2481/Apokolips Now: Avengers Assemble

Apokolips Now: Avengers Assemble
Date of Scene:	19 September 2017
Location:	New York City
Synopsis:	The armies of Apokolips descend upon NYC, targetting the UN as a symbol of world government. The Avengers arrive to help National Guard and NYPD forces hold the line, and make a new friend in the process.
Cast of Characters:	Thor, Black Knight, Scarlet Witch, Wasp (van Dyne), Tigra, Black Widow (Romanoff)
Tinyplot:	Apokolips Now

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Thor has posed:
Scant warnings were provided of the coming forces of Apokolips: Intergang's recent activity, the arrival of a rogue Fury, and finally the return of Superwoman in the midst of the catacylsmic devastation of downtown Metropolis. The attack there followed quickly, giving the heroes of earth little time to prepare, and the U.S. government even less. By now, the news footage has spread around the world, of the strange portals open across the sky, of legions of strange alien soldiers - Darkseid's parademons - marching in columns through the streets, backed by tanks and artillery of futuristic design.

Simultaneous reports begin to echo back from across the world, clarifying that this invasion is total, world-consuming.

New York City is not far from Metropolis, where the invasion begins, and the secondary waves target it along with cities around the world. In the hours of preparation, the police and national guard are out on the streets in force. In one way, it is proof of the Underwood administration's hardline anti-terror policies, their military buildup to prepare for 'superhuman threats.' In other ways, it's proof of just how unready they are, of how far they have to go.

The Avengers have had small briefings on Intergang and its weapons, including intelligence that it may represent some external threat of greater significance. But that's all they have. There have been no decisive orders for a next step. Thor himself had received an odd, if cryptic warning, one sent from Asgard to assure him that the strange and alien technology wielded by Intergang was *not* the work of one of his typical foes from that realm. A courtesy call of sorts, a rather polite thing among off-and-on warring Gods. Yet in his typical fashion, his reaction was to seek to the heavens for answers, and he is not at the mansion when the alarms sound.

But even without him or any of the other leaders immediately on hand, the Avengers have no doubt what they need to do when the news reports come in. And as the BOOM BOOM BOOM of the opening portals echoes throughout the city, they are ready, assembling at the mansion and moving quickly south to meet what seems like a large concentration of enemy forces aimed at the symbolic heart of the world government: the United Nations building. There, a small line of national guard tanks along with a larger army of New York's finest stand ready...

... against foes innumerable, as the skies darken with soaring winged soldiers, and columns of ground troops, backed by far more numerous, almost countless alien tanks, disgorge directly upon 1st Avenue.

Black Knight has posed:
    Strider, the majestic white winged, if at times obstinate stallion is flying at speeds that a horse should not fly at. Even flying horses. His hooves flashing as he gallops across the sky, the Black Knights spurless heals gently, firmly urging him to his full speed. Truly, Strider you have shown me the meaning of haste. The stallion dives downwards, tucking his wings as the duo plummet from the skies towards the streets below. Prior to impacting the no mans land between the two forces, the great wings spread wide, slowing the descent, the horse swoops low, then vanishes, sending the rider forwards.
    The armoured figure of the black knight, in his elf-forged black metal armor rolls across the pavement a couple of times. The dred Ebony blade cuts into the street, sending flaking stone and concrete into the air as it slices into the street, slowing the knights slide, cutting a line some 20 feet into the soft concrete of the street.
    The Black Knight stands there, pulling his blade up and out of the concrete. His blade moves in a flourishing salute. You! His tenor booms as best he can. Shall not pass! His nerd heart smiles, leaking through to his face as a grim smile. Okay. Lets go, As if he seeks to die, the knight starts running across the no mans land to engage the enemy. He might as well have painted a target on himself. Then the blasts start. His sword almost elegantly, like something out of a star wars film deflecting the bolts back at the foe, or into the street between the two groups.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
While Wanda Maximoff is a master of arcane lore and familiar with many realms beyond the mortal, of dimensions strange and unworldly. Yet disstant Apokolips is a place rather far from her imaginings, the vastness of space a different sort than the more esoteric distances she is familiar with. Sailing through the air alongside the Black Knight's winged steed, her cape flutters behind her, and her eyes are wide as she takes in the scope of the invasion, the portals, the winged hordes, the army unleashed into the heart of their city. "By every goddess, this is a nightmare made real," she murmurs, looking upon the scale of it all.

Dane descends to rush boldly into battle, and so she follows after him, ready to stand beside her teamate, or at least... a safe distance behind him, and lend support. As he strides forward, she raises her hands, fingers outstretched in arcane posture, each soon outlined in a halo of crimson energy. She knows what is coming, and turns all the fates against it, shielding them both from what is certain to be a hellish rain of enemy fire. Though even in defending the bold, brave knight, her concerns are elsewhere, in many places at once, at the brave but utterly human soldiers arrayed in the plaza behind them, on the buildings that stand to bear the brunt of all of this, and on the portals.

"We must close those, somehow-" she surmises, almost immediately. "Cut me a path to one, so that I may see what sorcerery delivers these foes across the stars."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
    There was at least one there that had first hand experience with Intergang and their weaponry. And that person is currently hovering above the line with insectile wings, looking over the line to the oncoming army. At 3 feet tall, Janet van Dyne isn't as small as her usual default flying form of a half inch, but the winsome Wasp is not trying to hide. She wants people to see that she is there. Maybe there are a few Intergang members in that vanguard approaching....and maybe they remember what happens when they make wasps angry.

    "Watch out for the bigger pulse rifles. They pack a sonic blast that you do not want to be hit by. Trust me on this." Jan dips down to be almost eye level for most people, as she then plows onward, straight towards the first wave. Almost instantly, she shrinks to her half-inch height and starts weaving...an almost impossible target to hit for the enemy.

    A couple of yellow bio-blasts lance outward, bright against the pale blue of the onslaught, catching one, then another, and dropping them to the ground. It would appear that Janet is pulling out all the stops. "Right, cut a path. Time to start plowing, folks!"

Tigra has posed:
Sometimes, it's not about who you know or who you roll with. It's about doing the right thing. Tigra had seen the news coming in about the invasion and attack in Metropolis first, but as reports spread and indicated it was taking place in multiple areas, the decision to go there went by the wayside.

Instead, the tigress who's taken to calling New York City her new home has ventured forth to do what she can to keep average people safe. If she's the only one there..well, she's hoping that won't be the case, but as it becomes clear a lot of focus is being devoted to the United Nations building, that's a direction she heads in. Fitting that this is where a large group of attackers suddenly appear, causing her to grimace at the loud booms before she turns her attention toward some of the ground forces advancing closer. "All right, then. Time to play."

While she's spotted other meta-types on the scene, she darts on ahead to engage the front lines with the use of speed and slashing attacks. Slow some of them down, and it might just help.

Black Knight has posed:
    "As you wish, princess." That is what she is, isnt it? A princess. No sarcasm or sass is in his noise. A blast hits his left shoulder, the armor deflecting most of the bow, but he is going to be bruised in the morning. The blade cuts a second blast, and deflects it towards the shooter, dropping the enemy.
    Phrasing. Dane deadpans as he steps forwards, The blade hacks into a second parademon. It cleaves flesh and the foe falls. Black Knight exhales for a moment, and then whirls his bade about. It cleaves and cuts.
    Who brought the cat lady? He asks as well. She's good. He gets bashed in the face, struck by a but-stroke. He cleaves the fo's arm for his trouble.
    The going is slow. Dane is a superlative warrior, but he is just a man. A well-trained one, but one regardless.

Thor has posed:
For Dane, the enemy stands ready, over-eager, this horde almost designed for him. The parademons are armed with a great variety of weapons, but not just various alien blasters. The front ranks bear a bizarre collection of melee devices, axes, spears and swords, most twisted, bladed, spiked in excessive fashion, some sheathed in energy, all brutal. They wield these with a strength in excess of a man's, although by superheroic measure, they are not much to write home about. Still, they are fearsome if only for their numbers.

As foes, they quickly prove a lack of chivalrous honor, and fight instead as a slavering mob. In the very first foe the Black Knight strikes down, one that seems to throw itself upon him only for the next behind to take its place, the team learns a valuable lesson: the parademons fear only Darskeid's displeasure, and welcome death in battle as their best alternative to a far worse fate. With their seemingly endless numbers, it is nothing to throw away the life of one, of ten, to even slow a hero down, to tire or distract them, let alone hurt or injure. There are always more, and eventually, the heroes will fall.

Indeed, Dane himself might simply be mobbed if not for the sudden surprising appearance of another hero in the melee, as Tigra leaps in at his side...

Yet the enemy's careless mindset becomes clear as the first hellish volley of enemey weaponsfire, the one that the Scarlet Witch wisely knows to be coming, is unleashed. The back ranks don't seem to hesitate to fire into the melee already surrounding Dane, shooting through their fellows, saturating the area. Yet with the witch's meddling, many of the shots are turned away, or worse, turned to strike even more of their friends.

Yet still, there's so much. As Wasp fires down from above, many of the flying parademons divert course toward her, opening fire as well, leaving her to weave amidst a thick pattern of enemy fire. Many others swoop down upon the plaza and the human tanks, which have just unleashed their first barrage toward the oncoming enemy column. There are hits, and one enemy tank explodes in the first barrage, yet... there are more, always more. And rolling just a bit closer, they unleash their own first salvo toward the line of human armor.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
The sound of an engine screaming as it is pushed to it's limits is heard. A moment later, a black motorcycle appears with a redhaired figure astride, hunkered down low on the bike. A voice comes over the comm units. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic was a bitch." She is aimed for the side of a line of parademons on the ground, roaring directly for a large group of them. The bike manages to swerve left or right to avoid blasts sent it's direction. Then she lays the bike down, bringing her lower leg up so that it isn't trapped between the metal and asphalt. The pile of metal sends up a spray of sparks and just before it impacts with the line of invaders, the Black Widow leaps upward to somersault clear of the crash.

She lands in three-point crouch then is drawing her Glock 26s from her holsters as she begins firing at the faces. She's learned from reports the armor is tough so it is better to aim for the open flesh on their faces if she wants to get a hit and take them down quickly. Firing from both hands, she moves to take cover behind a car but continues to fire round after round with precise shots.

Tigra has posed:
There's a possibility some have seen or heard of the cat-woman doing various things as what would be considered 'street level,' tracking down missing people, looking for clues at crime scenes that appear meta-related, occasionally getting physical when needed, but she's generally kept to herself. A situation like this and that flies out the window.

"Watch out..whoever you are!" Tigra calls out as the fighting gets hot and heavy up front with the armored knight-like guy close by. Blasts begin to register all around them but somehow none get through and strike her yet. She's also staying in constant motion, using her flexibility and quickness to springboard off the back of one enemy in order to drive another into one of its apparent clones, bounding away to run low between a couple more, finding herself surrounded by four that level their blasters at her only to hit each other when she ducks beneath the fire that erupts at the same time. The tail is a near miss, thankfully.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda's reaction to Tigra's sudden appearance is one of brief surprise, but as soon as she sees the woman's claws tear into an alien soldier, it's all the proof she needs as to who's side she's on. This is pretty much earth vs not. Other details are something to quibble over when the planet isn't being invaded.

With Dane carrying out the plan to push them forward, she tries to stay with him, yet she's fearful for how this is turning out. For the sheer size of the mob, and for how increasingly difficult it is for her to catch every shot from every angle. She can do more, she knows. But there's always a hestiation, a fear of being too free with her powers. Yet as the alien tanks roar? Hum? As they fire toward the human enclave defending the building, she seems to think it quite enough.

Leaping upward, arms and body twisting as she hovers just above the brave knight and his new companion, she twists the enemy blasts in the air, some away, some back toward their sources. But she keeps going. Turning fully to them, hands fully outstretched, body arched, she unleashes her powers on them directly. It may be alien, but it is machinery all the same, and complex mechanisms have always fallen rather easily toward the ficklness of ill-fortune. Here, she does that and worse, unleashing their own energies upon them.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
    "Don't worry, hon. The party's just starting!" Jan's voice seems to be coming from thin air....or could it be the air currently being lit up with energy blasts of all kinds? Needless to say, it does look like the space is lousy with weapon blasts, but that is the wonderful thing about being small....you tend to find a whole lot of space. A black speck zips around one blast, drops below another, and manages to corkscrew about yet another, while yellow stinger bolts fly on their own. It might be considered graceful, if it wasn't in the middle of a battlefield.

    The light show pauses for a moment...and then a parademon takes an unwilling flight. Judging from the impact and the force of the blow, it looks like it received some sort of uppercut, which just so happens to send it flying into a pair of its comrades, such as they are. "Hmm....that plowing might take a bit. There's a ton of them here. We...might need some bigger firepower."

Thor has posed:
Energy twisting in the air in ways that defy at least conventional physics, Wanda's intervention is just enough to send most of that volley wide. Some of it she redirects accurately, cutting swathes through the aerial hordes, opening up a little space for the Wasp to maneuver - at least for moments, until the ever-constant reinforcements pour through. Other blasts strike around the national guard tanks, damaging parts of the plaza but avoiding the men in the armored vehicles.

Another blast strikes a building on the far side of 1st Avenue, leaving a scar of shattered glass, charred concrete and melted steel.

And then, facing her full wrath, internal safeguards disengaged, circuits shorted, an entire line of the enemy tanks simply explode where they sit. With their powerful generators, the quick succession of explosions tears a series of smaller craters throughout the street and blows storefronts on ground level. It also washes into the back of the enemy column, obliterating a number of the soldiers at the rear, and for at least a moment, even causing those in the front a moment of, if not hesitation, at least confusion.

This leaves an open, blasted, and utterly empty expanse between the remaining vanguard and the portal they emerged from. But how quickly will more come?

Black Knight has posed:
    With a heavy overhand blow, Black Knight's sword sticks in a foe. A couple of blasts strike his armored form. More bruises to tend to later. His booted foot steps on the throat of the flailing parademon. His blade draws free. He can feel Wanda's magical powers just tear through the air. It makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up. The blade wrenches through and with an underhanded swing, he guts one foe, pivots about, removing two more limbs, then with a flourish deflecting two more blasts into the ground.
    "The Scarlet Witch!" He exalts as he plunges the Ebony Blade into another foe. His war cries are archaic, calling glory and honor onto his teammates. His foes will know who sent them to hell. Dane's armor takes a couple of more hits. It is a melee in through there. He is bruised and battered already. There are too many for him as it is.
    He cannot stop smiling. His pulse pounds. His heart is full of excitement. Maybe this is it. The good death. The honorable death. he will put down the burdens... but nay. His will demands that it not be today. Not against some ignoble minions. Not today, anyways.
    Then, there is the energy surge, and the path is clear. "By the veil! You did it!" But the path will only be clear for a little bit. He says, "Cat Lady, keep Scarlet Witch safe, please! I will go delay the others while you destroy the portal?"
    And off he goes, charging at the confused group between them and another portal. His armor is mostly silent, creaking only a little. "For Avalon!" His heart is full and proud. It is a good day!

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As the Scarlet Witch and others manage to open a pathway to the portal, Natasha continues to fire rounds into the parademon group to keep them clear. The Black Knight and the tiger woman are out there doing the hand to hand so she is playing a support role, picking off those who would sneak up behind the hand-to-hand fighters or try to interfere with Wanda making it to the portal.

"We've got you covered, Scarlet. Do your thing with that portal!" She comes out of cover a bit to be sure she has clear shots a the path the woman will have to take.

Tigra has posed:
"Call me Tigra. It's a lot more specific and one less syllable," the striped one answers before the knight is off. She probably won't be closing up any portals herself, but..did the Scarlet Witch cause those tanks to blow up? Maybe /she/ can.

Now, she's showing a few signs of battle in the form of shallow but bloody cuts here and there that begin to stain the color of her fur, but she presses on. Wounds now, or almost certain death? Easy choice when you boil it down and consider what's left. Amid the sounds of battle, she may be heard to snarl, to hiss at her enemies before slashing at them again. She's got her own weapons.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Of course, doing something like that is always a strain, and Wanda floats back downward even as the pyrotechnic aftermath of her 'little' trick plays out. The look in her eyes is more haunted than exhuberent, watching the explosions, seeing buildings destroyed around them. Could she have done it better?

But they have their task. Moving forward, she follows in Dane's wake, safer in his coverage than in the air where the flying parademons might have easier shots on her. Weakened by the earlier effort, she maintains only the a smaller hex-field aruond them, offering whatever small boons of fortune to the Black Knight and the woman - Tigra, now that they have a name for her - as they fight through the separated remnant of the alient vanguard. Even the smallest bit of good fortune, or ill for the enemy, it might be the difference between life and death, and she cannot risk her friends for the sake of her own health.

Which means, by the time she finally reaches the opening in space, she is nearly ragged. She reaches out with whatever she has left, first to simply feel it and then to twist it - or perhaps better, untwist it? A wormhole, after all, is an abnormal linkage of spacetime. Maybe for once in her life, she'll be using her chaos magic to make things *normal*, to push the likely, rather than the widly improbable.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
    The swath of destruction that Wanda laid out is enough to even cause Janet pause. "Okay...so I was wrong about the path." There is certainly a tone of respect in that statement as Jan actually forgets that she needs to keep fighting, but only for the briefest of moments. Nat's voice is enough to break Jan out of her amazement. The miniscule Avenger streaks up, taking up position above the cleared path. "Right...I got the high road and Widow's got the low road. You just go do the thing you do so well, Wanda, while the rest of us ladies take care of the riff-raff."

    Right....keep the road clear. Jan's acrobatics has taken a bit out of her, but she is damned if she is going to stop now. And, as if to confirm that, bio-blasts start hitting in parallel lines right down the lane, causing the goons to think twice before attempting to rush into the void.

Thor has posed:
The vanguard is broken, at this point. Blasted from the rear and facing the Black Knight carving through their center and Tigra striking out with her own savage fury, they lose their greatest strength, the unrelenting *weight* of their numbers. Without endless ranks behind them, without a soldier behind each that falls, their formation is less formidable. Worse than that, they've got Natasha unloading into them from the ground and Janet blasting from above. So even as the remaining wall of parademons turns 'inward' to try and envelop and overwhelm Dane, Tigra and Wanda, they expose themselves to fire. Some break off to try and fight back, turning rifles on Natasha (or her cover), a few even breaking away to charge her, but that just lightens the pressure on the push.

With all of that, it's trivial to cross the open space, to reach the portal. Wanda will even discover, with perhaps some surprise, that the gateway isn't hard to close. They don't normally even stay open so long, this one only doing so to support the larger column of parademons and armor pouring through it. She can even 'see' (somewhat bizarrely, in the sense of feeling their presence somewhere in that weird flux of space-time) more still inside the tube.

Those poor unfortunates will be doomed to a truly unimginable fate as she pulls their portal closed, stranding the last of them inside. When it shuts, there's another distinctive BOOM, loud and powerful enough to throw the unsuspecting woman from her feet.

It's a victory, but one that comes, they must realize, with a grim understanding: they haven't really stopped anything. This attack will stop only when the armies on the other side have exhausted themselves. Worse, with several more BOOMs echoing after that one, yet more gates open AND close after disgorging more airborne troops above them... they may realize just the reach and scope of the enemy they face. Armies so numerous they darken the skies.

Or do they?

Something has changed, something in the air. There's a flash (enemy fire?), highlighted against the clouds. Thick clouds, thicker than before. No, the darkness is not just the winged aliens in their swarms. Even they are not so many to blot out the sun itself. There is a storm forming, and that final flash?

It is heralded, moments later, by the boom of thunder and several further fingers of bright lightning, and a caped figure descends amidst the army in the air.

"Do not falter, Avengers! Fight on for victory, for thine home! And know that with thee fights Thor, God of Thunder! Who shall suffer no alien deity upon the realm of Midgard."

Black Knight has posed:
    "For the Avengers!" The Black Knight leaps up into the air and comes down on a foe. The Ebony Blade whirling about, and then getting stuck in another foe's chest. There is a snap hiss as the photonic blade ignites, and the low throbbing hum of the lightsaber as the yellow-white light flashes and slashes through the air. Limbs are sliced and hued as Black knight vanishes into the fray, yanking his magical sword loose as he cuts and hacks his way into another another mass. Wanda's amazing display of sorcerous might and skill has them disrupted, and Black Knight presses the assault, cutting some 40 or so of the foe off from the others, then being driven down into a nearby plaza, being driven down the stairs as the invaders follow him, blasts ripping through the plaza, crashing windows and crumbling walls.
    Which is, of course when the occasional shoots and cries of the Black Knight can be heard echoing back up the stairs of the plaza. as the Black Knight s driven back by some measure of the foe, taking them with him as he goes, but being cut off from the formidable might of his teammates.
    Away from their help, it quickly turns into a vicious match of archaic skill and slavishly obedient alien invaders. Any hew and cry from the plaza is lost in the glorious arrival of the prince of Asgard, save for an echoing battlecry, "For New York! For Asgard! For Avaaaalooon!"
    Dane is having Crusades flashbacks down there on his own, and it might be best that is seperated for now.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
The car she is behind is taking quite the battering then suddenly there is a parademon coming over the hood as Natasha pops up to take a shot. She manages to shoot it in the face before dodging the attack of another. Raising her left arm, she fires a Widow's Bite, sending electricity coursing through it's body as she turns and runs for the opposite end of the car.

It is not a retreat. With a flick of her wrists, a pair of expandable tonfas fall out of her gloves, the handles falling into her palms while the sticks expand to full length. Then they fire up with a blue light as they are electrified. The smile on her face is dangerous, filled with a promise of pain. "C'mon, let's do this." Then she is wading into the three parademons that are left, sliding down low to take out one at the knees, another getting a tonfa to the face. She spins and twists, dodging blows and striking over and over on the enemy as she revels in the combat.

Tigra has posed:
Tigra's attention is getting turned around every which way, though her focus remains primarily on what's closest to her. Fortunately, the combined attacks of others that include Natasha, Janet, and the military itself, keeps the invading force from staying as sharply in formation as it could. Chaos reigns, but amid that are brief moments of clarity when claws meet armor or dig into alien flesh.

The military doesn't hold back either, and fortunately their gunfire is directed toward enemies the heroes aren't in the midst of battling. The loud boom of the portal that was open the longest suddenly shutting throws Tigra off for a second or two, and it takes a pinpoint shot from one of the others to keep her up as she ducks and rolls away from an attack as the one directing it falls.

Soon, they're joined by yet another from above as those boom tubes continue to drop enemies upon them, and while everyone else seems to be calling out 'for' this or that, the tiger-striped woman just works on continuing to cut her own path ahead, all limbs present and accounted for as she actually /roars/ at a group of Parademons.

Scarlet Witch has posed:
If there is any brief moment of empathy for the remants of the alien army that Wanda inadvertently strands in whatever extraplanar space, it does not really show. She hurts far more for her own people, for those around her, for the scar already burned into the city she calls home. There is a temptation, even, toward hatred, although that too is something she knows is dangerous...

All of this internal philosophical and moral grappling, though, is cut short as in the final moments of her effort, the tube closes and the powerful sonic boom blasts her from her feet. For all her magical strength, Wanda is no more resilient than any human woman, and it sends her flying several feet, to land hard on her back at the edge of one of the craters she herself blasted into the street moments before. Landing hard, for the time, she simply lays there, ears ringing, the prior strain of using her powers combining with the concussive blast to leave her rather dazed. Still, from that place upon her back, she has a nice view of Thor descending from the heavens in his typical dramatic fashion, and cannot help but smile a little.

Thor has posed:
"I have gone to use Odin's Eye, and by its power garnered some knowledge of this foe," Thor declares as he descends, hanging upon Mjolnir as it spins with great speed. All around him, a powerful torrent of wind swirls outward, casting many of the flying parademons into chaos as the powerful winds buffet against them. "Yet it has granted unto me no simple solution. Their passages are not unlike the Bifrost, bridges through space, and though some magics might ward away their appearance, prevent them from opening here, they wouldst only appear elsewhere."

Thus, though the God of Thunder brings reinforcements in his own person, his message is mixed, both good news and ill in varying measure. "But neither is our foe infinite," he declares, "if even for their numbers they would give such appearance. They come from another world. If we stand against whatever generals lead them, they can be defeated."

And, true to his words, things have turned for the better on the ground. While a second column of enemy troops has fully disgorged on the other end of the avenue, the destruction of one half of the ground force gives both the mortal army and the heroes a bit of breathing room, as does the thinning of the aerial numbers by Janet and by Thor's stormy arrival. Without fear of fire from both sides, some of the tanks roll forward, taking a wider firing line, and blast away at the approaching troops. NYPD in riot gear fight like soldiers, showing the grit and bravery of the city's police force, using their own tanks as cover and engaging the oncoming horde.

There will be losses, painful losses, but the feeling of the moment has changed. It feels like a battle now, not an invasion. Of course, there's a few more enemy tanks on the other side, and this time, no Wanda to hex them all away.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
    A cheer builds up in Jan's throat when it seems that Wanda has closed the portal. A cheer that promptly dies as the sonic shockwave sends Wanda flying...and not in a good way either. Not to mention that multiple portals seem to be opening, spewing forth wave after wave of shock troops and air support. Even now, the normally optimistic Wasp catches herself despairing. Is there really any hope to get through this?

    And then, in his usual glorious fashion, Thor arrives, and that moment of despair is chased away as the sky darkens with clouds, then alights with lightning. "Well met, Asgardian. We managed to save a couple for you. Feel free to pound them however you like." Yes, it is a joke...but it is infinitely better than the dark thoughts she previously regarded. His words are taken in...and Janet responds in kind. "So...we just need to keep taking them out. Right. We can do that."

    The tone in which Janet said her last comment. Those that might know her may recognize it. She's thinking. There might be something dramatic coming from the petite winged Avenger.

Tigra has posed:
Is that..a break in the action? A moment to catch a collective breath? Tigra spins about, scratches down both arms, across her face and torso, along her legs as well. She looks like she's been in exactly what she has: an intense battle.

There may only be so many times she can slash and bite at an enemy that seems infinite, even if Thor is there to tell them differently, but as Scarlet Witch goes down and briefly disappears into the pit left in the street, Tigra leaves the middle of the fight to run over that way.

Whether still dazed or getting her wits about her by then, Wanda will see above her the form of the tigress, hands moving to help guide her up. "On your feet! You've done a lot already, but this isn't over yet!" Whether she can stand or must be carried, Tigra's goal is made clear: "I'm getting you back to cover!"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As the last one that was close is taken down, Natasha moves out to regroup with the rest of the team. She's taken a couple of blows and there is a wound above her eye that is trickling blood but nothing is broken. She quickly breaks down the tonfas, tucking the smaller versions into her wristbands then drawing out her Glocks. With practiced ease, she drops the empty magazines then pops in fresh ones in preparation for the next half of this battle.

"Taking them out and keeping ourselves alive. No pressure," she mutters.

Thor has posed:
The tanks rolling out into the center of 1st Avenue also do a good job in providing cover for Tigra's retrieval of the fallen Witch: the area is blasted to rubble, but short of the occasional winged parademon swooping in on them, they're relatively clear, with a wall of armored vehicles between them and the other half of the ground assault. Well, mostly. Even as she's retrieving Wanda, one of the friendly tanks goes up in a frightful explosion, its heavy armor split by the exotic energy weapon.

"Lady van Dyne, it is as ever a great pleasure. Please forgive the tardiness of mine arrival, I shall endeavor to make ammends through action upon these loathsome curs." Then, as if spotting something in her eye, he smiles. "Aye. Their siege engines must be destroyed. Go! I can handle most of this flying horde, for while they are many, they buzz like mere gnats."

rTrue to his word, with the parademons swarming in such number, too many to strike down one-by-one in melee, Thor fights them as the living storm itself, relying upon the power of the weather rather than on his trusty hammer. Here and there, forks of lightning streak out, frying individual soldiers in the air, but even more meaningfully are those winds. As they continue to rise in speed and ferocity, it grows difficult for them to fly, the storm increasingly forcing them downward. Where the less-armored flying troops might be ill-inclined to meet the human soldiers and heroes on the ground... Thor gives them little choice.

Of course, those same winds seem curiously *friendly* to a certain winged woman!

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda is pretty clearly out of it, bruised from the impact of being thrown like that, and maybe worse from the sonic blast itself. Strip away the magic, and this is what remains, a woman who seems painfully out of place in such a hellish warzone. Yet with a friendly face above, a hand reaching down, she forces herself to focus, pulls herself up on unsteady feet, and quickly sags against the other woman for support.

"Did I?" She has to wonder if she succeeded in closing the tube, but it takes her moments to realize the full of the situation, that while she may have succeeded in just that small way, a much larger task remains all around them. It's not a happy thought. Grimacing, she follows Tigra as best she can, hurrying behind the line of friendly tanks and toward where some of the others seem to be forming up, spotting Nat, who, by contrast, looks so at home amidst this kind of violence.

But the relief of seeing her ahead and Thor above, at her rescuer's help, is undermined as the tank explodes next to them. She can't help but lift a hand to try and hex away the danger, although it's a flickering, unsteady effort at best. "W-what, what can we do? We have to help them, can't let them murder all those policemen."

Tigra has posed:
"Just move," is all Tigra can say right now, acting with a level of urgency that suggests any delay might leave them worse off, if not dead...like those in the military tank, the explosion nearly knocking her to the ground along with Wanda before she braces herself with a leg and hand against another vehicle. She goes so far as to swear at the whole situation.

As she continues to lead Scarlet Witch away from the heaviest fighting she says, "I think we just got a heavy hitter in on our side. Look!" She points toward Thor and what he's doing above, sending many of the Parademons that aren't properly equipped for ground battles down to where they can be picked off. "But don't worry. I'm not leaving you defenseless." Indeed, she's taking up a protective stance near the woman.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
    The winged woman doesn't stay winged much longer. The thought of taking out the siege engines, coupled with a certain Witch's questioning on just how to protect the police force leads Jan to make a decision. "Oh...this is so going to hurt in the morning."

    And, with that, Janet lands, at her usual height of 5'4"....and keeps growing. 10 feet. 20 feet. 50 feet. Finally, she stops, topping out at what has to be 100 feet tall. Taking a page from Pym's playbook, Janet towers over the siege weapons, rearing back to punt one away with a foot into a crater....while reaching for another to toss it aside.

    But...there is another reason why Janet went giantess. She positions herself between the army and the police force, becoming a blockade to allow New York's Finest to regroup. She made herself a target. A giant target, but a target nonetheless, as firepower turns towards her.

    Janet won't be able to last for too long, but there is still some fight within her yet.

Thor has posed:
If anything is going to prove to the enemy that the tides have truly turned against them, a hundred-foot tall woman smashing their heavy weapons like a child kicking their toys may just about be the thing to do it. It's not merely her overwhelming physical impact on the battlefield, although that is certainly a major factor, with several of their biggest guns destroyed in seconds, and her imposing presence shielding the line of tanks behind, whose own commanders immediately cease fire. But, even without realizing it, Janet's appearance is also of powerful symoblic import: the parademons fight in fear of a master who is also known for his massive size. While they are still beyond fear, the apperance of an enemy 'General' (congrats Janet, you just got an upgrade in the eyes of the enemy army) of equal stature is enough to actually convince them of the possibility of defeat.

There's still no concept of retreat. Those that have come through the tubes fight to their deaths, yet somewhere, unknown to the heroes save by its ultimate result, a command is given to halt further troops to the location. They will reform beside their own champions and crush the defenders of this world! But not here.

So it becomes a matter of cleanup. On the ground, the National Guardsmen and NYPD close in around many of the crashed fliers, others no doubt subdued by the heroes. The last few tanks keep firing as Janet Godzillas through them, although Thor, seeing her strain under the hail of energy blasts, offers a gentlemanly assist, swooping down upon the last of them with Mjolnir, crushing the armored vehicle like a soda can and then, from his spot atop the wreckage, turning a grin up toward the towering woman above.

With that, the rest are mere stragglers. The day may not yet be won, but at least this battle is.

Tigra has posed:
Tigra's eyes grow suitably wide as Janet goes large. "That..is one big butt," she finds a moment to say amid the craziness of the battle, but true to her word she provides cover for Wanda as long as it's needed, only going so far as to knock back an alien or two that gets too close for comfort.

"I really, really want to climb her right now, but I will be strong and not do it. I will be strong." Scarlet Witch might overhear the 'cat lady' having a bit of an internal debate or struggle with herself, even as the worst of the fighting begins to finally let up.

Black Knight has posed:
    It is not limping back, but neither is it a victorious, jaunty march. Janet being large and in charge is amazing, and for not the first time, Black Knight is profoundly honored to be included with the heroes that are the Avengers. His armor and formbare intact, but Dane might be in big bruise under the armor. He sure feels like one. His movements are stiff. His blade betrays fatigue as he hacks through a last foe and makes his way towards the others. He is covered and coated in unspeakable alien grue. As he looks about, looking exhausted, he notes. "Someone give that lady a job?" He asks. Strider appears next to him, for Black Knight to lean against. His chest rises and falls, breathing the ragged fire out if his lungs. "Who needs a ride?"