And the Snap Echoes

Attack of the Titan

It was the middle of the night. All was peaceful.

Then suddenly-

BOOM!!

The sound of the explosion echoed throughout the compound, flames engulfing the parking area.

Steve was the first one to arrive on site, closely followed by Natasha, Carol, and Thor.

"What's going on?" Natasha asked.

"No idea. But it looks serious. I'm pretty sure that isn't something done by Tony."

"AVENGERS!! YOU ATTACKED MY HOME!! NOW I'LL RAZE YOUR'S TO THE GROUND!!"

Tony and Rhodey appeared next to Steve.

"What's Thanos doing here?" Tony asked. "I thought we'd said that we won't be going so soon."

"Seems like he decided to turn up here. SUIT UP!!"

Stormbreaker flew into Thor's hand. Tony and Rhodey's armor grew out of their chest-piece. Meanwhile, Bruce appeared.

"What's going on?"

"Bruce, no time to explain. I know this isn't the right time, but we need the big guy." Natasha said. She touched his arm, and the next moment, the Hulk had reappeared.

"Carol, engage him up front. Thor, go from behind. Nat, go get the others. The rest of us have to distract him long enough for either Thor or Carol to take a shot. Bruce, take point. Tony, Rhodey, provide air support. Clint, Rocket, don't stop shooting. Nat, you and I, we take him from the sides." Cap ordered.

"Got it!"

All of them charged into the battle, Hulk dashing in front of them. Thanos saw all of them coming and simply smiled.

"I'VE FOUGHT ALL OF YOU BEFORE, AND YOU COULDN'T DO ANYTHING THEN!! WHAT'S DIFFERENT- ?"

He was cut off by a punch to the jaw, courtesy of the Hulk. Recoiling slightly, he brought up his right hand and returned the punch with just as much power. The Hulk flew backward, landing near the Quinjet hangar.

"BRUCE!!" Natasha screamed.

But there was no time to check on him. Thanos had set his eyes on Steve, and Natasha had no option apart from helping Steve fight back.

"You'll pay for what you did, Thanos!" Steve said through gritted teeth.

He tightened the straps of his shield and then rushed to face the titan.

The first punch glanced his chin. He noticed too late that it was a feint, though, when the second punch doubled him over and expelled the last bit of choked air from his stomach. It was a heck of a shot. Outside of having the wind knocked from him, which he always hated, he noticed a fair amount of pain with the punch, which was something he wasn't used to. A hit to the face, yes, or even the kidney...but the gut shouldn't have been much more than discomfort if that.

Another body shot, this one to his ribs, sent fresh ripples of pain through his torso. He didn't fall, but it was a lot closer than he'd have liked.

It was unreal. All the pain in his guts and ribs and the general confusion. But he could not give up. A single thought ran through his head, "I have to hold Thanos back. Whatever it takes."

He barely registered Clint's arrows and Rocket's bullets whizzing past him towards Thanos. They didn't seem to have any impact. Bruce was nowhere to be seen now. Natasha was not having any success. It appeared as if today would be the day that Thanos wiped them out.

"Hold your line!!" Natasha cried out from somewhere in front of him.

FWIIISSSSHHH!!

Tony and Rhodey's gauntlets shot beams at Thanos, but they didn't have any effect either, simply bouncing off his armor. Natasha's Widow's Bites were useless as well, they were simply getting deactivated once they came near Thanos. Clint's arrows were facing the same treatment as when they were fired at Thanos - simply disintegrating.

"Rhodey!!" Tony called out. "INSTANT KILL MODE!!"

"Got it!! F.R.I.D.A.Y., activate Instant Kill Mode!!"

The light in both of their helmets turned red. Their armors began changing, and soon, they were armed with weapons.

"Go!!"

BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!

The entire compound echoed the sound of the rockets and missiles fired by the duo, but they still had no effect. Steve was fighting a losing battle, and so was Natasha.

AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!

Thanos gave out an angry roar and blasted all of them using the Power Stone. Tony, Steve, Natasha, Rhodey, Clint, Rocket, all of them flew backward, landing hard on the grass.

"You've failed, Avengers. Don't you see it? You've failed. You can't do anything them back. I won." Thanos roared.

Steve got up painfully.

"As long as one man stands against you, Thanos, you'll never be able to claim victory."

"Noble sentiments from one who is about to die."

" I've lived my life by these sentiments. They're well worth dying for."

"THEN YOU SHALL- "

CRACKK!!!! BOOOOM!!

The entire area lit up with lightning as Thor landed in the clearing.

"THANOS!!"

"Thor Odinson. We meet again."

"You're gonna pay. For Heimdall. For Loki. For Nebula. For everyone. You're gonna pay!!"

With that, he brought up Stormbreaker. Lightning bouncing off his armor and irradiating his figure, he charged towards Thanos.

Once close enough, he threw Stormbreaker with all his might, this time remembering to go for the head.

It wasn't enough. Thanos simply dodged the weapon and directed a purple blast at Thor, which hit him in the chest. He flew backward and landed hard on the grass. Stormbreaker returned to his hand.

"OUCH!!"

He directed a lightning blast at Thanos, but he simply absorbed the lightning into the gauntlet. He then shot another purple blast, but this time, Thor was able to deflect it off Stormbreaker.

The two were locked in a stalemate. Thor threw Stormbreaker multiple times, but it never met its mark. The lightning and the power stone blasts thrown around also proved to be futile.

"THANOS!!"

Said person flew backward as the area once again lit up, this time with a blinding yellow light.

Carol Danvers descended a short distance from Thanos in complete Binary form.

"You think you can get away with snapping away half the population? You think that we would let you allow things to remain the way they are?'

"Pfftt. What can you puny humans do? I have powers equivalent to that of a god. All of you are mere insects for me."

"That's where you're wrong, Thanos. You ask is what we can do. We can love. We can grieve." Carol replied. "BUT WE CAN ALSO AVENGE!!"

At that very moment, Thor re-emerged from behind Thanos and chopped off the Titan's head. The limp form fell in a heap with a thud which echoed throughout the clearing.

"We did it," Carol said, but there was no happiness in her tone. The other Avengers gathered around the body.

"It can't be this easy," Thor replied. "This is Thanos we're talking about. He has the stones with him. He wouldn't simply allow me to kill him."

"You're right, Odinson." Thanos' voice echoed throughout the compound. "I must applaud you for picking it up that easily. All of you actually. Your willpower almost matches mine. And that is why I decide to spare you today. I respect you, all of you."

"We don't need your respect, Titan! You can go shove it somewhere else."

"Tony, calm down." Steve intervened. "Thanos, I'm just telling you to take a look at the universe now that you've done what you wanted to do. Just go look if people are happy, the way you expected them to be, or not."

There was no response.