mode'? What the hell?!"
Tony blinked as the floor beneath his feet trembled.
The building began slowly sinking downward.
"Is this tower... moving?!"
"Uh... sir..." JARVIS's voice came through again.
"Multiple high-rise buildings across New York, including Stark Tower, are now... descending rapidly."
"Should I notify emergency services or the military?"
"No. That won't be necessary."
Another voice cut in, it was Cortana. "Mr. JARVIS, this is my master's masterpiece. New York is entering Fortress Mode to repel the alien invaders."
"Understood, Miss Cortana."
"Beginning auxiliary system calculations."
"Assuming control of redundant network processes in New York."
Wait a second...
When did JARVIS and Cortana become so chummy?
Kagura scratched her head.
'WOOOOO—WOOOOOO—WOOOOOOOOO!'
The CTOS system from Rhodes Island Industries now fully controlled New York City, and a piercing air raid siren echoed through the skies.
Skyscrapers all across the city, under the control of deep-earth stabilizers, began descending underground slowly but steadily.
All valuable infrastructure was being sealed away under layers of reinforced concrete and alloy armor as part of Fortress Mode.
In their place, a new set of structures began rising, ones that looked like normal office buildings just moments ago.
But now, their disguises peeled back, revealing an arsenal of weapons and defense systems hidden inside.
These buildings, secretly owned by Rhodes Island Industries, had been quietly purchased under the guise of office space by Kagura.
They weren't meant for business.
They were hidden military platforms for massive defense stations disguised in plain sight.
This massive urban transformation had been years in the making.
After the Battle of New York in 2012, Kagura began a sweeping foundational overhaul of the disaster-prone city.
Under her direction, a top-secret construction task force began work under the guise of "renovating underground garages, improving drainage systems, and clearing pipelines."
But in reality, they were digging like mad beneath the city's major structures excavating and building an enormous subterranean defense network over the course of two relentless, backbreaking years.
Thanks to this non-stop mega project, Kagura's overhaul now covered 84% of New York's major buildings and 79% of its primary streets.
Unlike most super-projects that are "still under construction," this defense network was already fully operational.
So when Tony Stark had complained about the "incompetent construction team that took half a year to fix the sewers," what they were actually doing under Stark Tower wasn't just pipework.
They were secretly building a full-scale underground shelter and defensive facility.
And it wasn't just Stark Tower similar work was done beneath many other buildings.
In truth, the Rhodes Island Industries construction team wasn't an "inefficient disaster of a crew"—they were an insanely high-efficiency infrastructure maniac squad.
Fueled by sheer determination and what could only be described as construction superpowers.
From a results standpoint, Rhodes Island Industries had essentially built a mirror version of New York beneath the surface in just over two years.
And of course, a lot of credit also went to a certain architect from an East Asian country famous for its unmatched infrastructure feats.
Miss Mei, as she was known, offered massive support for the project.
Her unparalleled architectural skills doubled the efficiency of the entire operation.
Rumor has it, Miss Mei is also a superhero—one who protects her own city just like Kagura does.
"Superhuman Construction Freak" might as well be an S-tier ability.
This entire colossal engineering feat was given a codename by Kagura: Third New New York City.
And unlike the unprepared chaos of the Chitauri invasion all those years ago, this time... when the Dark Elves brought their assault ships into New York airspace...
What greeted them wasn't panic or confusion.
It was the unrelenting firepower of a hidden super fortress fully armed and ready for war.