Sanctuary II hovered menacingly in the sky, raining destruction upon the battlefield below. Even with their combined might, the Avengers seemed powerless to reach it. Without Captain Marvel, who was still tied up in Asgard battling Surtur, their options were dwindling.
Dodging another missile by a hair's breadth, Tony Stark shouted into his comms, "Friday, can the drones climb to the altitude of Sanctuary II?"
"No problem, Sir," Friday's voice replied, steady as ever. "But you need to understand, the drones' firepower won't breach their defenses."
"That's not the plan," Tony said, his mind racing. "I want the drones to get close to the launch ports and fire at the shells just as they're leaving the barrels."
"!!!" Friday paused, her tone shifting to one of caution. "Sir, have you fully considered this? Using the drones like this could destroy the entire system. Those drones are our last line of defense against world-ending crises!"
Tony sighed, his voice tinged with grim determination. "Friday, look around. Isn't this the biggest crisis we've faced yet?"
After a moment's hesitation, Friday relented. "Understood, Sir."
As the next wave of artillery prepared to launch from Sanctuary II, a swarm of drones surged skyward. Dodging fire from the enemy cannons, they closed in on the launch ports, firing continuously at the shells as they emerged.
"BOOM!"
The shells exploded mid-air, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield. The explosions didn't damage the heavily armored Sanctuary II, but the drones, lightweight and unprotected, were obliterated by the chain reactions.
From the ground, the scene was a mesmerizing display of lights and smoke. Dots of flames burst across the sky as each shell was intercepted. The Avengers on the ground could only watch in awe, unaware of the immense cost of this tactic.
Tony grimaced inside his suit, watching the destruction of countless drones. "This isn't going to last," he muttered.
Just as hope seemed to dwindle, a blinding beam of light streaked across the sky from the distant horizon. Before Sanctuary II could react, the beam pierced through its hull with devastating precision.
"BOOM!"
The massive spaceship erupted into flames, its interior torn apart by the explosion. The fiery blast engulfed the entire vessel, sending pieces of debris raining down into the ocean below. The once-mighty Sanctuary II crumbled, its remains sinking into the sea and sending towering waves crashing against the shores.
Doctor Strange, who had been holding back the floodwaters, looked up and muttered under his breath, "NMP!"
On the battlefield, the Avengers were equally stunned.
"Who just took out the big spaceship?" Rocket Raccoon asked, his voice dripping with suspicion. "I thought only that glowing lady could do that, and she's not even here!"
Spider-Man squinted at the sky, tilting his head. "It looked like some kind of intercontinental missile. Maybe it came from the North Pole? Could… could it be one of those old Soviet superweapons?"
The thought made Peter Parker shudder.
"Not likely," Tony muttered. "Even a hundred Tsar Bombs wouldn't pack enough punch to do that kind of damage to Sanctuary II."
Meanwhile, in New Asgard, a group of non-combatants gathered around a holographic projection of a girl bathed in red light. The Red Queen, the artificial intelligence governing the castle's defense systems, stood proudly as the others showered her with praise.
"Good job!" Maya Hansen said, smiling. "I always thought you were just here to look cute. Who knew you had something like that in your arsenal?"
Blushing slightly, the Red Queen replied, "This was a last-resort defensive weapon designed when the castle was first built. The master called it the Devastator. It's powerful enough to destroy the moon, but it has one major drawback: it takes an entire month to recharge."
Helen tilted her head curiously. She reached out instinctively to pat the Red Queen on the shoulder, only to remember at the last second that the AI wasn't a physical entity. Flustered, she said, "You know… I've been thinking. Maybe I could create a body for you—something made of vibranium. I've done it before. It would make you a lot more versatile."
The Red Queen shook her head furiously, her holographic form flickering slightly. "No, no! Vibranium isn't reliable enough. The last vibranium robot had its neck broken..."
Her voice trailed off as she muttered something unintelligible, her tone uncharacteristically shy.
What the others didn't know, but the Red Queen did, was that she had other reasons for refusing. As a super-intelligent AI, she was keenly aware of the flaws in humanoid vibranium bodies. While they appeared nearly perfect to the untrained eye, they lacked certain essential features. For instance, she couldn't ignore the fact that Vision, for all his brilliance and power, had critical limitations that made him far from ideal.