Unfortunately, Wanda was in the Mirror Dimension, using the raw power of Chaos Magic to knit her wound back together. Nick Fury's call went straight to a voicemail she would never hear.
Frustrated, he tried Strange next. But the Sorcerer Supreme's phone lay shattered amidst the rubble of the London Sanctum, a forgotten casualty of a battle that now seemed a lifetime ago.
After two consecutive failed calls, Fury's expression soured. He barked an order into his comms, dispatching Agent Coulson and his team to get eyes on the situation in New York. He then tried Tony again, and this time, the call connected. After learning that the Avengers' Quinjet was still hours away from New York, Fury could only grit his teeth and wait. He gave Hill one last command: launch the Helicarrier. He was going to see this new crisis for himself.
In Nairobi, the heroes were engaged in a different kind of war. The city was a disaster zone, and they threw themselves into the rescue, their powers repurposed for saving lives. The results were remarkable.
The second Peter Parker moved through the wreckage like a ghost, his Spider-Sense a perfect life-finding instrument, tingling with a precision that guided him through the rubble to find those buried alive. His immense strength allowed him to lift concrete slabs that would have required heavy machinery.
Marko became a living current of sand, flowing into every crack and crevice of collapsed buildings. When he found trapped citizens, he would gently lift the stones around them, his form a soft cradle against the hard edges of the ruins.
Gwen's method was the most unorthodox. She would find those pinned and helpless and temporarily transfer her symbiote to them. With a surge of alien strength, the victims could break themselves free from the wreckage. She would then recall the symbiote and move to the next, repeating the terrifying but life-saving process over and over.
But even with their incredible efforts, it was a drop in the bucket. The earthquake's shockwaves had rippled outwards, and Nairobi, being the closest city, had borne the full brunt of the disaster. The city was descending into chaos. Looting had begun, with supermarkets emptied and jewelry stores smashed open. The heroes, strangers in a strange land, could only focus on the rescue, relying on the translation function in Peter's new suit to communicate with the terrified citizens.
Fury knew what was happening in Nairobi. He had no intention of calling them back. They were needed there, and besides, their powers might prove useless against the cosmic horror unfolding over New York.
Meanwhile, high above the American heartland, the chase was finally over. Thor's team had cornered the Wind Elemental.
"Finally caught up to the blasted thing!" Thor growled, his patience worn thin. The creature's speed was astonishing.
Rhodey flew up beside him. "Is it part rabbit? How can it run so fast?"
Max just stared at the swirling vortex of wind, his expression grim.
Seeing that it could no longer escape, the elemental began to absorb the surrounding clouds, its form swelling rapidly. Thor took a deep breath, blue light flashing in his eyes, and a bolt of lightning tore from the clear sky, striking the creature. It had no effect.
Undiscouraged, Thor wreathed himself in electricity and charged. At the same time, Max clapped his hands together, unleashing a torrent of golden lightning. Strangely, the elemental seemed completely immune. It continued to shape its body, a vaguely human face beginning to form in the swirling currents.
Rhodey opened fire with his shoulder-mounted machine gun, but the bullets passed harmlessly through its body. He switched tactics, firing a repulsor blast from his palm. This time, the beam connected with a sizzle of energy.
"It's intangible!" Rhodes shouted over the comms. "Physical attacks are useless! It has to be energy!"
Hearing this, Thor condensed raw thunder into his fist and punched the air, sending a wave of power at the creature. It dissipated harmlessly. He roared in frustration, flew directly at the elemental, and landed a lightning-charged punch squarely on its chest. The blow should have leveled a building, but it still failed to even stagger the opponent.
As Thor prepared to unleash his full power, the elemental counterattacked. It swung a colossal arm of wind, slapping Thor out of the sky. He tumbled for dozens of meters before managing to right himself.
Seeing Thor knocked away, Rhodes opened up with both repulsors. The elemental ignored him, focusing instead on Max, who was still blasting it with golden lightning, his face a mask of disbelief. He couldn't understand why his power had no effect. As the elemental's palm swept towards him, Max dissolved into a bolt of electricity, reappearing on the other side of the creature to continue his futile attack.
"Damn it! It's like it's not even afraid of us! What's going on?" Max yelled.
"You're asking me?" Rhodes retorted with a shrug.
Thor, now crackling with fury, rocketed back towards the fight. Seeing that it couldn't hit the agile Max and that Rhodes was keeping his distance, the elemental waved its hands. A massive tornado materialized from its arms, roaring towards them.
Rhodey's eyes widened in horror. The sight of the storm triggered a deep, primal fear, a nightmare he thought he'd left behind. He fired his palm cannons at maximum power, but the beams were swallowed by the vortex.
Just then, Thor crashed directly into the storm. A massive discharge of divine lightning erupted from within, and the tornado was forcibly torn apart from the inside out.
As the fierce battle raged, Fury watched from the Helicarrier's bridge, his face grim. At that moment, his personal phone rang. He glanced at the screen, and the corners of his mouth curled into the barest hint of a smile. The caller ID read one word: "Carol."
She's finally back.