INFERNO │ Marvel

9.2 all in the past

At the sound of screams, the five of them ran outside. It was chaos. People were running down the street so frantically that they were tripping over themselves. Amelia tapped her bracelet at the same time that Tony put on a pair of high-tech glasses.

"FRIDAY, what are we looking at?" Tony questioned. The AI spoke to both of them.

"Not sure, I'm working on it."

Amelia was weakened from her recent fights, but was ready to go up against whatever was coming now, no matter what state she was in. She pushed through the crowds of people

"Hey! You might wanna put that Time Stone in your back pocket, Doc!" Tony called out. Behind them, Strange readied his magic around his hands. As they rounded the corner, they came face-to-face with a huge spherical spaceship.

"Might wanna use it," he replied.

"FRIDAY, evac anyone south of 43rd Street," Tony instructed. "Notify first responders."

Doctor Strange moved to the middle of the street, swirling his hands before pushing them forward. A burst of orange power swept upwards, suspending the ship in the air. The wizard gave Tony a wink, who just gave a lopsided smile in return while his sister chuckled.

As they advanced towards the ship to confront their latest invaders, a large blue beam hit the ground in front of them. Amelia stopped in her tracks and held up her hands for the others to stop two when she saw none other than Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, who of Thanos' henchmen. A lump formed in her throat as the former began to recite familiar words.

"Hear me and rejoice," Ebony Maw called out. His eyes landed on Amelia. "You are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos. Be thankful that your meaningless lives are now contributing-"

"I'm sorry, Earth is closed today," Tony cut him off. "You better pack it up and get outta here."

"Stonekeeper," Ebony addressed Doctor Strange. "Does this chattering animal speak for you?"

"Certainly not," he responded. "I speak for myself. You're trespassing in this city and on this planet."

"He means get lost, Squidward," Tony clarified. Ebony Maw spoke to his burley partner before Cull began to advance on them, dragging his weapon on the floor. "Banner, you want a piece?"

"Mmm, no, not really," Bruce sighed. "But when do I ever get what I want?"

"That's right."

"You know, we'll have to go out for a coffee after this," Amelia said to her brother while Bruce willed out the other guy. "We have a lot to catch up on."

"Yeah, we do," he agreed. The two of them watched Bruce strain himself, green beginning to appear around his neck before disappearing again. "Where's your guy?"

"I don't know," Bruce admitted. "We've sorta been having a thing."

"It's no time for a thing," Tony said, then pointed at the advancing Cull. Amelia sighed and prepared herself to fight. "That's the thing right there. Dude, you're embarrassing me in front of the wizards."

"Tony, I'm sorry. Either I can't or he won't."

"It's okay. Hey, stand down," Tony reassured. He pushed Bruce back to Wong while giving a nod to his sister. It was their turn. "Keep an eye on him."

Amelia readied her hands with fire, willing forward her power despite her tiredness. Beside her, Tony pulled the strings of his jacket tight, then tapped the device on his chest. A suit began to materialise over his body. He moved forward, blocking Cull's first attack with a metal shield before punching him in the face. Amelia then shot him with a strong blast of fire, sending the alien backwards. Ebony pushed him aside with his telekinesis before they collided.