"Let's talk about the Battle of New York and the Infinity War in detail! And what does death mean?"
Tony had been immersed in the sadness of Yinsen's death, but the narration in the sky had suddenly dropped a bombshell.
Yinsen's sacrifice was tragic—but this? This was huge news!
Instantly snapping out of his grief, Tony stood up and shouted toward the sky, demanding answers. But, as expected, the sky offered no response.
"Death?" Thor muttered, stroking his chin.
The way The Sky Screen had mentioned death didn't sound like a mere concept—it sounded like a being. A person or entity.
"The Death that The Sky Screen spoke of… it must be the Goddess of Death—one of the five legendary cosmic entities."
The room fell silent. No one else had ever heard of this before. Seeing their confusion, Thor explained what little he knew about the existence of Death. But even for him, it was mostly legend.
Since there were no concrete answers, everyone reluctantly dropped the topic. Nick Fury, however, immediately ordered his team to gather every scrap of information available on Death.
For now, the focus shifted back to the Battle of New York.
"The Battle of New York…" Nick Fury muttered. His brows furrowed as he processed the narration's details. "Strategic nuclear bomb that destroyed most of New York? What does that mean? Did someone launch a nuke at New York?!"
The mere thought was enough to send chills down his spine.
Banner and Natasha exchanged uneasy glances, deep in thought.
At that moment, Steve raised his hand. "Uh… what exactly is a wormhole?"
Even though he had done his best to catch up with modern knowledge, some things still left him stumped.
Banner patiently explained the concept of space wormholes and how they could theoretically form. But seeing Cap's confused expression, Rhodes simplified it:
"Imagine there's a hole in space, and if you go through it, you jump straight from New York to Berlin."
Steve immediately understood the implications—and his face paled. "Wait. So anyone could just open one of these wormholes in New York?"
"Enemy fleet…" Coulson muttered, rubbing his chin. "Does that mean the attack was from the sea? If so, what country could even pull this off? The other five permanent members?"
Nick Fury, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"Or," he said grimly, "the enemy isn't from Earth at all."
Everyone turned toward him, their expressions darkening.
"If the enemy was extraterrestrial," Fury continued, "that would also explain why a nuclear bomb was launched at New York."
"Think about it," he continued. "Let's assume the wormhole did open in New York. The first responders would be the National Guard. But if the enemy is far more advanced, Earth's military would never stand a chance. The battle would be completely one-sided."
A tense silence filled the room.
"So the nuclear bomb wasn't fired by the enemy…" Rhodes pieced together, his military instincts kicking in. "We launched it ourselves—as a last-ditch effort to stop the invasion?"
"Yeah," Fury confirmed.
Hill crossed her arms, her expression grim. "If the U.S. government had to resort to nuking their own soil, it could only mean one thing—the National Guard collapsed entirely."
She took a deep breath. "At that point, the top brass must've believed New York was beyond saving. They chose to sacrifice the entire city rather than let the invasion spread any further."
"And that's when Tony Stark intervened," Rhodes said slowly. "He didn't want millions of people to die, so he took the nuke and delivered it to the enemy fleet himself?"
Captain America frowned. "One nuke destroyed an entire fleet?" He shook his head. "That seems… unlikely."
"Yeah. I don't buy it either," Tony admitted. "The Screen never actually told us how the battle ended. There could be other factors at play besides the nuke."
Speaking of which…
"Where's Carol?" Tony asked Nick Fury.
"Off-world," Nick Fury replied. "She's dealing with something on another planet. I'll leave her a message and ask her to return."
Tony clicked his tongue. "Figures."
His mind whirred with questions. The energy required to survive the Infinity War… Was there any way to withstand it?
"What about that immense energy surge?" he asked. "Any leads?"
Nick Fury shook his head. "No. Maybe the Cosmic Cube holds some answers, but our research on it is still incomplete."
Tony let out a frustrated sigh. "Damn."
He had spent years trying to improve the energy load on his armor, but his latest models were already at their absolute limit. If he had to endure that level of energy, he would still die.
For now, there were no answers.
"The Battle of New York… The Infinity War…" Tony murmured, shaking his head. "Hell of a way to drop a history lesson on us."
With that, he stretched and stood up. He had originally come here to discuss the Avengers Civil War—but instead, he had learned about a potential apocalypse.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government was in chaos.
The idea that they had once considered nuking New York was unbelievable. Even more terrifying was the fact that the war hadn't happened yet.
For the citizens, the panic was immediate.
What if the New York War happens tomorrow?
Or the day after?
Mass hysteria spread like wildfire. Terrified citizens fled the city. Some returned to their hometowns, others relocated entirely.
For those unable to leave, paranoia took hold. The New York City government issued constant reassurances—but no one trusted them.
Then, the situation exploded.
Mass rioting. Looting. Chaos.
"Zero-dollar shopping" incidents swept through the streets. Stores were ransacked. Fires broke out. The entire city was on the verge of anarchy.
The NYPD deployed all available officers, but it wasn't enough.
Seeing the situation spiral out of control, the U.S. military intervened.
General Ross was personally ordered by the President to dispatch elite troops armed with top-tier technology to secure New York. His mission:
Control the riots.
Prepare for war.
Military construction companies were immediately brought in to build permanent defensive fortifications throughout the city.
The government sent a clear message:
"If war comes to New York, we will make sure the enemy feels our power."
That evening, Tony sat down for dinner, exhausted.
Then—he saw the news.
"NEW YORK IN CHAOS—MASS PANIC OVER 'WAR PROPHECY'"
Tony's eyes narrowed.
"...Well, shit."
Sighing, he donned his armor. He had to help the police handle the riots before the city destroyed itself before the real battle even began.
Meanwhile, in another version of New York…
First-Gen and Second-Gen Spider-Man were dealing with their own problems.
Though their world wasn't in immediate danger, the sheer fear from The Sky Screen's broadcast had sparked chaos there as well.
By the time both Spider-Men finished stopping looters and calming civilians, the sun was already high in the sky.
They were exhausted.
And the worst part?
This was only the beginning.
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