I. The Black Order's Arrival (2004)
The year 2004 began the final, crucial chapter in the war against Thanos. The Black Order—Thanos's elite vanguard, comprised of Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, and Cull Obsidian—breached Earth's outer defenses. Their objective was singular: the Mind Stone, housed in The Vision, and the Cosmic Shield anchoring the planet.
Tony Stark (age 31), in the Uru-reinforced Mark II (Alpha) armor, stood at the heart of The Citadel's defense.
"J.A.R.V.I.S. Prime, report on the Cosmic Shield's performance," Tony commanded.
"Sir, the Temporal Anchor Array (TAA) is holding the timeline steady. The Dimensional Harmonic Stabilizer (DHS) is confusing their warp calculations, forcing them to engage linearly. However, the Black Order's flagship, Sanctuary II (Modified), is approaching with immense, controlled velocity," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported.
Tony initiated Phase I of Operation Alpha Omega: The Primal Deterrent.
II. The Vanguard Defense: Hela and Carol
The most critical initial defense lay in the hands of the two Cosmic Alphas, Hela (Primal Alpha Equal) and Carol Danvers (Cosmic Alpha). They were deployed to Earth's exosphere to meet the incoming Black Order head-on.
Hela, radiating immense, structured Primal Alpha energy, was clad in her signature armor. Carol, a sunburst of Binary energy, flew alongside her. Their combined power was the ultimate, necessary shield.
The battle was a spectacular display of power. Hela, laughing with savage delight, summoned endless obsidian blades, using her ancient martial skill and ability to weaponize dimensional gaps to cleave the approaching Black Order vessels. Carol used massive, focused cosmic energy bursts to destroy the flanking cruisers, her focus absolute.
"You will not breach the shield of the Alpha Architect!" Hela roared into the cosmic void, engaging Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive in a furious close-quarters battle, utilizing her mastery of combat to counter their alien weaponry.
Carol, facing the brute Cull Obsidian, used a calculated series of energy strikes to force the massive alien brute toward the Moon's gravitational pull, diverting him from the primary engagement.
III. The Psionic/Chaos Defense (Wanda and Jean)
While the Primal Deterrent held the outer shield, the inner defense required absolute mental stability against Ebony Maw—Thanos's psychic and mystical advisor.
Ebony Maw bypassed the primary combat, utilizing controlled teleportation to appear directly in the sky above the Nexus Academy—targeting the psychic heart of Project Prometheus.
Jean Grey (Psychic Omega) and Emma Frost (Cerebral Anchor), along with the young, powerful Wanda Maximoff (Chaos Magic Anchor), immediately engaged the Maw telepathically.
The battle was purely mental. The Maw attempted to flood the Omega's minds with fear and doubt, but he was met with the unshakeable, unified defense of the Pack.
Emma Frost (Cerebral Anchor) used her absolute control to build an impenetrable Diamond Psychic Fortress, shielding the younger minds.
Jean Grey launched a concentrated, focused Telepathic Counter-Assault, bombarding the Maw's consciousness with structured, logical commands, overloading his complex mental framework.
Wanda Maximoff (Chaos Magic Anchor) used her red energy to project a highly destabilizing Reality Noise Field directly into the Maw's astral form, forcing his physical body into intense pain.
The Maw, shattered by the unforeseen synergy of structured psionics and chaos magic, was driven back into the sky, his mental assault nullified. The Omegas had successfully defended the psychic frontier.
IV. The Pack's Core: Tactical and Logistical Anchor
The battle was managed by the ultimate command structure: Tony Stark, guided by The Vision (Mind Stone intelligence), and supported by Pepper Potts (Primary Anchor).
The Vision was invaluable, using the Mind Stone's power to predict the Black Order's kinetic and energy attacks, relaying critical counter-attack data instantly to Tony and Carol.
Pepper Potts, heavily pregnant, managed the entire operational logistics from the Citadel's command center, her voice calm and authoritative, coordinating the flow of power to the global shield and directing the retrieval teams. Her unwavering composure was the emotional stability that prevented systemic failure.
Maria Hill (Tactical Anchor), operating within the SHSD, managed the public fallout, maintaining global calm and ensuring no external military force could interfere with Tony's operation.
The Slice of Life moment: In the middle of the chaos, Tony briefly opened a comms channel to the medical bay where Pepper was confined, ensuring her safety.
"Anchor, report. PSI levels stable?" Tony asked, his voice tight.
"PSI stable, Alpha. Shield power holding. Cull Obsidian diverted. Keep flying," Pepper replied, her voice firm, the deep, stabilizing love their only communication amidst the war.
V. The Capture of Cull Obsidian
The battle culminated in the capture of Cull Obsidian. Carol Danvers, utilizing her knowledge of orbital physics, forced the brute onto a derelict SI research station near the Moon.
Tony arrived in the Mark II, accompanied by Hope van Dyne and Janet van Dyne (Quantum Anchors) in their Wasp suits.
The three engaged Cull Obsidian. Tony used Repulsor beams to destabilize his kinetic field, while the two Wasps executed a synchronized, high-speed Pym Particle Dispersal. They flooded the immediate area with Pym Particles.
Cull Obsidian, massive and slow, was momentarily confused by the dimensional shift. Hope seized the opportunity, utilizing a specialized Quantum Taser designed by Tony and Sue. The blast shrunk Cull Obsidian into a tiny, contained box.
The capture was non-lethal and surgically precise—a testament to the Pack's dedication to tactical efficiency over destruction.
VI. The Aftermath and Loki's Counsel
The Black Order, shattered and defeated, retreated to Thanos, their mission a failure. Earth was safe, its shield impenetrable.
Back at The Citadel, the Pack celebrated a hard-won victory. The focus immediately turned to the core threat: Thanos.
Loki (Strategic Anchor), who had monitored the entire battle, provided the crucial final analysis.
"The Titan will not send his children again, Stark," Loki stated, pacing the command center. "He will come himself. His weakness is not physical, but patience. He has sacrificed too much for this Gauntlet. He will be predictable in his final, Alpha charge."
Loki urged Tony to prepare for a confrontation rooted in psychological warfare. "He will seek to separate the mind from the matter. He will target your weakness: your Alpha Pride and the Mind Stone."
VII. The Final Defense: The Citadel's Sanctuary
Tony took Loki's advice to heart. The final defense would not be on the surface, but deep within the shielded heart of The Citadel.
Tony and Pepper, along with the two Biotech Anchors (Helen and Maya), relocated all three children (Maria Hela, Howard Vance, and Morgan Virginia) to the deepest, most secure core of the Citadel—a dimensionally locked sanctuary accessible only by the primary Pack.
Tony knew the ultimate purpose of his Alpha position was to protect his family. He had secured the universe; now he secured his children.
"Four years," Tony stated, looking at the collected power of his Pack. "Four years to train, to wait, and to prepare the final psychological trap for the Titan."
The 21st century was underway, and the world was now a fully shielded, stable fortress, ready for the final, ultimate Alpha confrontation.