Months had passed since Max's last conversation with Jarvis regarding the wildly successful Thor + Loki novels. The memories of that absurd revelation still brought a smirk to his face now and then, but his mind had been occupied with far more pressing matters since then. Dreykov and a number of Eastern European and Russian politicians had vanished, presumably floating somewhere in Earth's orbit, their bodies long turned to cosmic dust and debris. Frank Castle had finally moved his family back to New York, reuniting them with a semblance of normal life after months of turmoil.
Max had hacked a report from Nick Fury recently, detailing his meeting with Frank. Fury had tried to press Castle on the whereabouts of the culprits involved in the gruesome drug-smuggling operation—the one where dead soldiers' bodies had been used to transport narcotics. Frank's answer had been chilling in its simplicity: "I took care of them."
As far as Max knew, those responsible for such a heinous crime were now corpses floating somewhere in the cold expanse of space. Fury was left unsatisfied but realized that pushing further would lead to nothing but more dead bodies. Frank Castle was no hero, at least not by traditional standards, but he was loyal. And that was all Max needed from him.
Now, sitting aboard the Storm Chaser, Max looked out through the massive observation deck. He was currently in a nearby star system, far from the Earth. The system was vast, consisting of four planets within the habitable zone. These planets, however, hadn't been as lucky as Earth. Despite their location, none of them had developed any semblance of life or atmosphere. They were barren, lifeless rocks, each of them waiting for a second chance.
Max tapped his fingers on the console, cycling through the data that the ship had gathered on the planets. Terraforming one planet was challenging enough, but four? This was going to be a monumental task, even with the Ancient knowledge he had at his disposal.
He thought about the Phoenix Force from the Marvel comics—a power that could burn entire worlds to ashes or renew them with a burst of cosmic energy. A quick, fiery transformation would have been useful right about now. But this universe had no Phoenix Force, no Jean Grey, no X-Men. And, truth be told, Max was relieved. A universe without mutants was one less chaotic element he had to worry about. The irrational hatred humanity held for mutants in those stories, the constant clashes between powerful beings with little regard for the world around them—it was enough to give Max a shiver.
He considered the sheer havoc that mutants like Magneto or Apocalypse could have caused here. But that thought quickly gave way to a different, more immediate project. His focus shifted back to the work at hand. Terraforming was a long and arduous process, but with the right tools, it could be done.
Max stood at the observation deck, watching as massive asteroids—rich in ice and essential minerals—were carefully guided by his escort fleet toward the planets. The idea was simple: bombard the barren worlds with these asteroids to introduce the necessary components for a breathable atmosphere and, eventually, life itself.
Off in the distance, Max could see the silhouette of the Lantean—a city-sized ship hovering near a gas giant, towing one of its moons. The Lantean was modeled after the city-ship Atlantis from the Stargate universe, though Max had wisely chosen not to name it after that specific myth. After all, this universe already had its own version of Atlantis, and the confusion could have proven troublesome.
Still, watching it glide effortlessly through space, accompanying the moon as it prepared to place it into orbit around one of the four planets, filled Max with a deep sense of satisfaction. Terraforming a planet had always been one of his dreams, and now he was living it.
A sharp ping interrupted his thoughts, signaling an incoming communication. Max raised an eyebrow, turning back to his console. It was a message from one of his Ghost agents stationed on Earth.
"Sir, Loki has been sighted in Stuttgart," the Ghost agent's voice came through clearly. "He was involved in a public confrontation with local authorities and some of the Avengers. Thought you should know."
Max's eyes narrowed slightly. Loki, already? He glanced at the timeline he'd been keeping in his head. Time had slipped by faster than he realized, and if Loki was already making moves, then the New York invasion wasn't far behind.
"Good catch," Max replied, his voice calm despite the urgency of the situation. "Keep monitoring him and the Avengers. Report any major developments directly to me."
As the connection closed, Max tapped into the Storm Chaser's controls, reviewing the current status of his fleets. He had more than enough firepower at his disposal, but most of his ships were committed to the ongoing terraforming project. The only fully manned and operational ship available was the Storm Chaser itself. The Jupiter D1 and its accompanying fleet were still in their final stages of construction and had no active crew.
"That'll have to do," Max muttered to himself. He turned to the bridge crew, who were monitoring the asteroid impacts on the planets below. "New orders—prepare to disengage from the current operation. The Storm Chaser is heading back to Earth immediately."
The crew didn't miss a beat. The ship hummed with energy as it adjusted course, the swirling vortex of hyperspace forming ahead of them as they prepared to make the jump back to Earth.
"Maintain current objectives with the other fleets," Max instructed. "The terraforming continues as planned. But the Storm Chaser—we're heading for New York."
With the coordinates locked, the ship lurched forward, diving into the tunnel of hyperspace. Stars stretched into lines, and the vastness of space folded around them as they traveled across the galaxy at speeds faster than light. Max stood at the helm, hands gripping the railing as he mentally prepared himself for what was to come.
Meanwhile, Back on Earth
Frank Castle sat at the dining table in his modest New York apartment, his family bustling around him. Maria was cleaning up after breakfast, while Lisa and Frank Jr. chattered about their day back at school. The transition from the space station to Earth had been smoother for the kids than he'd expected, though both of them had admitted they missed the novelty of life in space. Still, they were happy to be back in the familiar environment of the city, surrounded by friends their age.
Frank leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee, his mind drifting. He'd had a visit from Nick Fury not long ago, a tense conversation about the fate of the drug smugglers who had used fallen soldiers as vessels for their illegal operations. Fury had demanded answers, and Frank had given him the only one that mattered.
"I took care of them."
Fury's sharp eyes had lingered on him for a long moment, but the director hadn't pressed further. Fury wasn't stupid; he knew exactly what that meant. Those responsible were dead, their bodies likely floating somewhere in space, lost to the void. Frank had no regrets. They'd deserved it.
"Hey, Dad?" Lisa's voice broke him out of his thoughts. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Do you think we'll ever go back to the space station?"
Frank smiled at her. "Maybe. But for now, enjoy being back on Earth."
Back on the Storm Chaser
Max stood at the bridge as the ship emerged from hyperspace, the blue and green orb of Earth looming large on the viewscreen. Below, New York was already bustling with activity, and somewhere down there, Loki was preparing for his next move.
The Storm Chaser slid into orbit above the city, its cloaking systems making it invisible to all.
The invasion was coming, and he was ready.