Anton checked the time — it was almost midnight.
If he didn't leave soon, he'd officially be working overtime.
Before heading out, he glanced around the Men in Black headquarters.
Everyone was still busy.
The Moon Base project had kicked the entire organization into overdrive, along with the non-stop intelligence gathering across the interstellar network.
These were critical tasks, tied directly to the survival of Earth.
No one dared relax — except for Anton, who oversaw it all.
"Fortunately," Anton mused with a smile as he stepped toward the base's exit, "your hard work will be rewarded, and I'm not an unscrupulous leader."
He had just reached the door when a voice stopped him.
"Anton, don't go yet."
It was Z.
Anton turned back, helpless.
"Come on, it's almost midnight. Don't tell me you're making me pull an all-nighter?"
"I know you've already pushed yourself," Z said, rolling his eyes.
"After all, I've never seen you work a full shift before."
Though Anton was technically the head of the Men in Black, it was no secret that Z handled almost everything.
In truth, the deputy director, Z, felt more like the true boss than Anton did.
"The World Security Council is meeting," Z continued.
"This time, you can't dodge it."
Anton's smile faded; he turned serious.
"What happened?" he asked.
"What did Carol say?"
Carol had just returned from the cosmos.
It was entirely possible she brought back crucial information — especially with Thanos' adopted daughter, Gamora, now at her side.
Gamora knew Thanos better than anyone else on Earth — even better than Anton himself.
While Anton could guess Thanos' moves based on the stories he remembered from his previous life, he didn't truly understand Thanos as a person.
Both the comics and the movies had done an exceptional job of making Thanos a complex and tragic character.
Marvel had shown restraint — offering glimpses of Thanos' past without overexplaining, focusing instead on his purpose and actions.
Even so, Thanos' charisma came through clearly.
"According to the alien woman with Carol — Gamora — Thanos isn't just bringing a fleet and soldiers," Z reported.
"He also has powerful magicians at his side."
Z continued, "Our original plan — using force to block the atmosphere and force Thanos into a direct battle on the Moon — won't work anymore.
He can teleport."
"Teleportation magic?"
Anton frowned.
"If I'm not mistaken, it's impossible to teleport an entire army across the universe by magic alone, right?"
"There are limits," Z agreed, "but as long as they're in the same galaxy, teleportation becomes feasible."
He added, "Gamora said Thanos has advanced technology and enchanted artifacts to boost the teleportation range.
Once he enters the galaxy, they could open a portal and send troops straight to Earth — just like the Chitauri invasion during the New York war."
"...!"
Anton's frown deepened.
This was a serious problem — but not an unsolvable one.
His mind quickly turned.
Then he gave Z a small nod.
"Go to the World Council," Anton instructed.
"Tell them we've already considered this possibility.
Tell them it's impossible for Thanos to teleport directly to Earth.
No need for them to panic."
"Um?"
Z looked surprised.
He had no idea when Anton had started thinking about teleportation magic.
But then again, Anton's actions were often confusing — it wasn't worth questioning.
Anton might seem unreliable, but he was the soul of the Men in Black organization.
As the only official member of the Justice League who didn't bother hiding his identity, Anton had played a key role in countless major events — not exactly a superhero, but definitely a hero.
And as a renowned director, his films were famous all over the world.
Anton's talents were recognized by countless people.
To the Men in Black, the entire organization rested on the foundation Anton had built.
Z might handle most of the day-to-day work, but everyone knew — Z was just the steward.
The true master of the Men in Black was, and always would be, Anton.
His only real flaw?
He didn't like going to work, always arriving late and leaving early...
"Don't worry, it's no big deal," Anton said, noticing Z's worried expression.
He smiled, stepped forward, and clapped Z on the shoulder, speaking as if he had nothing to fear.
"Don't forget," Anton said, "the Justice League has magicians too. You think we wouldn't consider this?"
After a pause, he added,
"Besides, the magicians on Earth are a lot stronger than you think.
Don't underestimate the planet beneath our feet."
With that, Anton turned and walked away.
"Anton! Don't leave yet! The World Security Council is waiting for you to explain things!"
Z called after him, not ready to let him off the hook.
"Explain it yourself!" Anton waved lazily without turning back.
"Just tell them we're well-prepared. Let them see the results in a few days — they'll realize teleportation to Earth isn't a real threat."
Then he drove off into the night.
"...This guy..."
Z stood at the entrance, watching Anton's taillights disappear, stiff-faced.
Then, he sighed and went back inside.
Inside the base, at the virtual meeting held by the World Council, Z coughed lightly before speaking:
"Anton couldn't make it to the meeting in time. However, I relayed your concerns about Thanos possibly using teleportation magic to him."
Z paused slightly, then continued,
"Anton said, don't forget — the Justice League includes magicians too.
And we have a special branch called the Dark Justice League, dedicated to magical threats."
He added,
"As far as I know, they are already addressing this problem.
In a few days, you'll see the results for yourselves..."
The representatives of the various nations exchanged looks.
The agents from S.H.I.E.L.D., along with the key participants — Carol, Gamora, and Nick Fury — remained calm.
They had already anticipated the challenges they would face upon returning to Earth.
And honestly, this situation was better than what they had expected.
Earth was fully preparing for war.
From Gamora's perspective, Earth was still a relatively young and weak civilization.
Even though it had developed some advanced technology, it hadn't fully tapped into its potential — still far behind most major civilizations in the universe.
Yet there was something unique about Earth.
On this seemingly backward planet, an unusual number of individuals with extraordinary abilities had emerged.
Even on a galactic scale, these "superpowered" individuals were impressive.
Let alone for a small, remote planet like Earth.
With these extraordinary people, Gamora believed Earth might truly stand a fighting chance against Thanos' forces.
The meeting ended quietly, somewhat anticlimactically.
Carol and the others still didn't manage to see Anton appear, as they had hoped.
After the meeting, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents gathered.
"Our current focus is still on the Moon Base," Coulson said.
"The general manager is Anton. Among the other managers, the most notable is Tony Stark — also known as Iron Man.
Tony's a genius inventor. Very smart.
Not long ago, one of his inventions almost caused an omnic crisis — an AI he created went rogue, leading to serious consequences..."
"The omnic crisis? An artificial intelligence rebellion?"
Nick Fury was taken aback.
Even Carol and Gamora looked a little surprised.
Of course, they had heard of AIs capable of triggering omnic crises.
Across countless civilizations in the universe, the concept of an omnic crisis was nothing new.
In fact, for any planet developing a scientific and technological civilization, an omnic crisis was almost an inevitable hurdle.
"With the current level of Earth's technology, to already be capable of creating an AI that could trigger an omnic crisis... This Tony Stark must truly be a genius,"
Gamora commented.
"Exactly,"
Coulson nodded.
"He's considered one of the smartest people in human history."
"Anyway,"
Carol said, snapping back into her usual workaholic mode,
"let's go check on the Moon Base.
I didn't come back to Earth just to catch up with old friends. I've already met the people who changed my perspective — now I just want to see if Earth's preparations are really enough to stand against Thanos.
...You talk a good game, but you know, I've lived out there in the universe for a long time.
I do know a thing or two about war."
"I agree. We should take a look,"
Nick Fury nodded.
"Tony should be on the Moon Base now, right?"
"Right,"
Coulson confirmed.
Without hesitation, he submitted a request to the World Security Council — which was approved in less than a minute.
Afterward, they boarded Carol's spacecraft and set off toward the Moon.
The spacecraft was extremely advanced, incorporating technology and features from a wide variety of alien and humanoid civilizations.
It was actually one of the spoils Carol and the others had brought back from Sakaar — part of the Grandmaster's personal collection.
Thanks to Superman's efforts, the craft had ended up in their hands.
As they headed toward the Moon Base, Carol and Gamora kept their expectations low.
Still, they had to admit:
Anton's — and by extension, the Justice League's — idea to build a lunar base was incredibly creative.
Anton had promised that the Justice League would prevent Thanos from reaching Earth by any means necessary.
If Thanos wanted to conquer Earth, he would first have to stop on the Moon and fight Earth's defenders there.
For Thanos, it wasn't a difficult choice.
Paranoid and proud to the bone, Thanos never questioned his own decisions.
Once he chose a path, he would follow it unswervingly.
The battle on the Moon was inevitable.
...
"I've only been gone a little over ten years — not even twenty — and humanity has already officially entered the interstellar age..."
Carol stood at the edge of the spacecraft, watching the Earth grow smaller behind them.
Thinking back to the last time she had left Earth, she couldn't help but marvel:
"In terms of development speed, Earth is growing faster than most civilizations out there.
It's honestly impressive."
"Trust me,"
Coulson smiled,
"our progress is even better than you think.
You came back at the perfect time — a group of alien allies just arrived at the Moon Base.
They're not here to fight in the final battle, but they've brought supplies — resources that will be very helpful to us."
"Oh?"
Carol raised an eyebrow.
"Knowing Earth is about to go to war with Thanos, and they still dared to show up and deliver supplies?
Which race are they?"
"You'll see soon enough,"
Coulson said, keeping the surprise to himself.
Nick Fury stood in thought, feeling more and more that after being away from Earth for just over a year, the planet had undergone earth-shaking changes.
The Justice League's alien allies...
He pondered for a moment, and a flash of insight crossed his eyes.
Meanwhile, Carol and Gamora exchanged a glance, their expectations for the Moon Base growing even higher based on what Coulson had said.
To be honest, while they both thought building a lunar base to confront Thanos was a good idea, the timeframe was simply too short.
Even under the best circumstances, it was unrealistic to expect humans to prepare a truly complete and perfect defense in less than a month.
If the base's readiness was even six or seven out of ten, it would already be considered a miracle.
However, judging by Coulson's confident demeanor, it seemed humanity's preparations had far exceeded everyone's expectations.
Soon enough —
Half an hour later, the group arrived in orbit above the Moon.
Looking down from the spacecraft, Carol and the others were stunned by the scene before them.
The Moon, once a dead, desolate world — without wind, water, sound, life, and marked by drastic shifts in temperature — was undergoing earth-shattering transformation through the relentless efforts of countless soldiers and engineers.
The first thing that caught the eye was a massive protective dome, extending outward from four main points, forming an inverted bowl that shielded the area within from the harsh lunar environment — its extreme cold, heat, and silence.
At the peak of the dome, an artificial sun had been installed, providing warmth and a habitable climate within the base.
Beneath the protective cover, a magnificent city of steel was already mostly completed.
At the edges of the shield, structures resembling sections of the Great Wall were being rapidly assembled.
The construction work was flowing with the ease and precision of a well-rehearsed symphony, as if the Moon had always been meant to look like this — completely overturning Carol's previous perception of it.
"That is—"
Gamora's eyes widened in shock as she pointed toward several massive robot-like beings working among the humans.
"Those are living beings..."
Gamora muttered, her voice filled with awe.
"Mechanical lifeforms...
The Cybertronian civilization — I thought they were extinct!
There were rumors they were still wandering the universe... No — there were even whispers that Cybertron was rebuilding...
The Autobots had won..."
She trailed off, eyes shining as she stared at the Moon Base.
In that moment, she felt as if she were seeing the dawn of humanity's victory — and perhaps, the long-awaited fulfillment of her own dreams of revenge.
"Cybertron..."
Carol repeated quietly.
She had wandered the universe for years, but this was the first time she had heard of this civilization.
Still, judging from Gamora's reaction, it was clear that Cybertron was no ordinary name.
But even without Gamora's reaction, Carol could see for herself — the level of construction, the scale of the project, the technology on display — it all far exceeded anything Earth alone could have achieved.
"Cybertronian civilization...
Those robots — are they the Justice League's allies?"
Carol couldn't help but turn her head, questioning Coulson with a look of amazement.
…
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