Avengers Read online

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Novels of the Marvel Universe by Titan Books

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Author’s Note

  Act One: First Strike

  Prelude

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Act Two: Gauntlets

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Act Three: Empires

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Act Four: Choices and Repercussions

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Act Five: Beachhead Earth

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  A NOVEL OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE

  INFINITY

  NOVELS OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE BY TITAN BOOKS

  Ant-Man: Natural Enemy by Jason Starr

  Avengers: Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Dan Abnett

  Avengers: Infinity by James A. Moore

  Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther? by Jesse J. Holland

  Captain Marvel: Liberation Run by Tess Sharpe

  Civil War by Stuart Moore

  Deadpool: Paws by Stefan Petrucha

  Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt by Neil Kleid

  Thanos: Death Sentence by Stuart Moore

  Venom: Lethal Protector by James R. Tuck

  X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga by Stuart Moore

  X-Men: Days of Future Past by Alex Irvine

  ALSO FROM TITAN BOOKS

  Spider-Man: Hostile Takeover by David Liss

  The Art of Iron Man (10th Anniversary Edition) by John Rhett Thomas

  The Marvel Vault by Matthew K. Manning, Peter Sanderson, and Roy Thomas

  Obsessed with Marvel by Peter Sanderson and Marc Sumerak

  MARVEL’S AVENGERS: INFINITY

  Print edition ISBN: 9781789091625

  E-book edition ISBN: 9781789091632

  Published by Titan Books

  A division of Titan Publishing Group Ltd

  144 Southwark Street, London SE1 0UP

  www.titanbooks.com

  First edition: April 2019

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  FOR MARVEL PUBLISHING

  Jeff Youngquist, VP Production Special Projects

  Caitlin O’Connell, Assistant Editor, Special Projects

  Sven Larsen, Director, Licensed Publishing

  David Gabriel, SVP Sales & Marketing, Publishing

  C.B. Cebulski, Editor in Chief

  Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer

  Dan Buckley, President, Marvel Entertainment

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  © 2019 MARVEL

  Visit our website:

  www.titanbooks.com

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

  This novel is dedicated to Tessa Moore, my beloved, and to the memory of Heidi Ann Saffel

  Author’s Note

  The source material for this story was vast and complex, yet our mission was to produce a single cohesive novel. As a result some things needed to change, while others had to be rearranged. This is in no way meant to reflect on the efforts of the talented people who wrote the original comics. We hope the end result is uniquely entertaining, and does justice to their work.

  ACT ONE

  FIRST STRIKE

  PRELUDE

  IN THE beginning there was the universe.

  How it came to exist was a mystery that might never be solved—at least, not in its entirety. For the majority of the inhabitants, it was enough simply to accept its existence and the infinite number of parts that made up all that was known, and all that remained enigma.

  Unknown to most, however, a key influence in the development of the universe had crisscrossed the cosmos for unknown eons, shaping worlds, creating and eliminating life, controlling the structures of space and time in ways that seemed incomprehensible. The Builders had always been there, seeding and molding entire civilizations in the name of the entity they knew as “the Mother.”

  The sum of the universe, personified.

  Even after they ceased to revere the Mother, the different species that constituted the Builders continued to impact the ebb and flow of the universe, operating in this reality and in all realities. They moved through the Multiverse as a driving force— ageless, eternal, and unconcerned with the consequences.

  Until that changed.

  The vast elements of the Multiverse warned the Builders that all of their realities were in danger of failing, of collapsing, of dying.

  This could not be allowed…

  CHAPTER ONE

  SELF REPAIR

  MOST OF the world did not see the objects as they approached. Only the most advanced cameras and telescopes caught sight of the seven projectiles as they streaked down from the heavens.

  High above Earth, the space station known as the Peak peered down toward the planet and outward into the cosmos. Acting as a base for the multinational Sentient World Observation and Response Department, its sole purpose was to address extraterrestrial threats to global security. S.W.O.R.D. saw the beams, and immediately issued an alert.

  Too late.

  * * *

  “WHAT ARE we dealing with?”

  “It’s difficult to tell, sir,” Nathanial Byrd replied. When the president just glared up at him, the secretary of defense continued. “Wherever an object strikes, power goes out instantly, along with communications—including computer systems. It’s like an electromagnetic pulse, and the majority of the power grids go out each time it occurs. Each blackout only lasts eight seconds, as far as we can measure, but system reboots take time.”

  In some cases a reboot only took a matter of minutes, Byrd knew, but in others the software that had to reload took longer and longer with each pulse as fail-safes and protocols went into overdrive, attempting and failing to regain and restore vital information.

  “From what S.W.O.R.D. has reported,” he continued, “the power outages are occurring across the globe, clearly visible from orbit. The damage is minimized where there are defenses set up to deal with electromagnetic assault, but a
lot of locations have been crippled entirely.”

  The president sat back, but didn’t reply.

  Disruptions to the power grids were bad enough, but they were only the tip of the iceberg. Aircraft in flight suffered those same failures. Controls went dark. Radar systems fluttered and failed. Some of the planes managed to land safely, but far too many did not. In a very short time, the body count began to rise.

  The Avengers and other superhumans across the planet did what they could. Not all were successful.

  The crisis rocked through urban and suburban areas alike. Electronics failed. Backup generators attempted to function, but in some cases they remained dormant as a result of complex computers designed to make them more efficient. Those were compromised again and again.

  Information that was buffered and saved became corrupted after repeated attempts to restart and restore that data. Fail-safe systems designed to protect the populace—and indeed, the very world—from critical situations faltered and died.

  The most sophisticated technologies managed to pull through the worst situations, because they were designed with catastrophic failure in mind. “This year’s model,” as it were, had all the bells and whistles.

  The designs from a few years earlier, however, were lacking.

  * * *

  THE NUCLEAR plant in Ulchin County, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, began having issues only an hour into the interstellar assault on the planet.

  At first the technicians and workforce at the plant tried to handle the matter themselves. They were trained for just such situations. When they realized they required outside help, they made the appropriate calls. Further attempts were made to resolve the crisis by following all the appropriate protocols.

  Without success.

  Dr. Kim Jae-Yin oversaw the running of the Ulchin Nuclear Plant. He sent the majority of the workers away as soon as he safely could, and decided to call in a favor from an old friend. Ignoring the rising radiation levels, and despite the rising tide of ice that tried to freeze his stomach and his heart, Jae-Yin remained calm and efficient. He did not want to die. He suspected, however, that it was already too late for him to have any say in the matter.

  Dr. Bruce Banner was an old college friend. They’d debated many times over games of chess or the occasional beer. They had never agreed, but it was an amiable sort of conflict.

  When he finally reached Dr. Banner, it was through a S.H.I.E.L.D. communications center—perhaps the only reason his struggling communications got through. Foregoing any pleasantries, Kim begged his acquaintance to use his influence and send the Avengers to the area in an effort to save as many lives as possible. Bruce promised to do what he could. The connection ended.

  Dr. Kim Jae-Yin then began to make peace with death.

  * * *

  AT FIRST it was only the monuments.

  Chhatarpur District, India, wasn’t a vastly populated area, and that proved to be for the best. The signal that struck near the Khajuraho Monuments did not care whether people were in the way.

  The signal did not feel.

  It simply did what it was meant to do.

  It changed the world.

  There was an extensive collection of temples around Chhatarpur, including the Khajuraho temples dating back a thousand years and more. None were spared. The ground around them was saturated with alien radiations that began their work immediately upon impact, altering not only the landscape, but also all life in the area.

  The temples stood near the town of Khajuraho, boasting a population of over twenty thousand people. The ancient structures and the land around them were quickly overwhelmed by huge, twisted, vine-like growths and a dark viscous substance beneath which every living being disappeared.

  A strange mist fell over the land, resembling a starry snowfall— and with it came utter silence.

  Then the ground began to move, writhe, as new human-like forms rose up and freed themselves from the dark substance. These humanoid forms were muscular giants, naked and genderless, with dark-blue skin and standing twenty feet in height. Each monolithic being had a grotesque, cube-shaped head with four expressionless faces, one pointing in each direction.

  Rising from the alien muck, moving without any noticeable form of communication between them, the creatures set about building a large circular structure. Each individual carried huge stones that seemed too heavy to lift. These they assembled with uncanny precision. When complete, the structure’s configuration evoked the symmetries of the Nazca lines of southern Peru as seen from high above.

  Their task complete, the blue figures formed a living ring around the construct. As one they reached out, placing their hands against its outer wall. For the first time an expression appeared on their many faces—an expression of pain… or anger.

  * * *

  DR. BRUCE Banner peered at the screen, studying the feed sent to him by the S.W.O.R.D. telescopes located aboard the orbiting Peak. It revealed what was occurring in India, and elsewhere across the globe.

  As terrifying as the images were, he couldn’t help but be excited. This was what he lived for. The mysteries of the world made him feel vital and alive.

  Yet excitement wasn’t always the best idea where he was involved. There were very few people who could argue with the merits of keeping Bruce Banner calm. When aroused, his anger tended to result in catastrophic property damage.

  However, in times of crisis like this one, he didn’t exactly have a choice. Steve Rogers—Captain America—was counting on him for answers. Banner was an Avenger, after all.

  The more he studied the digital feeds, however, the more excitement gave way to horror…

  * * *

  IN PERTH, Australia, the effects of the impact were similar to what had occurred in the Chhatarpur District. The land and buildings in the city were violently transformed, the ground giving way as massive plants pushed their way out of the fertile soil and up through concrete and asphalt alike. Heavy cloud cover stretched overhead, lightning arcing through the sky.

  The vines moved with deliberate design, covering structures, roads, and bridges, and quickly developing a network of organic cables that in turn rose in rapidly growing towers. Along all of those alien structures, heavy pods bloomed like cancerous growths. Swelling quickly to maturation, these bulbous eggs spewed forth cyclopean, beetle-like crustaceans that moved with efficiency as they scurried along the alien vines.

  As each reached its destination and faced upward toward space, the creature’s head opened, flaps peeling back to reveal a glowing eye. Beams of unknown energy joined the lightning above.

  * * *

  ABOARD THE Peak, technicians worked tirelessly to locate the source of the assault coming from the stars. Scanners swept the heavens, yet found the answer surprisingly close to home.

  The source was none other than the red planet, Mars.

  The strike zones in Japan, India, and Australia were followed by impacts in the Savage Land beneath Antarctica; in Split, Croatia; in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; and in Holjanmyaa, Norway. In each location the changes to the atmosphere and environment were immediate and violent. Millions of people were altered, the land transformed beyond recognition.

  Time was running out.

  Most terrestrial space agencies didn’t even have launch capabilities. Those that did—including NASA, the CNSA of China, Russia’s RFSA, and even the privately owned organizations—didn’t possess the technology or equipment needed to mount a mission from the third planet in the solar system to the fourth without taking more time for preparation and travel than was feasible.

  The good news for everyone involved was that the Avengers had other methods of arranging transport.

  CHAPTER TWO

  LIFE ON MARS

  “WE ARE NOT HERE TO RECREATE, EX NIHILO,” the Aleph asserted. “WE ARE HERE TO PURGE.”

  Like the others of his species, Ex Nihilo considered himself a Gardener. His purpose was simple: find life and either help it become wh
at it should become, or pull it like a weed from the garden. In the beginning he’d preferred to pull weeds, but as time passed he started wondering about what could be, what should be—and so he became determined to change things.

  That did not sit well with his companions.

  The Aleph was taller than he was, and made entirely of metallic alloys that defied analysis. Though not completely indestructible, it was close. There had been a time, in ages past, when both Ex Nihilo and his sister, Abyss, had been seeds carried by the robotic form. Still, it was not their father—more like an equal.

  The three of them stared impassively at the massive organic cannon that fired pulses at the Earth, trying—thus far without any success—to re-form the planet that lay 34 million miles away at its closest. Ex Nihilo wanted to reshape the garden of Earth. His sister remained aloof regarding her preferences, and the Aleph disagreed and continued to argue its case.

  “THE EARTH IS CORRUPTED,” it said. “OUR DUTY IS TO RAZE THIS WORLD.”

  “Nonsense!” Ex Nihilo shook his head, the great horns scraping the air as he did so. “We have a rare opportunity, Aleph. We can reshape the world, help it correct itself and become something greater than it is now—as great as it was meant to be when it was first seeded and shaped.”

  “DECLARATIVE: OUR OBJECTIVE IS TIME-SENSITIVE,” the Aleph persisted. “THE EARTH IS A DANGER AND MUST BE ELIMINATED.”

  “Perhaps, but first I prefer to see the correction. They are living creatures with great potential. The world is rich and fertile, and deserves a chance to first be nurtured and directed.” He turned to gaze at the dot of life in the sky. “My signals will give the Earth that chance.”

  “DECLARATIVE: WORLD-RAZING. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TIME-SENSITIVE.”

  Ex Nihilo shook his head, moderately annoyed that the robot would not listen to him. It was sentient. It could think and reason as well as any organic creature. Still, it remained intractable in its solution to their problem.