The streets of New York had once again become a warzone as the invasion was in full effect

Amongst the numerous ruins, stood the wreckage of the Blackbird, the famous transport for the mutant team of superheroes, now little more than burning metal

A set of claws popped from one of its walls, cutting down a hole for the survivors to escape

Wolverine: I swear, this thing gets shot down every three days...

He kicked away pieces of debris and cleared a path before going back and helping the other person with him

He threw his friend's arm over his shoulders to help her walk away

The X-Men were in the middle of a mission in Washington when the invasion began to take place. Scott asked Storm and Wolverine to take the Blackbird and ensure the Institute was safe, but they were shot down on their way back

Then they heard from you that the institute was gone, so they were pretty much stranded there

Wolverine: C'mon Storm, we gotta get out of here

They needed to get to you, they wanted to know what has happened to their home, and who survived. There was no way a bunch of aliens could wipe out their entire family

But if they were to get answers, first they needed to survive this

Shortly after they exited the wreckage, they were surrounded by strange figures. These beings with cybernetics all over their disheveled bodies and blades for arms

A distorted growl could be heard coming from these beings as they observed the mutants with animal-like curiosity

But everyone knew what would happen next, but the X-Men, however, were not known for wasting time

Logan growled back and popped both his claws at these invaders, while Storm's eyes began glowing and without hesitation, they lunged at the enemy

Wolverine's claws clashed with the invaders, but he was quick to pierce their armor and stab through vital parts of them

Lightning aided the mutants as it fell on the aliens, quickly burning them into submission

One alien tried to attack Wolverine from behind, only to be thrown away by a whirlwind. Logan turned around and sliced him off, quickly grabbing the body to use as a shield before another tried to stab him

He took advantage of this distraction and swiftly pierced through the alien's head, finishing the last of the patrol

Storm: You alright, Logan?

The man nodded and they both walked up from the small crater they were in, only to be met with the bigger picture

They gazed upon the destruction that surrounded them. Civilians running away as fast as they could, alien drones bombing the streets, and heroes trying their best to hold this back while the people were being rushed out of the scene

It was truly a pandemonium

However, upon getting a closer look at these beings, Ororo came to a startling realization

Storm: They seem...

Wolverine: Familiar?

Surprised, she looked up to find Logan inspecting the corpse of one of their enemies

Storm: Yes, maybe the joint mission with the Avengers and the Fantastic Four?

Wolverine: The aliens with the perfection complex? Yeah that would match the technology

His friend nodded, but before any of them could say anything, something buzzed in Logan and Storm's earpieces

???: ᴀʟᴇʀᴛ, ᴜɴᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴀᴄᴄᴇꜱꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴠᴇɴɢᴇʀꜱ ᴅᴀᴛᴀʙᴀꜱᴇ. ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ʀᴇQᴜɪʀᴇᴅ

They recognized this voice. It was the AI that ran the technology back in the Avengers Mansion

Stark programmed it to alert the nearest Avenger in case something went wrong, and right now, they seemed to be

Wolverine: That can't be good

Storm: If the invaders get their hands on that information, they'll know exactly how to defeat our friends

Logan groaned and turned to the streets, while Ororo began to fly above

Storm: We gave to stop this, now

Without further due, the two ventured into the streets, with Logan tearing through any invaders he came across, while Storm cleared the enemies in the sky

...

City streets, 11:48 pm

Without much of a choice, you headed back to the streets, transformed into the Rider and with Emma on her diamond form. This way, it was much harder to damage any of you, the situation was hard enough as it was

But you soon realized how much worse things had gotten while you had gone to the Institute. Drone attacks were all but certain, with the police doing what they could to hold the line while the civilians evacuated the area. Those who were ready to call it a day were now trying their best to keep said day going by surviving

Screams, gunfire, and explosions had become the new ambiance noise, but you were hardly a bystander

Every alien that crossed your path had been turned into ashes or pierced by your chains, and yet your focus was on finding somewhere safe for Emma, whose wounds just worsened with each minute. She was too busy trying to keep herself alive to even criticize you

But then, amidst the chaos, a familiar sound caught your attention

Thwip!

You looked around to find the source of the noise and found yourself relieved to locate the source:

Spider-Man: Great! This was supposed to be my day off!

He webbed an alien's arm and kept it from stabbing a police officer, then leaped into it and using the momentum, he knocked it out with a brutal punch, effectively clearing out the area

You: HEY! SPIDER!

The webslinger quickly turned around at the sound of your voice, landing on the roof of a school voice

Spider-Man: Ayy! Blowtorch! They ruin your day too?

You nodded before motioning to your groaning passenger. This caught the man off-guard, especially after your last message  to the rest of the superheroes

You: Frost's injured, badly. Can you get her somewhere safe while I clear this?

Emma: I can...take care of myself...you know...

You both looked at her and then at each other

Spider-Man: I think I can get her to the Baxter Building. Closest place I can think of 

Once again, you nodded

You: I'll cover you

You got off your bike and got ahold of Emma. She groaned at your touch

You: You'll be in good hands. I promise

Emma: I'll...hold you to it...

Spider-Man grabbed her and prepared his webs

Spider-Man: Okay, Ms. Frost, hold on tight

He aimed for a nearby building, but she grabbed his arm

Emma: Wait

Spidey stopped to look at her and she, in turn, glanced back at you

Emma: ...Thanks. I mean it

You just nodded and allowed your superhero friend to take her away. You knew that Spidey's web-slinging was much more efficient than your bike given the number of obstacles. He could just jump over all of that and get Emma to safety

But if he were to do that, he would have to survive the journey. Aliens nearby started to shoot at him, but you were quick to draw their attention by swinging your chains at them

You: HEY, YOUR FIGHT IS WITH ME!!

You wrapped your chain at the nearest drone and crashed it into the ground, alerting the troops, which opened fire upon you

...

Avengers Mansion, 12:01 am

An alien corpse was thrown through the door as Logan finally reached the mansion. Storm was covering him at first but then decided to help the evacuation helicopters by clearing the skies as much as she could

 Now, he was slicing through the invaders in this seemingly empty building, or at least until--

???: Mr. Logan? Is--zzzzzt--you? I'm hid--bzzzt- my room!

Logan heard the message through his earpiece. When asked about it, the AI in the mansion alerted him of another human heat signature present in the building. Edwin Jarvis

So the mutant picked up the pace and ran as fast as he could towards the room belonging to the loyal butler only to be thrown to the table by one of the aliens who lunged at him in an attempt to get him while he was down, but Logan used its momentum against the foe and impaled it the moment Logan was in range 

When he got up, a sigh left the man's lips. This was the same table where he would play poker with The Thing, Hawkeye, and Luke Cage

Still. Logan shook those thoughts off and rushed towards the halls. He knew he was in the right place when one of the invaders was shot in the head with a shotgun from inside the room, si he lunged at the other two and pierced both their heads at the same time

Wolverine: I'm here, Jarvis! Hold tight!

Suddenly, he was blasted in the back by one of these creatures, only for another one to pierce his leg with a blade, but he only turned and in turn sliced his enemy's arm off before stabbing through the chest and throwing the bladed arm towards the other

Once the threat was dealt with and he had healed, Logan turned to the room

Wolverine: All clear 

He peeked to see the butler scared for his life, holding on to the weapon until he made eye contact with his friend

Jarvis: Oh thank god, it's really you

Wolverine: Don't celebrate just yet, I got an alert from the computer. Someone's trying to get the intel

This got a nod from the "older" man as he reloaded his shotgun

Jarvis: Right this way, sir

Together, Jarvis and Logan made it to the sublevels of the mansion, where the Avengers gathered to plan their next moves, as well as assess threats. Logan had been here a time or two when the situation called for his unique set of skills

Soon, they came across another squad of aliens, and they promptly made quick work of them, but what caught their attention was the figure standing in front of the computer

Wolverine: And just who the hell are you?

Slowly, the figure turned around and revealed itself

???: Now you see me...

The woman disappeared into a black cloud, reappearing behind Logan just a second later

???: Now you don't

She kicked the mutant away before letting out a taunting laugh. Logan got back up and glared at her

Wolverine: Jarvis, Take care of the computer situation

Then, he popped his claws out, and the woman readied her blades as well

"I'll take care of this one"

...

Midtown, 12:30 am

"Fall back, fall back!"

Captain America ordered the officers as they were being overwhelmed by the invaders. He threw his shield at the enemy, which bounced between them before going back to him just in time to deflect an incoming blade

 Some heroes had met up and started fighting in Midtown to try and get control of the area back. Amongst them were Elektra, She-Hulk, War Machine, Storm, and you 

War Machine and Storm focused on taking out the massive swarm of drones coming your way, while Elektra ushered the civilians to the path laid out for a shelter, leaving She-Hulk and you to destroy anything you came across that wasn't a friendly

The moment shelters were set up, your priorities changed from attack to defend as you tried to get as many people to safety as possible, but the invaders became aware of this too, and started pushing further into these routes you were defending with all your might

This became evident by the deployment of heavier and more specialized units, like those that had canons instead of blades for arms, or this one that just threw a truck at She-Hulk

It was a unit standing over ten feet tall, more muscular than the rest, and with heavier chunks of armor and cleavers rather than blades. This brute roared at She-Hulk before it found a burning chain wrapped around its neck

You pulled it towards you, only to stop it with a brutal punch enhanced by the fisticuffs you had on you. The punch was strong enough to destroy the armor around its face, and leave a burning print on the left side

The alien shrieked in pain, but you got ahold of its jaw and tore it off before kicking it away, and before it got a chance to get back up, missiles from War Machine rained upon this alien, killing it for good before another wave of drones showed up

She-Hulk: Incoming!

She dug her hands into the concrete and was able to grab a piece of concrete, using it as a projectile against her enemies. She got about seven of them in the process

But this swarm, it was different. The drones were bigger, and they had this gold color to them instead of the silver ones. They moved faster, and unbeknownst to you, they had a specific purpose

And they sought to accomplish that by firing at the same time, releasing a ferocious bombardment on the street you were all in. You tried to block it but ended up buried in debris from the building next to you

An attack bigger and faster than anyone could've foreseen. The streets were bombarded within seconds, forcing the people to either take cover or run away as fast as they could

But not all of them were so lucky

Debris was falling on top of a family, and they were not going to survive the attack unless they could shield themselves, so Cap decided for them

Captain America: WATCH OUT!!

The man threw his shield at the same time the bombs reached the ground, and a blinding flash of light took over the scene for a couple of seconds

And then, silence

You managed to get yourself out of the debris, but by the time you got up, your eyes grew wide at the sight before you:

Where Captain America stood valiantly, only a scorched silhouette remained, and the shield that had saved the family last minute, was now stuck into a pillar. Without anyone to come back to

War Machine: ɴᴏ!!

She-Hulk: CAP!!

There was a collective roar of disbelief and anger at what you had all witnessed, and this act send all of you into a frenzy, with you throwing your chains with even deadlier precision to the swarm, War Machine unleashing his entire arsenal upon them, and She-Hulk throwing everything she could find at the aliens

Elektra could only stand and watch as the anger overtook you all, turning you into an incredibly lethal combo. Much like the forces that were invading you

It reminded her of the way she was transformed by those aliens not so long ago. Her emotions, all pushed aside for one single purpose, to kill everything in sight, to become perfect

An explosion took place near her, forcing her to snap out of her thoughts before she dug her sais into an incoming attack. She yelled at the people to keep moving

yet she pushed her thoughts aside to keep the people moving. This was hardly a safe place

This place had truly become a warzone

And now, it had its own casualties

...

Avengers Mansion, 12:39 am 

Wolverine's claws met with his enemy's, locked for a brief moment before she teleported to attack from behind, but Logan had foreseen this. He trained with a man that also had the ability to teleport, after all

She trusted her blades forward, only for Logan to sidestep and slash her side. The woman screamed and kicked him into one of the computers before disappearing into a black cloud yet again

Jarvis worked on the computer, trying to reverse what the mysterious woman had done, but found himself unable to. The system was corrupting itself further by the minute, closing more and more opportunities as it did

Jarvis: I-I don't think I can do this, sir! The system is too far lost 

Wolverine parried her blade before kicking her in the gut, forcing the woman back a few fit, but she lunged at him, disappearing midair 

Wolverine: Then we gotta do something drastic to keep this from falling into their hands!

Jarvis knew what he meant. The information could not be shared, nor could it be saved, so it had to be destroyed, everything had, so he set the Mansion for the emergency protocol that could only be activated once

Once he introduced the command, the computer accepted it

Computer: ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴇᴅ. ᴄᴏᴍᴇɴᴄɪɴɢ "ᴘᴀʀᴛʏ'ꜱ ᴏᴠᴇʀ" ᴘʀᴏᴛᴏᴄᴏʟ. 5 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇꜱ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴɪɴɢ

Red lights started flashing over the room shortly after. This sudden change in atmosphere  distracted the woman, who realized what had been done

???: NO!!

She tried teleporting to the butler, but a chair was thrown her way, forcing her to return her attention to Wolverine

???: Enough of this!

Her actions were desperate, not nearly as calculated as they were before, and thus, predictable

By the time the woman reappeared, Logan swung his claws exactly where she would appear, piercing through her arm and earning a shriek from her. The woman kicked him in the chest and forced him to remove his claws before she lunged at him with her other arm, swinging in a more frantic motion this time only for the man to retract his claws and deliver a brutal uppercut to her jaw

Then, he threw her to the ground and popped his claws yet again, mere inches away from her face

Wolverine: I think you owe me some answers

He brought his claws even closer to her face. She could see her own dark reflection in them

Wolverine: Just what is this all about? What are you doing here?

???: Just looking for something

Wolverine: How 'bout you be more specific? Tell me and I won't stab the other

???: The other what?

Instead of telling her, Wolverine dug his claws into her right shoulder, making the woman scream in agony yet again. Playtime was over

???: We're--ugh--looking for Paragon

Computer: 2 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇꜱ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴɪɴɢ

Then, an explosion took place above them, a good chunk of the ceiling caved in. This proved to be an opening for the woman, as she kicked Wolverine off of her and started teleporting away

He got up growling at her but was stopped by Jarvis' hand on his shoulder

Jarvis: We must leave now, sir. This place is about to collapse!

With a sigh, the mutant retracted his claws

Wolverine: Right. Let's go

Not another word was said before the two men made their way into the emergency escape route, fighting their way through the alien-infested tunnels until they managed to find their way back to the surface 

By the time they reached it, however, they had come face to face with the ruins of yet another house of heroes. First the Institute, and now the Avengers Mansion, these places where hope could be found, were nothing more than fire and rubble

But of course, there was no time to mourn for the loss of these places nor the people within them, for an alien drone flew nearby, prompting the two men to hide behind a wall to avoid detection 

The drone resumed its flight a few minutes later, finally allowing them to catch a break

Jarvis: It's...It's all gone

Wolverine: Yup

Jarvis: The information, it could've helped the Avengers greatly

Wolverine: Yup

Distraught, the butler turned to the hero leaning against the wall

Jarvis: What are you going to do now, sir?

Logan just sighed as he got up, walking towards the main city yet again

Wolverine: We're going to find a way to win this war, Jarvis...

"...one way or another"