The Leviathan darkened the sky as it approached, its massive armored bulk blotting out the sunlight like a flying fortress.
Below it, Luke's grocery store looked laughably small. A speck beneath a mountain.
But when Agent Hill reported this new development, Nick Fury didn't panic.
A rare, genuine, hopeful smile.
Maybe… just maybe, this was the break they needed.
He leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing at the monitor.
"Come on… piss him off," he muttered. "You'll regret it, but please, do it."
He wasn't putting his faith in the Avengers anymore.
Now, his last gamble was on Luke Yale.
The monsters surrounding him.
Back on 58th Street, right in front of the now-legendary grocery store, Sharon, Wanda, Doggo, and Bumblebee all looked skyward in unison.
They'd fought off plenty of Chitauri grunts by now. Doggo had eaten enough soldiers to be declared an invasive species. Sharon had called lightning down like it was a party trick. Wanda had disintegrated entire squads with a flick of her fingers.
The Leviathan soared toward them with mechanical elegance, its armored hull glinting in the sun, its deep guttural roar shaking nearby buildings.
Sharon's eyes lit up.
"Finally, a worthy opponent!"
Doggo, having already overeaten, glanced at the enormous flying creature, then burped softly. He waddled off to the side, clearly uninterested in dessert.
That left Sharon and Wanda.
And if you thought they were afraid?
You haven't been paying attention.
Sharon stepped forward with a grin that could terrify a supervillain.
"Stand back. Big girl move incoming!"
She raised Mjölnir high. Above her, clouds thickened unnaturally fast.
Thunder rolled, lightning cracked.
It wasn't quite the world-darkening display Thor could summon… but it was getting quite close.
Sparks danced along Sharon's arms, and her hair began to lift from the static charge in the air.
Miles away, amidst another battle, Thor paused mid-swing.
Something stirred inside him.
He looked to the sky, his expression darkening.
He could feel it. That familiar storm-forged energy.
He didn't need to see it to know.
That was his lightning.
Except it wasn't answering him anymore.
His beloved hammer had chosen someone else.
Thor sank to his knees, eyes wide, heart heavy.
He wasn't just unworthy of Mjölnir.
He was also replaced.
Back at the grocery store, Luke hadn't even noticed.
He was still at the counter, mouse in one hand, soda in the other, headset firmly on.
Game raid in progress.
Monsters to defeat. Loot to collect.
World crisis? Not his problem. Not unless it made him lag.
He peeked out briefly at the thunderclouds.
"Sharon's at it again," he muttered, and turned back to his screen.
He was right to be chill, there were others out there who could handle anything that came.
Outside, the real action was about to start.
Sharon was building up for her lightning strike, Mjölnir glowing bright…
But before she could launch it, a red light surged past her.
Wanda hovered a few feet off the ground, wrapped in radiant chaos energy, her long skirt billowing as if caught in some invisible storm. Her eyes glowed crimson, her smile mischievous.
"Sorry, Shar. Can't let you have all the fun."
Sharon shot her an annoyed glare.
"Are you serious?! I called dibs!"
"Too slow," Wanda said sweetly, and launched her attack.
A blast of red chaos magic shot through the air and slammed into the Leviathan's head.
The impact was like a missile detonation.
The Leviathan shuddered, its armor cracking and scales splitting under the force.
And then Sharon's lightning hit.
A column of pure electricity roared from the sky and surged through the monster's body, illuminating its entire frame like a grotesque neon skeleton.
The Chitauri soldiers inside screamed, some died instantly, others were cooked in their armor.
The Leviathan gave one last wrenching shriek… and plummeted from the sky.
The crash shook the street, cracked the pavement, and sent shockwaves through nearby buildings.
A few windows exploded from the pressure alone.
A cloud of dust rose, then slowly cleared.
And at the center of it all, Sharon and Wanda stood side by side, glowing, grinning, and proud.
Doggo sat nearby, clapping his paws together like a seal.
Bumblebee honked twice approvingly.
On the helicarrier, Nick Fury stared at the screen with a hand over his mouth.
Hill was speechless beside him.
Finally, he muttered:
"She's a goddamn lightning witch."
Hill tilted her head.
"You mean Wanda or Sharon?"
Wanda floated like a red banshee.
Sharon had just nuked a space whale with thunder.
Fury rubbed his temple. "Yes."
He quickly gathered himself. "Contact Sharon. Now. If she's even halfway loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D., she needs to get to the center of the battle. With power like that, she's not just support, she is the frontline."
Hill nodded and got to work.
Back inside the grocery store, Luke was still gaming.
He was locked into a boss fight, Gul'dan, the corrupted warlock, was on the ropes.
His team was finally pulling it together.
"Come on, come on…" Luke muttered.
Then the screen shook.
The entire store did.
Outside, the Leviathan's corpse finished settling with a thud that rumbled the walls.
Inside, Luke's computer jolted slightly.
Right off the screen.
His game party flooded the chat:
[ELFQUEEN]: Did we glitch? The boss disappeared!
[Firedudesixtynine]: WHO STOLE GUL'DAN?!
Luke frowned. "That's... not part of the mechanics."
Then, out of nowhere, a voice sounded in his head.
[Ding~ Your computer has developed a fear of intergalactic invasion and chosen to defend itself. It has summoned Boss Gul'dan from the game to help repel the Chitauri.]