prevoiusly in chapter 123
"And what about his motives?" Druig asked, his voice low and contemplative. "What does he gain by killing us? What's his endgame?" Phastos shook his head slowly. "That's the part I can't figure out. But it doesn't matter. Whatever his reason, he's a threat to all of us, and we need to stop him before he finishes what he started." Kingo stopped his pacing and looked at Phastos, a flicker of hope in his eyes. "You've always been the brains of this operation, Phastos. Please tell me you've got something up your sleeve. Some kind of plan, a weapon—anything that can stop this guy." Phastos hesitated, his gaze lingering on the hologram of Henry. He knew they were grasping at straws, but he couldn't let that show. He needed to keep them focused, give them something to believe in.
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"Yes," Phastos finally said, his voice firm with resolve. "I've been working on something—a weapon designed specifically to counter someone like Henry. It's not perfect, and it's still in the prototype stage, but it might just give us the edge we need." The other Eternals leaned in, their attention fully on Phastos. Even Makkari stopped her watchful vigil by the window, intrigued by the possibility of a solution.
Phastos pulled up another hologram, this one depicting a sleek, metallic device. It was a small, hand-held weapon, almost like a gun, but its design was more complex, with intricate circuits and energy conduits running through it. "This," Phastos explained, "is the Nullifier. It's designed to disrupt and neutralize energy fields—specifically, the kind that Henry uses to fuel his telekinesis. If we can get close enough to him and use this, it should sever his connection to those abilities, at least temporarily."
Druig frowned, his dark eyes scrutinizing the device. "Temporarily? What happens after that? He's not just going to stand there and let us finish him off." Phastos nodded, acknowledging the flaw in the plan. "I know. That's why we need to coordinate our attack carefully. The Nullifier will give us a window—a brief moment where he's vulnerable. In that time, we need to hit him with everything we've got, before he can recover."
Kingo's face brightened a little, a glimmer of his old confidence returning. "So we use this thing, and then what? Blast him into oblivion? I like the sound of that." Makkari signed quickly, her movements urgent. Makkari: How do we get close enough to use it? He's not exactly going to let us walk up to him. Phastos hesitated again. This was the crux of the problem. Henry was not just powerful, he was cunning, and getting close enough to use the Nullifier would be the most dangerous part of their plan.
"I've been thinking about that," Phastos admitted. "And I believe we can use a distraction. Something to throw him off, make him focus on something else while one of us gets in close enough to use the Nullifier." Druig's eyes narrowed, suspicion flashing in his gaze. "And who, exactly, is going to be the bait?" Phastos didn't flinch. He had expected this question, and he had already made his decision. "It has to be me. I'm the one who knows how to use the Nullifier, and I'm the least combat-capable of us. You three will need to keep him occupied, distract him long enough for me to get in close."
The cabin fell into a tense silence. Each of them knew the risks, the odds stacked against them. They had faced countless threats over the millennia, but nothing like this. Henry was different—an anomaly, a force they couldn't predict or fully understand. Finally, it was Druig who spoke, his voice low but resolute. "We don't have much of a choice, do we? It's either this or wait for him to pick us off one by one."
Kingo nodded, his usual bravado returning as he slapped Phastos on the back. "Alright, Phastos. Let's do this. If anyone can make it work, it's you." Makkari signed her agreement, her sharp eyes determined. Makkari: We'll make sure he doesn't see you coming. Phastos looked at his friends, feeling a swell of determination. They were scared, uncertain, but they were also resolved. They had to be. This was their last stand, their only chance to stop Henry before he eradicated them all.
As Phastos finished speaking, a sense of grim determination hung in the air. The Eternals were ready to move out, prepared to face the looming threat of Henry, even if the odds were stacked against them. But before they could even stand up, a sudden, violent force ripped through the cabin, tearing apart the wooden walls as if they were paper. The jungle around them seemed to hold its breath as the cabin was reduced to splinters, debris flying everywhere. The four Eternals barely had time to react as the destruction unveiled a figure descending from the sky, shrouded in an aura of malevolent power. Henry floated down with an almost casual grace, his eyes cold and calculating, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Huh? A meeting specifically designed to kill me?" Henry's voice was laced with amusement as he surveyed the scene. "Isn't this interesting?" Shock and terror washed over the Eternals. They had been prepared for a confrontation, but not like this—not with Henry appearing out of nowhere, tearing apart their sanctuary with such ease. Before anyone could respond, Henry's expression hardened. With a mere flick of his fingers, he telekinetically snapped Phastos's neck. The sound was sickeningly sharp, and Phastos crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
The shock of seeing Phastos killed so suddenly froze the remaining Eternals in place, their minds struggling to comprehend the swiftness and brutality of the attack. Makkari was the first to recover. Fueled by a mix of rage and desperation, she launched herself at Henry with blinding speed, a streak of motion that was almost impossible to follow with the naked eye. But Henry was ready. With a thought, he activated his gravity ring, amplifying the gravitational pull in a small area around Makkari. She was instantly yanked down, her incredible momentum crushed under the immense weight. The speedster slammed into the ground with a force that would have shattered bones in a lesser being, pinned to the earth by the overwhelming gravity. She struggled, muscles straining, but she couldn't move—her superhuman speed rendered useless by the oppressive force.
Kingo, witnessing Makkari's plight, quickly gathered cosmic energy in his hands, forming a brilliant bolt of power. He hurled it at Henry with all his might, the energy crackling through the air like a meteor. But Henry barely acknowledged the attack. With a mere glance, he deflected the bolt away, sending it spiraling into the dense jungle, where it exploded in a flash of light and heat, igniting the surrounding trees. Henry's smirk deepened as he turned his attention to Druig, who was attempting to use his mental abilities to infiltrate Henry's mind. Druig's eyes glowed with a dark intensity as he focused all his energy on breaking through Henry's mental defenses, trying to seize control of his thoughts.
But it was futile. Henry's mind was like a fortress, impenetrable and unyielding. He felt Druig's attempt like a faint tickle, nothing more than a nuisance. "You really thought you could control me?" Henry sneered, his voice dripping with condescension. With a wave of his hand, Henry telekinetically lifted all three remaining Eternals into the air, their bodies suspended helplessly above the ground. Makkari was still struggling against the crushing gravity, her breath coming in labored gasps. Kingo's hands crackled with energy as he tried to summon another attack, but he was held too tightly, unable to focus. Druig's eyes flared with rage and fear, his mental assault having failed utterly. Henry's expression turned cold and impatient. "I am in a hurry, so I have no time to waste on you," he said flatly.
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A/N more stones