//------------------------------// // War For The Mind // Story: Tomorrow War // by Battwell //------------------------------// Just outside the city's shield, a beam of blue light shot down from the belly of the ship that descended down from the sky, parting the clouds as it lowered from the sky. Wakanda's forces along with multiple A.I.M. Agents and Badniks were already marching towards the edge of the city. Black Panther was already there waiting for the threat to reveal themselves. Tails and Gamora were standing by his side as they saw a silhouette appear in the beam of light. Once the beam stopped, Proxima Midnight stepped forward towards the shield, pointing her spear forward and dragging it across the shield, causing sparks to fly before she stopped. Proxima chuckled as she planted the bottom of her spear into the ground, "If you truly believe that this shield will protect you and your city, then you are sorely mistaken," Midnight pointed the tip of her spear towards the three heroes, "Thanos demands the Infinity Stones, I shall deliver them to him. It is up to you how much blood is shed before I get my hands on my prize." Gamora scowled at Proxima with such a hateful glare that it showed why she was the most feared woman in the galaxy, "The only blood that will be shed will be yours." She then unsheathed her sword and pointed it at the villain, "By the time this day is done, my blade shall be stained with the blood of you and your allies." Proxima may not have shown it due to her stoic expression, but she was eagerly awaiting this battle. Gamora has always been Thanos' favorite, the Golden Child. She couldn't wait to put Gamora in her place, she was going to enjoy this immensely. "Thanos wishes you alive, dear sister, but unfortunately things won't turn out that way." Proxima threatened. Gamora glared at the Black Order member, "We are NOT sisters. If we were, I may actually feel bad for what I'm about to do." Proxima smirked, "You actually think you stand a chance?" Tails folded his arms and replied, "We are prepared." He did his very best to show that he wasn't nervous, but Proxima could clearly see it. He was sweating nervously and his eyes showed a hint of fear. But he had to be strong, not only for himself, but for his friends as well. T'Challa placed a comforting hand on Miles' shoulder, causing the young Fox to turn and look at the King of Wakanda. T'Challa gave the young boy a gentle and kind smile before he turned to face Proxima, "If Thanos wishes for a fight, then a fight he shall receive. But know that we will not stop fighting, the blood of his army shall be splattered on these sacred Wakandan grounds. This shall be a day long remembered." Proxima's lips curled into a smile, "On that we agree." It was then that hundreds of thousands of beams shot onto the ground just outside the shield. The three heroes simply stared as an army of four armed monsters rushed out of the beams, trampling on one another as they dashed for the shield. Proxima pointed her spear forward as her forces dashed ahead of her and began tearing at the city's shield. Tails took a fearful step back, "W-What are those things?!" Gamora scowled as she readied her blade, "Outriders." She sneered in reply. T'Challa's mask materialized over his head as his army stood behind the three heroes. He turned around to see Abomination standing in front of the combined forces of good and evil with a smile on his face. The Gamma monster slammed his fist into his palm as The Benatar hovered over their army, it's weapons systems aiming directly at the enemy outside the shield. Blaze engulfed her hands in flames as Eggman, who was inside his Egg Robo X, landed beside her. Peter Quill flew over the mech and landed in front of it as his fellow Guardians stepped forward and stood beside him, sans Rocket, who was piloting The Benatar. Thor hovered next to The Benatar with Storm and Metal Sonic while Cyclops, Beast, and Shuri stood beside Abomination, ready for a fight. M.O.D.O.K. aimed his various weapons on his chair directly at the opposing forces outside the shield, the gem in his forehead glowing with power. Proxima was impressed, they were prepared. They had an army behind them, ready to fight for them and not stop for a single moment. They were ready. So was she. The tip of her spear suddenly glowed bright blue before she threw her spear at the shield... Actually managing to penetrate the barrier, creating a small opening for her army. The small hole widened and before anyone knew it, the shield was gone. Proxima called her spear back into her hand and pointed it forward, "FOR THANOS!!!" Her army of Outriders all screeched as they charged forward, eagerly awaiting the taste of blood on their teeth. Dust shot up from the ground as they scurried over towards T'Challa and his forces. The Black Panther crossed his arms over one another, performing the Wakandan Salute, and then unsheathed his Vibranium claws, "WAKANDA FOREVER!!!" He then charged forward with his army charging behind him. Those who could fly took to the skies while those on the ground charged forward, ready to defend Wakanda and the Mind Stone. Ready to do whatever it takes to win. As the two armies raged towards one another with an intent to kill, Proxima Midnight simply marched forward, her spear in a firm grip in her hand. T'Challa pounced onto an incoming Outrider as the two armies met. Several Wakandans hurling their spears at the enemy, not killing them, but managing to slow them down. Peter Quill flew over head as he fired his pistols downwards, creating several explosions that knocked some Outriders to the ground. He then boosted forward and spun his body around, firing laser bullets in multiple directions. Star Lord could have sworn that he heard lightning right above him. He looked upwards in confusion, "What the... OH SHIT!!!" He quickly boosted forward to avoid an incoming Thor, who shot downwards and slammed Mjolnir into the ground. The resulting shockwave of lightning created a clearing for A.I.M.'s forces, who charged forward shooting multiple Outriders. As Thor shot a bolt of lightning from his hammer, Groot extended his arm into a large branch that impaled three Outriders. The aliens screeched loudly as Groot slammed them into the ground. An Outrider tore an A.I.M. Agent in half, blood and gore splattering all over its body as Metal Sonic zoomed past it and used his sharp claws to tear open the flesh of any Outrider he zoomed past. A Wakandan Soldier hurled a spear into the back of an Outrider who was on top of an A.I.M. Agent, but was spear tackled from the side by another Outrider. As the Outrider tore open the soldier's throat with its hands, a red laser zoomed past it and tore a hole in another Outrider's chest. Cyclops quickly turned around as the Outrider fell to the ground and fired another Ocular Blast. Abomination was having a blast, tearing Outriders apart with his bare hands, blood soaked all over his scaly skin. Suddenly, an Outrider jumped onto his back and began tearing at his skin with its razor sharp claws. Abomination actually felt that and then reached behind him, grabbing the Outrider. Blonsky then threw the alien over his shoulder and slammed it on the ground, the sheer impact blowing the mindless creature's body into pieces. Abomination grinned as he saw more Outriders headed straight for him. Blaze hovered in the air, an aura of fire surrounding her, and then proceeded to release a burst of flames that burnt several Outriders. She landed on the ground, but was shocked when all of the Outriders got back up. They weren't dead, but their skin was singeing from the flames. Blaze was about to attack again, but she suddenly screamed out aloud as a sharp pain made its way onto her right shoulder. She turned her head slightly and saw that an Outrider and sunk its teeth into her shoulder. As blood gushed out of her wound, she fought through the intense pain and lit her body up in flames, causing the Outrider to release her. She fell to one knee, her hand grasping at her shoulder as blood flowed through her fingertips. She looked around and saw that she was surrounded. Not only that, but she saw several A.I.M. Agents being torn apart. One had their inner organs torn out of their torso, another's face was bitten off. She looked on in horror as the Outriders surrounding her marched closer, black saliva dripping from their maws. She was fearful for her life, was what happened to those A.I.M. Agents going to happen to her. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted as a missile exploded right in front of the horde of Outriders. She heard the sound of what she presumed to be a jet engine above her and looked upwards. She saw M.O.D.O.K. firing all the weapons in his arsenal at the endless hordes of Outriders. She gave him a silent thanks in her head before using her hand to burn the wound on her shoulder to cauterize the skin. She got back up and continued fighting as M.O.D.O.K. fired a purple laser from the gem in his forehead. Beast pounced on an Outrider while Tails used his Ring Blades to stab an Outrider in the chest, but to his horror, it didn't kill it. The monster then used one of its many hands to dig its claws into Tails' side. The young Fox screamed in agony as tears streamed down his face. The boy genius fell to the ground, removing his blades from the Outrider's torso. The Fox whimpered as the mindless beast loomed over him. He would have been killed had it not been for Drax, who stabbed the Outrider in the throat from behind with his daggers. Drax rushed over to the Fox's side as the creature fell to the ground. "Where does it hurt, young one?" Drax asked as he crouched beside the young hero. Tails moved his hand away from the wound, letting out a sob as blood drooped out of the torn skin. Drax inspected the wound before looking into Tails' eyes, "You'll be fine, but it will leave a scar." Tails looked down in sadness, but when he felt the comforting hand of Drax on his shoulder, he looked into the hero's eyes, which showed nothing but kindness. "Scars do not make you weak, they show your strength, your will to keep fighting. You should be honored by your battle scars. They show that you are willing to do what is necessary to win the day. This scar PROVES that you are a hero. Feel pride in that." Tails gave Drax a small smile, that did make him feel better. Drax stood up and helped the young Fox to his feet. "Plus, the females LOVE scars." Drax added, inciting a laugh out of Tails. The young lad ignited his Ring Blades as Drax charged forward towards the incoming horde of Outriders, although he would receive more scars, they would all be worth it in the end. (End song) "OH HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO!!! Foolish animals, you're no match for the genius that is Dr. Ivo Robotnik!" Eggman, who was inside his Egg Robo X, flew alongside The Benatar in the air as they fired blast after blast from their arsenal. As they flew over the battle field, Eggman fired an Ocular Laser from the mech's eyes. The laser cut through any Outriders it came in contact with such precision that they split apart in a perfect line. Rocket, who was piloting The Benatar, saw this and laughed humorously, "Ahahahahahahaha, oh that is TOO good!" He then connected with Eggman's communications and asked, "Hey, how much for the lasers?" Eggman looked appalled, how dare he ask such an insolent question! "You filthy trash panda! How dare you even ask me that!!!" Rocket shrugged nonchalantly, although he was miffed about the insult, he was a hard bargainer, "Okay, how much for the mech?" "You disgust me." With that, Eggman flew ahead of The Benatar and fired dozens of lasers and missiles down below. Rocket shook his head as he chuckled mischievously, "Oh ho, I'll get that mech." "If you two are QUITE done." A voice interjected in their conversation through the Comms. Just ahead of the two, Storm created a whirlwind of hail and lightning while Shuri blasted an incoming Outrider with her gauntlets. Eggman looked on at the sight with a hint of impression across his features. "Hmm, maybe these Mutants can be of some use to me in the future?" He pondered to himself while firing a blast from the mech's hands. "Don't get any ideas, Eggface!" Tails quickly shut him down over the Comms. Eggman frowned as he shot downwards inside his mech, "Oh come on! I'm allowed to brainstorm, y'know!" Blaze then decided to get in on this, "But when you brainstorm, and I use that term loosely, It usually ends up in some kind of half baked idea where you, apparently, end up ruling the world." "And from my personal experience, they mainly end up in failure." M.O.D.O.K. added, not wanting to miss ripping on Eggman. Eggman grumbled as he slammed his metal fist onto the ground, creating a shockwave that cleared him some room, "They don't ALL end up in failure!" He defended himself as a swarm of Outriders charged towards him. "Seriously?" Tails retorted in a deadpanned tone, "Okay, let's run through it then. You come up with a plan, which more likely than not, involves using the Chaos Emeralds to resurrect some ancient creature you've discovered. You end up resurrecting said creature, only for it to end up turning on you. Sonic takes the Emeralds, goes Super, stops the creature, the day is saved, back to square one." "Hah! I bet he flies away like a children's cartoon villain screaming, 'YOU'LL RUE THE DAY YOU CROSSED ME!' or something like 'I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME, HEROES, I'LL GET YOU IF IT IS THE LAST THING I DO!!!'" Star Lord joined in, mocking the mad doctor. Both Blaze and Tails, despite their current situation, laughed loudly with Tails adding, "Ah ha, Yeah! He does do that... a lot actually." Eggman growled in annoyance while Orbot and Cubot, who were inside the mech behind the doctor's chair playing Go Fish, snickered loudly. Robotnik threw his hands up in an exasperated fashion, "WHAT IS THIS, 'RIP ON EGGMAN DAY'?! I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU ALL TRY AND DO BETTER!!!" "Robotnik, you remind me of one of those cheesy Saturday morning cartoon villains." M.O.D.O.K. was having too much fun with this, "Like the ones you see in 'Scooby Doo' or 'Inspector Gadget'." "YOU ALL THINK YOU'RE SOOO CLEVER, DON'T YOU?!" Eggman retorted as he blasted four Outriders out of his path with two lasers from the mech's hands. "I am Groot." Rocket then busted out into hysterics, while no one else knew what he had said, it had apparently been a finishing blow according to Rocket. Eggman massaged his forehead as two Outriders pounced onto The Egg Robo X's back, "I hate my life." He muttered as he shot up into the air, spinning around which launched the two Outriders off of him. (End song) Proxima Midnight was growing impatient. She marched through the battlefield, making her way towards The Palace, where the Mind Stone was being protected. No matter what anyone did, she just wouldn't stop. Bullets bounced off of her as she walked, the group of A.I.M. Agents slowly descending into despair as she approached them. She then moved forward at impossible speeds, one moment all of the A.I.M. Agents were firing bullets at the villainess. Then in the blink of an eye, all of their torso's were separated from the bottom halves of their bodies. Blood and gore splattered across the ground as they all fell down, dead as a doorknob. Proxima laughed darkly as she continued making her way to the Wakandan Palace. She continued marching as a swarm of Badniks landed in front of her, aiming their guns at the disciple of Thanos. She paid them no mind since she simply dashed forward and punched a hole right through all of them in a single, swift motion. She stopped behind them and turned her head to see them all explode in a blaze of glory. She smirked before darting forward. A group of Wakandan Soldiers stood in her path, mere cannon fodder to the likes of her. She stopped walking and stared at the fools in front of her. She paid no mind to the explosions happening all around her. A small smile tugged on her lips before she suddenly hurled her spear directly into the head of a Wakandan Soldier, tearing straight through his face. None of them got the chance to breathe as Proxima dashed forward and began tearing them limb from limb. Midnight punched a hole through a Soldier's chest before she turned and kicked another's head off of his shoulders. Proxima quickly dashed to a female Wakandan Soldier and removed her head from her body with little to no effort. They were all dead before the first Wakandan Soldier even hit the ground. Blood dripping from her hands, her body covered in blood, she recalled her spear and charged through the battlefield with haste. She had to get that Stone for her master, she couldn't fail, no matter the costs. She used the tip of her spear to cut through any opposing forces in her path, soaking her weapon in even more innocent blood. She swung her spear downward, sending splatters of blood onto the ground. She gazed forward and took in the sight before her, The Palace was in her view, she was close. All she had to do was break through the gates and she had a straight shot at that Stone. She quickened her pace towards the majestic building, tearing through her enemies as they piled on one after the other. Gamora, who had just cut off the head of an Outrider with her saw, turned her head slightly and saw Proxima making a beeline for The Palace. Her eyes widened in horror, "Oh no." She quickly touched her earpiece and darted towards The Palace, "Proxima is headed for the Mind Stone! I repeat! The Mind Stone is at risk of being taken! STOP HER, OR SLOW HER DOWN UNTIL I GET TO THE PALACE MYSELF!!!" From the corner of her vision, Proxima saw Gamora dashing towards The Palace, clearly trying to get to the Stone first. She snarled and picked up the pace, but a lightning strike stopped her dead in her tracks. She looked up and saw Storm and Thor. She shook her head, her face stern and unrelenting, "I don't have time for this." She then jumped into the air and kicked Storm in the chest, sending her flying down towards the ground. Thor threw Mjolnir at the villainess, but said villain smacked the magical hammer away with her spear and kneed Thor in the stomach after she dashed over to him. Proxima shot downwards and landed on her feet while Thor crashed down on his back, groaning in pain. She dashed towards her destination, The Benatar flying behind her and shooting laser blasts to try and stop her. Midnight predicted where the blasts would land and made it a priority to avoid those positions. The Benatar flew over her, much to her pleasure as she leapt into the air and tore through the underside of the ship with her spear. She shot up from the top of the ship as it began to fall to the ground. The Benatar crashed, digging a trench where it landed as Proxima shot forward through the air towards The Palace. She landed on the ground, she was so close. "COME HERE, YOU LITTLE..." Eggman landed right in front of her and wasted no time in shooting her with a laser blast that engulfed her entire form. Eggman laughed in victory, he didn't stop firing, nothing could survive that. She was dead for sure. Those thoughts died when Proxima Midnight darted right at him. She stabbed Eggman's mech in the chest, hitting its power core and shutting it down. "NO! MY PERFECT CREA-A-ATION!!!" Eggman shouted as the mech fell to the ground in a scrapped heap. Proxima rolled her eyes and decided to waste no more time. She leaped through the air, heading straight for The Palace and the Mind Stone. (End song) Proxima smashed through the massive window behind T'Challa's throne and landed in the throne room of The Palace in a crouched position. She stood up, her spear in hand, as she took in the sights before her. T'Challa's golden throne was shining due to the glare of the sunlight. But her eyes were focused on The Favorite Child standing before her. Gamora stood in front of the enclosed Mind Stone, which was secured inside a capsule, and pointed her blade directly her enemy. The two stared at one another for what seemed like years when in reality it was only for a few moments. Proxima laughed darkly before declaring, "I shall pry that Stone from your corpse in Thanos' name." "If you think killing his favorite will earn you his attention, you're right. It just won't be the attention you want." Gamora retorted. Midnight shrugged as she pointed her spear at her enemy, "That may be true, but at least you'll be dead." A filthy smirk found its way onto her lips as she decided to get in one last jab, "Just like your sister." That did it. Gamora screamed in absolute rage before she charged right at Midnight. The two met as their blades clashed against one another, both struggling to dominate the other. Proxima smiled while Gamora snarled as she knocked Gamora's sword away with her spear and kicked her in the chest. Gamora slid across the room, regaining her footing as Proxima jumped into the air, her spear over her head before she brought it down with full force. Gamora blocked the strike with her blade and kneed Proxima in the ribs, inciting a grunt of discomfort from the villain. Proxima quickly darted away at super speed before reappearing behind Gamora. She tried stabbing her in the back, but Gamora is not easily killed as she quickly turned and blocked the strike. They moved their blades apart before striking at one another again, sparks flying from the sheer impact of the two blades. Proxima smirked before she saw an opening in Gamora's fight pattern and proceeded to flip over her. She landed behind her adversary and kicked her in the back. Gamora rolled across the room before she dug her sword into the floor to halt her movement. She quickly took out her side arm and shot at Proxima, who simply sped from left to right, avoiding the laser like bullets. As Gamora ran out of bullets, Midnight shot forward, her spear ready to ensure Gamora's demise. But The Most Dangerous Woman in the Galaxy rolled away and left a tiny surprise for Proxima. The villain looked down to see a tiny grenade at her feet. It exploded right in her face, blinding her for a moment so Gamora could rush forward and stab Midnight in the shoulder. If the villain was in pain, she didn't show it as she simply headbutted Gamora and removed the blade herself before hurling it into T'Challa's throne. As Gamora zoomed over to her sword, Proxima threw her spear at just the right angle that it would intercept the hero. Gamora saw this and picked up the pace and removed her sword from the throne just in time before Midnight's spear blew the throne apart. Proxima snarled as she recalled her spear and then proceeded to block and incoming strike from Gamora. Midnight leapt backwards just as Gamora swung her sword which would've removed the villain's head had she not moved. The Black Order member stomped her foot onto the ground, causing the floor to break apart slightly. Gamora jumped into the air and zoomed downwards towards Proxima. Midnight quickly darted away as Gamora swung her blade. Gamora turned and saw Proxima on the other side of the room with a smile on her face. God how she hated that smile. The two then charged at one another, their blades ready. Both of them had adrenaline rushing through them, their hands tightened around their respective weapons. They met. And Gamora lost. She let out a cry of pain as she dropped her sword, Proxima's blade was lodged right into her shoulder. As blood oozed from the wound and onto the ground, Proxima pushed her spear in further, causing another cry from Gamora. The villain then raised the hero into the air with her spear and threw her across the room. Gamora crashed against the wall and fell to the ground. (End song) Proxima laughed as she made her way to the capsule, paying Gamora no mind as she slowly got to her knees. Midnight then smashed the capsule open, allowing the Stone to float into the palm of her hand. She closed her fist around the pebble of immeasurable power and turned to face her fallen adversary. Gamora panted heavily as she grasped the wound on her shoulder. "You look sooo... Weak. I don't know what Thanos ever saw in you." Gamora snarled, she wanted to wipe that smug look right off her face, "What are you waiting for? Kill me!" Midnight chuckled, "And let you reunite with Nebula? You don't deserve that just yet. But don't worry, I'll make sure you see her VERY soon." The ceiling was then torn apart as a beam of blue light shot down from the sky. Gamora's eyes widened, Proxima was going to get away with the Stone... And she couldn't do a thing to stop her. But hope was not lost as she saw Peter Quill boosting over towards them from outside The Palace. But alas, it was for nothing as Proxima turned and gave Quill a smug look before being beamed up into the sky just as he got there. Star Lord rolled across the ground and landed next to Gamora in a pathetic heap, "Ugh... I meant to do that." He then saw Gamora's wound and instantly retracted his mask, "Oh my God, Gamora!" He crawled over and took a look at her wound. None of them noticed that the battle seemed to die down outside, signifying that Thanos' forces had already escaped. It was then that Tails flew in from outside and landed in front of the pair, "Guys! Are you okay?! What happened?!" When none of them responded, the young boy finally noticed the absence of one Mind Stone. He slowly turned to the two heroes with fear written all over his face, his eyes shrunken down to pinpricks. His whole body shook in fear, his mouth felt dry, he felt sick to the stomach. He gulped as he finally built up the courage to ask... "Where's the Stone?"