The Command Room was deathly silent.
Nick Fury whipped around, his one eye wide as a bell.
Ren stood right behind him, light as a feather, like a ghost.
"When gods fight, mortals suffer!" Fury clutched his chest, feeling a heart attack coming on.
He had woken up to find someone had plucked the star out of his own backyard—and destroyed several planets to boot! Who could take that? Worse, Earth was still drifting around in space, as if it had kicked the lid clean off Newton's coffin.
The bald scientists in the Research Department had been wailing over the comms. Now they were tearing at what little hair they had left.
Fury wanted to hand in his resignation on the spot. Being Director was going to take years off his life!
"You did this?" Fury asked through gritted teeth.
Ren shrugged. "We sparred a little and got carried away. I'll find someone to fix it. Tell your people to stop yelling."
With that, Ren opened a Portal and slipped away, leaving Fury utterly at a loss.
Earth.
Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One stared hard at Ren. Her mouth opened and closed, but she couldn't get a word out.
After a full two minutes, she finally let out a long breath.
"Ren."
"You're the most powerful Sorcerer Kamar-Taj has ever produced. Your talent is second to none."
"But could you take it easy?"
"Earth is fragile. It can't survive you throwing your weight around like this!"
The Ancient One spoke with weary sincerity.
One fight out there, and the Solar System's nine planets had been reduced to a lone survivor. Two more fights, and there wouldn't be a speck of Earth left!
When she had taken on an apprentice, who could have imagined she was bringing in a walking Planet