A fragile, unthinkable alliance was formally forged amid the ruins of Wakanda.
Former mortal enemies set aside their hatred and judgment, at least for now, and sat together in pursuit of the most basic goal of all: survival.
A temporary War Room was swiftly established, staffed by the sharpest minds on the planet.
Link, once a god-king, was now the source of their power.
Batman, the pinnacle of human intellect, was now their tactical mind.
Cyborg Victor, a half-human, half-machine technological visionary, handled information processing and network connections.
Shuri, Wakanda's brilliant princess, brought unrivaled knowledge of Vibranium technology.
In the War Room, Link shared his greatest secret with everyone for the first and last time.
Through Cyborg, he projected the Final Alert from the God-Level Check-In System in his mind as a hologram for all to see.
A cold mechanical voice echoed through the silent command room:
[Warning: "They" are coming. Complete the final check-in and become "One."]
Alongside the voice appeared a star map of the universe, stripped to its barest form. Every galaxy, civilization, and check-in point had vanished. All that remained was a point of light representing their universe and, beyond it, a vast, deep darkness steadily drawing closer.
At the heart of that darkness, a black symbol that seemed to devour all light flickered quietly.
"'They'..." Cyborg's data streams raced. "I can't find a single record of that designation in my databases. There's nothing in the archives of the Kree Empire, the Skrull Empire, the Nova Corps, or even Apokolips."
"It isn't a civilization or any known enemy." Shuri reached the same conclusion. She stared at the darkness, her beautiful face grave. "It's more like a... phenomenon."
Link said nothing. He had tested that darkness himself with the power of all six Infinity Stones.