In London, the situation was becoming more serious with each passing hour. The emergency services were working at full capacity, people began to record strange creatures all over the city. In some places they could simply pass by, and in others they would only find the remains of bodies… if they found any.
While the authorities were making speeches asking for calm. Two objects were flying over the city. One of which matched the description of Iron Man. While Tony Stark himself went to land, his companion flew on.
- Whoa whoa whoa guys, calm down, I'm here to help - he raised his hands peacefully, trying to calm the agents and the police - has anyone seen a guy who can work as a fire hose?
The agent was just looking over himself - okay, I understood, someone...
- Hahaha TONY STARK - a young black-haired girl ran to the super and began to tell how much she admired him.
- Okay, that's all nice, but I'm here on business…
- Are you here because of Alex?
- Alexa? - Tony realized that this woman knew about the location of his target, but to call him that.
- Well, Dr. Ledov, - the girl tried to justify herself, - he simply allowed us to call him that and...
- I see, so where is he? - Tony's patience with the fan girl had long since run out.
- He's over there - the girl pointed to an empty fenced area where a rock had crushed the car - he went in there and disappeared, and then the passage behind him closed. By the way, my name is...
But Tony was no longer listening, approaching the fenced area. His suit recorded strange activity, which is all over the city in different places.
So why did you get involved in this? - Tony's questions only continued to accumulate.
****
The ice sleds floating down the river quickly attracted the attention of the guards patrolling the area. Noticing each other, Alex simply stopped the sleds in the middle of the river and waited for the flying boat used by the guards of Asgard.
- Who are you and what are you doing here? - the guards did not stand on ceremony with the uninvited guests.
- My name is Alexander Ledov, I came from Midgard and I am looking for Thor, son of Odin, I am his friend - the answer alarmed the guard, it had never happened before that people from Midgard got to Asgard themselves.
- How did you get here, Alexander from Midgard? - the guards were not yet ready to let go of their weapons.
- Through Jothuheim, the world of the ice giants, and into it through the rift in Midgard - all the skeptical looks of the guards disappeared when they were shown the head of the jotun that Alex carried with him.
- If this is really what you want from our prince? - Alex relaxed a little, because now there was no weapon pointed at him.
- I just want to get home, the rifts through which I got here are unstable and I had no other way. - The answer satisfied the guard for a while.
- We will take you to Thor, but if you are lying...
"I'm not lying," the Asgardian liked the firm answer.
The beauty of Asgard was astounding. An entire golden city, as if it came out of ancient legends, shone in the sun with its majestic towers. Each building seemed like a work of art, decorated with exquisite carvings. The air was clear, as if you were in the heart of an untouched forest. Alex looked at all this, slowly moving along the airboat.
Already anticipating a quick return, not far from the largest palace, an explosion occurred, and a large alien invasion ship appeared on the outskirts of Asgard.
Well of course, what could go wrong?
***
Asgard had not hosted a battle on its territory for a long time. All the soldiers knew for hundreds of years who and where to go. Many of these people were already sitting in the towers and shooting back at the invaders. Hundreds of warriors were moving throughout the city to repel the enemy landing.
While the whole city came alive like an anthill that had been stepped on. The small boat in which the guards were carrying the stranger turned away from the palace.
- No, no, I need to go to Thor. - The guards, of course, didn't care about the Midgardian's wishes. The guards themselves were preparing to join the battle with their brothers. Realizing that no one would listen to him, they forced Alex to take everything into his own hands. And now, a couple of seconds later, three guards are trying to get rid of the water that is getting into their lungs - it was in vain that you didn't take me there.
It wasn't difficult to tilt the lever, small stray shots were not far away, but that didn't stop the boat from heading towards the palace. Even with active military actions that were nearby, Alex managed to get the boat to the palace. But the question was how to stop it. The only possible way was to send the boat through the window and jump off while it was flying in. No sooner said than done. Not forgetting about the guards, who were now coughing up water, Alex began to move in search of Thor.
****
Hit, hit, hit.
The beautiful black-haired woman was now fighting three enemies at once. Using her shield as cover and counterattacking with her sword, she took turns killing her enemies. The last of her opponents was distracted from his opponent by a shield strike to the face, for which he received a proven sword strike to the eye.
Everyone is alive - looking around, the warrior saw her companions Fandral - a tall blond man who immediately after the battle began to examine himself for possible deterioration of the image and Volstagg - a man with a body, from whose face it was clear that he would not mind having a bite to eat after such a fight. Seeing that they were okay, the warrior looked that along with them, a dozen guards remained alive.
- Hahaha, that's a fight, I need to find someone else to fight with.
- Don't get excited, my bloodthirsty friend, we must first understand what is happening -
Sif was also worried about what was happening in Asgard. Having agreed and set off to find Thor, who rushed to find his girlfriend. As they got closer to the throne room, they had to fight several more times. The enemies they fought were unfamiliar to them, so they had to move with extreme caution. The higher they climbed out of the prison cell, the more enemies there were. Having joined up with the guards, they all carefully moved along the corridor, but what she saw next amazed her and all her brothers in arms.
The invaders who had previously fought them without fear of death were now running out of the corridor from the side and running at them as if a monster was chasing them. Maybe there was no monster chasing them, but the stream of water transformed into a huge shark that moved along the floor as if it was swimming. It caught up with the one lagging behind and began to bite its target, tearing it apart. Many who were running from this watery death tried to help. Laser weapons did not help much. And from gravity grenades, the shark simply restored itself to its previous size.
The invaders, seeing that the guards of Asgard were standing in front of them ready to meet them, and behind them a water monster to whom they could do nothing, the choice of where to go was obvious. After a minute, all the enemies in this corridor were killed, but a huge monster consisting of water remained. The guards wanted to attack him, but the blond of the three stopped them, as he noticed that the monster was not showing aggression towards them.
At that moment, Sif noticed a man who was simply standing and looking at them from around the corner. His clothes showed that this man was definitely not a local. Assessing the situation, Sif remembered what Thor had told her about a powerful wizard with whom he fought in Midgard against the Chitauri army. The water master himself calmly approached and stroked this monster as if he were a domestic cat. Looking at each other and realizing the tension of the situation, the shark simply spilled into a puddle of water.
- Good afternoon, gentlemen of Asgard, my name is Alexander Ledov, I am here looking for Thor, son of Odin, and I am ready to help you if you can deliver me to him. - Of course, if you asked Sif four hundred years ago that she would stand and look at a person and could not find the words, then it would not have ended with one challenge, but the fact is the fact.
- Welcome to Asgard, Alexander. Thor told us about your bravery - Fandral was always strong in negotiations and this time Sif was glad of it - but where are you from?
- Do you really want to talk about this now? - the guest expressed his point of view, paying attention to the surrounding environment.
- Indeed, then let's find Thor and help him. - Although there was no trust, now was not the time for talking.
****
- How you all pissed me off - the man's comment was addressed to another person and dozens more who had visited him in recent months.
The head of the Federal Security Service was already tired of receiving "guests", each of whom asked different questions, but the essence was the same: "how can you put pressure on Ledov?" a question that had a dozen solutions, but if you do any of them, the situation will become ten times worse.
Almost a year has passed since the first contact between the public and alien life forms. During this time, citizens around the world have gradually come to their senses and continued their lives. But the highest echelons of power around the world are buzzing like ants. Deals that used to last for decades were broken in a few days, but those with whom you were not ready to cooperate a week ago should become your best friend yesterday. The first such transfer of power occurred back in the tenth year, when Tony Stark showed himself to the world as an iron man.
Everyone who even slightly understood what was coming began to curry favor with the United States. Even the fact that Stark himself refused to provide the technology for creating the suit did not prevent politicians from concluding profitable deals for themselves with practically no costs. The United States began to put pressure on almost all countries that could pose a threat to them. The only thing that held them back was the large number of nuclear weapons of their opponents.
But then came the twelfth year and another redistribution of power in the world began. If earlier countries, finding a mutant, at best simply hid him from the public, then now after the demonstrated capabilities that the Russian mutant demonstrated, the role of mutants began to change for everyone. If you had the ability to be useful to your country, then they began to fight for you. Everyone understood that mutants are a nuclear bomb that can move on its own. Videos about people with superpowers began to appear all over the Internet.
It was enough for one person to show that it is possible to become successful, rich and loved by everyone without being afraid to use your powers, then everyone wanted it. Of course, not everything was so smooth, someone just wanted to achieve power with the help of these abilities. And here we come to the heart of the matter.
During the time that Ledov began to work openly, he was able to find both friends and enemies. Many of the top echelons did not like the fact that with his arrival their power diminished. After all, if earlier one of their words was law, now there is a person who can send them to hell, nothing will happen to him for this, but they themselves can end up under investigation (it is unpleasant when you are on this side). The support of some elites, if not love, then the unconditional support of the common people gave freedom of action in many matters. Of course, this was not for nothing. Ledov himself could save the country's budget billions of rubles in a couple of days. It is necessary to help an icebreaker in the Arctic, it is not difficult. Helping citizens during floods is no problem, what was the cost of helping with the wreck of an oil tanker. Of course, this was not for nothing, everything had a price. And this is not even taking into account the ability to treat patients. Therefore, raising a reputation and making money on this was possible not only for the master of water manipulation. After all, unlike the USA where Tony Stark was, they did not have such an opportunity to interact with their superhero. Even the warrior - the suit in which Tony's friend was was taken from him almost by force. So it turned out that the USA began to lose its positions, and the countries themselves began to look for ways out of unfavorable deals for them.
But what was most infuriating was that recently some hostile terrorist groups had appeared on the territory of the country, fighting all over the country, causing chaos. All forces were thrown into the fight against them. But these were not just bandits who decided to divide a few streets. The people who caused chaos were professionals, the most striking character was a soldier with an iron hand and a red star on that hand. The country had enough problems. And some politicians only cared about regaining their immunity.
- "Right now, Ledov is an asset that cannot be lost, it is very important for the country" - the attempt to calm down was interrupted when one of the deputies almost ran into the office.
- We lost Ledov - one short phrase drove the man crazy and he started swearing right in the office.
****
The battle in Asgard began to fade away. No one could understand what the invaders were trying to achieve. Yes, their attack was unexpected. But the forces were too unequal. As soon as the guards regrouped, the attack petered out. The king of Asgard himself, destroying dozens of enemies with his spear, inspired the soldiers.
While the remnants of the invading forces were being defeated in one part of the palace, another battle was taking place in another part.
The Dark Elf Lord Malekith had his own goal for which this entire battle was started. The only one who stood before him now and his goal was Queen Frigga. Of course, she failed to defeat Malekith, but that was not her goal.
The current goal was to save Jane Foster. Lying and bleeding, the queen knew that she had accomplished her task, if not completely. Her only regret was that she had not been able to reconcile her children, but perhaps grief for their mother could unite them.
****
Anger and helplessness, that's what Odin's eldest son felt now.
Realizing that the purpose of this attack was to kidnap Jane, Thor immediately rushed to search for his beloved. Of course, not only that, while he was fighting, his mother took Jane to a safer place. But he was not allowed to search, moving from one corridor to another, he dealt with his enemies with such fury as he had never fought before. Having cleared the corridor, his friends caught up with him along with someone he definitely did not expect to see here. Of course, there would be time for greetings and a feast later, now a battle awaited them.
Continuing his search, Thor could not imagine that while searching for Jane he would find his mother lying on the floor and bleeding. The face of Malekith, who was running away from them under the cover of his bodyguard, the god of thunder will remember forever.
retreat . Then he felt anger and helplessness. Anger for what Malekith had brought to Asgard, and helplessness for not being able to do anything while seeing his mother dying. That's why he didn't even realize that he was watching his comrade-in-arms sitting next to his mother and calling him.
-…or. Thor Thor. Wake up. Quickly here. - looking at Thor's empty gaze Vlex leaned down to cheer him up with a punch to the face - wake up you **** do what I say
A moment of confusion from the blow and the thunder god himself seemed to wake up.
- Listen to me carefully, on my command you will send a lightning bolt into your mother-
- But but -
- Do as I f*ck told. One, two, come on. - as soon as lightning passed through Frigga's body and her heart beat a few times, which was enough for Alex to hook onto it with his abilities and artificially maintain her heartbeat while trying to heal the wound from the sword strike.
- WHAT'S GOING ON HERE - at that moment, while everyone was distracted, the king of Asgard himself entered the room, seeing his beloved lying on the floor in a pool of blood, he immediately rushed to her. But he was stopped by his own son - Thor, what happened here.
- Father. Malekith attacked mother. Now my friend is trying to help her, please don't interfere.
Having carefully examined his beloved and realizing that she could still be saved, the king of Asgard called for doctors. Giving orders to his commanders, Odin began to collect information about the battle, occasionally glancing at the Midgardian who was restoring his wife's wounded body with water. The battle may have ended, but the damage that Asgard suffered will still have to be repaired for a long time.
****
In one of London's cheap bars, a woman in a good business suit stood out among the local drunks. And the way she poured one drink after another into herself gave some brave souls a small hope for the possibility of a good night.
- "Damn you, Ledov, damn you, Jones, how I hate you," Elizaveta Green, throwing another glass into herself, cursed the culprits of her situation.
After Ledov's disappearance, her handler Jones informed her that she would have to take full responsibility for Russia. So she was removed from the case. Having "sent" Jones back to her mother's womb, she went to the nearest bar.
Elizabeth was lost in her thoughts again. She knew that solace in alcohol was a temporary solution. But right now it was important for her to simply disconnect from reality and forget about her problems, even for a few hours.
As she was bringing another glass, she stopped as the noise in the bar suddenly died down. Starting to look where everything was, she saw a bright beam of light in the window, which broke the usual darkness of evening London. Realizing that something extraordinary was happening, she went outside. All the people who were nearby were looking at this beam. When the light disappeared, people began to whisper in fear.
Remembering that it was no longer her problem, Green went to continue her unfinished business. Hypnotizing the glass for several minutes, she finally brought it to her mouth again. But this time, she did not pour the high-proof liquid into herself. One of the culprits of her situation entered the bar along with several other agents.
- "Green, consider yourself lucky. That conversation never happened," said a man of about forty, completely fitting the description of a special services agent.
She looked at him in bewilderment. "What do you mean?" she asked with obvious displeasure.
- Ledov is back. And he is not alone. Let's just say he didn't like that you were simply dismissed. That's why I ask you to come with me and help - the words were very difficult for the man, who was not used to asking his subordinates.
The girl looked at her boss for half a minute, drank the lonely glass and went forward without waiting for the others.
Ten minutes later, Elizaveta returned to the special control area. It had become much noisier since her last visit.
She saw Ledov who was now talking to Stark and next to them stood Thor who was holding a girl who matched the description of Jane Foster.
She tried to remain confident as she approached the group, but the alcohol she had drunk was taking its toll.
- How nice that you are with us, Agent Green - a sly smile adorned the water manipulator - I have two pieces of news for you.
- Let's start with the bad one - even though her body didn't obey her well, she had enough courage.
- London will soon become the site of a battle with a hostile alien faction.
- Is it good? - the question was voiced rather reflexively.
- We have a plan. - The girl thought about the information for about ten seconds. - WHAT? - And now it looks like the information has reached her.