[A/N]: This is a rewritten version with a few new additions to the plot, so even if you've read it before, give it another go!
Xandar - Nova Corps Command
The hologram showed Manhattan from orbit. The portal. The Chitauri invasion. And then a human wreathed in rainbow light who simply decided the invasion should end.
And it did.
Irani Rael, Nova Prime, stood at the head of the table. Her expression was carved from ice. Around her, senior Nova Corps members watched with disbelief.
"Replay the resurrection sequence," Rael commanded.
The hologram obliged. Twelve hundred humans who'd been confirmed dead by Nova sensors suddenly weren't. As if Causality became a suggestion.
"This is impossible," one officer said. "This requires a Time or Soul Stone. Humans don't have either."
"They do now," Rael replied quietly as her fingers drummed once against the table, then stilled.
Another section of footage played. Jay holding two Infinity Stones like loose change. Juggling them, tossing them up, catching them and pocketing them like spare change.
"The Worldmind's assessment?" Rael asked.
A synthetic voice filled the chamber. [The individual designated 'Jay' or 'Power Broker' or 'The Doctor' exhibits capabilities beyond classification. His demonstrated abilities include spontaneous matter creation, timeline alteration, mass resurrection, power bestowal, and dimensional manipulation. He demonstrates immunity to Mind Stone influence and comfortable manipulation of Space Stone's energy.]
"Threat assessment?"
[Incalculable. If hostile, he could theoretically rewrite Xandar's entire population to serve him or simply erase Xandar from existence. If allied, he represents a deterrent to any conventional military force in the known universe.]
Silence filled the chamber.
"And the stones are in his possession," another officer noted. "Two of the six Infinity Stones. Just in his pocket."
"Along with an Asgardian prince," Rael added. "Transformed into a playing card. I didn't know that was possible."
"Ma'am, what are our orders regarding Earth?"
Rael studied Jay's frozen image. His white suit without a wrinkle. Rainbow light cascading from his body like he'd swallowed a star.
"Earth is now classified as a Protected Zone," she said finally. "No Nova vessels approach without explicit authorization from Nova Prime. We do not initiate any trade agreements or diplomatic overtures. We watch from a distance and we do not interfere."
"That's rather extreme..."
"That human brought back the dead and imprisoned a god as a party trick." Rael's voice cut like a blade. "He could do the same to us without breaking a sweat. We maintain distance, and we pray he's content staying on his little blue planet."
No one argued.
Hala - Supreme Intelligence Chamber
The Kree homeworld's command center hummed with data streams as every surface glowed with tactical readouts. At the center, suspended in a tank of green liquid, the New Supreme Intelligence pulsed with thoughts much faster than its failed predecessor.
Multiple screens showed different angles of Manhattan's battle and the Supreme Intelligence absorbed them simultaneously.
[Hypothesis: Human designated Jay is a mutant exhibiting unprecedented power levels. Analysis indicates capabilities beyond documented Omega-class mutants. Probability of latent Celestial influence: 37%. Probability of external power source: 51%. Probability of natural mutation reaching this threshold: 12%.]
Ronan the Accuser stood before the tank, his hammer resting against the floor and his expression carved from the same stone. "The Council demands your recommendation regarding Earth."
[Processing...]
More footage played. The Mind Stone's influence failing to control Jay, the Space Stone submitting to his will and reality-bending at his command.
[Recommendation: Immediate cessation of all Kree interest in Earth. This planet has proven problematic before. The warrior designated Carol Danvers, now known as Captain Marvel, previously destroyed our Supreme Intelligence iteration and crippled our homeworld. She demonstrated Kree-hybrid capabilities and cosmic energy manipulation. This Power Broker exhibits abilities that dwarf hers. Combined with confirmed Asgardian protection and emerging Inhuman populations, Earth creates an unacceptable risk/reward ratio.]
"You're suggesting we abandon our seeding program? The Inhumans represent centuries of genetic research."
[Affirmative. Earth has become a graveyard for Kree ambitions. The Psyche-Magnitron incident. The destruction of our previous Supreme Intelligence even humiliation of our Kree officers by primitive defenders. Now, this Power Broker who manipulates reality itself. The potential gains from Inhuman acquisition do not outweigh the risk of conflict with an entity capable of rewriting cause and effect. Earth's strategic value has decreased too negligible. Their defenders and heroes' danger value has increased beyond calculation.]
Ronan's hammer struck the floor, cracking it as the sound echoed through the chamber. "The Kree Empire does not flee from primitives."
[The Kree Empire has survived for millennia by understanding when to advance and when to consolidate. This is a consolidation moment. We have lost too much to Earth already. Accept this and adapt.]
Silence was the only response as Ronan's jaw worked beneath his hood.
"I will relay your recommendation to the Council."
[Additional directive: Flag the Power Broker for continuous monitoring. If he leaves Earth, if he demonstrates hostile intentions beyond planetary defense, reassess. But until then, maintain distance.]
Ronan turned to leave, then paused. "What of the stones in his possession?"
[The stones are lost to us. Accept this and move forward.]
The Supreme Intelligence rippled through its tank, already shifting focus to more manageable concerns. Earth had claimed another piece of Kree pride. Better to cut losses than compound them.
Chandilar - Shi'ar Throneroom
Empress Lilandra Neramani sat upon the throne, feathered crest rising from her head in the traditional triangular pattern. Around her, the Imperial Guard stood at attention.
Gladiator, her champion, watched the footage with particular interest.
"Your assessment, Gladiator?" Lilandra asked.
"They fight with courage Majestrix,like someone threw them into a colosseum, but their powers..." Gladiator shook his head slowly. "I have faced gods, Majestrix. I have tested myself against Asgardians. This human's displayed power rivals anything I've encountered."
"Could you defeat him?"
Silence stretched. Gladiator, whose confidence was legendary, whose strength had shattered planets, did not answer immediately.
"Unknown," he finally admitted. "If he can truly manipulate reality as the footage suggests, my strength would be irrelevant. He would simply decide I was weaker, and I would be."
Lilandra absorbed this. Her champion was uncertain. That alone spoke volumes.
"The mutants," she mused. "Thousands of them with such varied powers. The potential for incorporating their genetics into our own..."
"Would require invading Earth," Gladiator finished. "Through Asgardian protection and past this Power Broker. Majestrix, I advise against it."
"As do I," Oracle added, stepping forward, her expression troubled. "I attempted a cursory scan of the Power Broker during his broadcast. What I felt..." She shuddered. "It was like trying to read a sun. I pulled back before it noticed me."
Lilandra's fingers drummed on her throne's armrest. Her mind turning over possibilities, the temptation was real. But the cost...
"Pause the footage," she commanded. The hologram froze on a brown-haired man firing some kind of energy beam. Lilandra leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Oracle. That one. The man with the visor. Enhance his image."
The hologram zoomed in, and the man's face became clear.
Lilandra's breath caught, recognising the sharp features.
"That face," she whispered. Her hand gripped the armrest. "I know that face. The Summers bloodline."
Gladiator turned. "Majestrix?"
"The human is … Oracle, search our genetic databases. Cross-reference with the Summers' genetic markers. The bloodline that produced Vulcan, who murdered Emperor D'Ken and tried to usurp the throne. And his infernal biological father, Corsair, who leads the Starjammers against us."
Oracle's eyes glowed as she was processing this. Then her expression shifted, "Majestrix, preliminary analysis suggests... this could be a Summers descendant. Possibly another descendant of Christopher Summers before our scouts captured him and his wife."
Lilandra finally understood the story, and her crest flared. "The Summers bloodline has been a plague upon our empire. Vulcan tried to seize our throne through murder. Christopher Summers, Corsair, led pirates against our fleets. Now we find there's more of them on Earth, of all places."
She turned back to the broader footage. The Power Broker and thousands of humans empowered by him.
"And now Earth spawns more of them, more potential threats and more bloodlines that could spawn enemies like Vulcan."
"Then we strike now," one of the Imperial Guard suggested. "Before they grow stronger."
"No." Lilandra sat back down; her decision had been made. "We will not pursue Earth. Not from mercy but pragmatism. The Power Broker alone represents an extinction-level threat. Add Asgardian protection, the Summers' mutations, and whatever other horrors that planet breeds, we would be gambling our empire on a war we are not certain the outcome of."
She gestured at the frozen image of Scott.
"The Summers line brought us Vulcan, who nearly destroyed our empire from within. If Earth produces more like him, more like this Power Broker, then distance is our only defense. Inform the council: Earth is off-limits to all imperial forces. Any violation will be treated as treason against the throne."
The guards saluted and dispersed as a human man in a tattered red suit entered, escorted by two Shi'ar soldiers.
Lilandra remained on her throne, staring at Jay's frozen image. Then at Scott, as the ghost of Vulcan's rampage was still fresh in imperial memory.
Earth had become too dangerous.
Better to watch from afar than become another cautionary tale.
Sanctuary - Thanos's Throne Room
Silence reigned in the Sanctuary. The Black Order stood at attention. Their postures were rigid and their eyes nervous. Even Corvus Glaive's usual swagger had evaporated.
At the center, Thanos sat upon his throne, watching the same footage for the seventeenth time.
Black Dwarf's head, severed, held aloft by the Hulk. His most physically powerful warrior, was dead.
The Mad Titan's expression remained impassive, but his children knew him well. The way his jaw muscles tensed and the barely perceptible tightening of his fists represented stillness that preceded violence.
He was furious.
"The Chitauri are gone," Proxima Midnight said carefully. "Even the mothership was destroyed. Loki has failed and is now imprisoned by this Power Broker."
"Loki was always going to fail," Thanos replied, but his voice carried no emotion. "He was a tool that served its purpose. The test was not whether he could conquer Earth. The test was seeing who would rise to defend it."
He gestured at the hologram. Jay's rainbow light filled the throne room.
"This human. This Power Broker." Thanos leaned forward slightly. "He possesses two stones now. Mind and Space, yet he wields them without corruption. He resurrects the dead and awakens thousands of enhanced humans with a thought. Not to mention, he can bend reality itself to his will."
"He is a threat," Ebony Maw said smoothly. "One that grows with each passing moment. We should move against him now, before he grows stronger."
"Stronger?" Thanos laughed, though the sound carried no warmth. "Maw, this human just demonstrated power that rivals the stones themselves. He doesn't need them. They're trophies to him. Collectables at best if can truly maintain that level of power."
He stood as his massive form cast shadows across the chamber.
"We planned to gather the stones before any force could stop us. We assumed Earth would be an easy target. Unable to mount coordinated resistance." Thanos gestured at the hologram. "We were wrong."
"Then what do we do?" Corvus Glaive asked.
"We adapt, plan and prepare." Thanos turned to Gamora. "Gamora. My daughter. My most trusted."
She stepped forward. Her expression was carefully neutral, though her mind raced.
"You will go to Morag," Thanos commanded. "You will retrieve the Power Stone before it falls into the wrong hands. And while you search, you will use every resource and every piece of intelligence to find the Soul Stone."
"The Soul Stone's location is unknown, Father."
"Then make it known." Thanos's eyes bored into her. "I need those stones, Gamora. Without them, this Power Broker is an obstacle I cannot overcome. With them, I can complete my sacred mission. I can bring balance to this universe."
"And Earth?"
"Earth will burn last." Thanos returned to his throne. "After I have the other stones. After I have the power to face this human on equal footing. Then, and only then, will we return to claim what Loki failed to take."
The Black Order bowed and began to disperse. Only Gamora remained, studying her adoptive father's face.
She saw fear there. Carefully hidden beneath layers of cold determination. The Mad Titan, afraid.
She'd never seen this before.
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