Vulcan's fist cracked against Steel Titan's jaw. In the same breath, a blue beam burned his back. He staggered between them. Lava heat on one side, cold energy on the other. He had traded blows like this before, on the dead world he left behind. He had lost there. Two enemies, and no way to keep them apart, meant he lost again. He swung at Vulcan and missed. Atlas fired again and drove him to one knee. The robot circled, patient, its chest core glowing white. Vulcan raised both fists over Steel Titan's head. He could not block both. He braced for the end. The ground shook. A green shape crashed down between him and Vulcan. The figure stood eight feet tall, all muscle, torn purple pants hanging off him. He caught Vulcan's falling fists in his hands and held them still. "You look like you could use a hand," the green giant said. He grinned with sharp teeth. Then he threw Vulcan back twenty feet. The lava titan slammed into the dirt. Steel Titan pushed to his feet. He did not know this newcomer. But the giant had not aimed a single blow at him. He aimed everything at Vulcan. That was enough for now. "Who are you?" Steel Titan said. "Name's Banner. Hulk, mostly." He cracked his knuckles. "Heard somebody was burning a planet. Figured I'd say no." Steel Titan understood the gift at once. One enemy each. He could finally split the fight. He pointed at Vulcan. "Take the burning one. He wants Starium in ash." "Gladly." Hulk charged. Steel Titan turned to face Atlas alone. The robot tracked him with cold blue eyes. "Your ally changes nothing," Atlas said. "My order names only you." "Then come get me." Steel Titan ran straight at the beam this time. It struck his chest and slid off his metal skin. He closed the gap. He grabbed Atlas by the arm and swung the robot into the ground. Metal screamed. He pinned Atlas under one knee and hammered the glowing core with his fist. Behind him, Hulk and Vulcan traded blows that shook the whole field. Fire and green fury, far from the tower now. Away from the people. Atlas's core flickered under Steel Titan's fists. The robot went still. But its eyes stayed lit. A thin voice came from the wreck. "Damage logged. Reinforcements requested. Received." Steel Titan froze. "Received from where?" Atlas did not answer. Above them, the dark sky split. Three more blue lights dropped through the clouds, falling toward Starium. More robots. More orders. All of them for him. He stood over the broken Atlas and stared up. He had split the fight and won this round. But Earth had not sent one machine. It had sent a fleet. And they were landing now, near the tower, near the people he swore to guard.

The three robots slammed into the ground near the tower. Steel Titan stepped over the wreck of Atlas and felt his own skin. Dents ran across his chest and arms. One shoulder plate had folded inward from Vulcan's fists. His metal hide had always healed slow, and there was no time now. The new robots rose from their craters. Their eyes burned the same cold blue as Atlas. They would strike before he could mend. Steel Titan tried to bend his shoulder plate back into shape. The metal groaned but held its dent. He hit it with his fist. Nothing. Across the field, Hulk still traded blows with Vulcan, too far to help him now. The robots turned toward him and raised their arms. Beams charged in their palms. A red-and-gold streak shot down from the clouds and landed between Steel Titan and the robots. The small armored figure planted his feet and threw both hands out. Twin blasts of light knocked the nearest robot off balance. Steel Titan had never seen this fighter, but the newcomer stood in front of him like a shield, taking the fire meant for the titan. "You're Steel Titan, right? Stark. Tony Stark." The visor glowed as he spoke. "I built half the tech Earth sent to kill you. Figured I owed you a hand fixing the mess." "You made these things?" Steel Titan raised a fist. "I made better. Hold still." Stark pointed a beam at Steel Titan's dented shoulder. Warm light poured over the folded plate. The metal softened, then straightened with a snap. "Nanite welder. Won't heal you, but it'll straighten the steel. Turn." Steel Titan turned. He did not trust the words, but the blasts had shielded him, and the shoulder moved free again. Stark ran the beam across his chest. Dent after dent smoothed flat. The robots regrouped and fired. Stark spun and returned fire, then kept working. "Almost there. Big guy, when I say go, you hit them. They can't take what you can." The last dent closed. Steel Titan flexed his arm. The metal held firm, whole again. "Go," Stark said. Steel Titan charged. He caught the first robot by the neck and tore its head loose. The second fired point-blank. The beam slid off his repaired chest and left no mark. He drove his fist through its core. Sparks rained down. The third turned to run. Stark's blast pinned it, and Steel Titan crushed it into the dirt. Three wrecks smoked on the ground. Steel Titan breathed hard, but his skin was sound. He looked at the small armored man who had saved him. "Why help me?" he asked. Stark's visor lifted. "Because I know Earth. This was three robots. Earth sends thousands." He pointed at the sky. "That fleet isn't done. And I know how to stop it. But we have to reach my ship before they send the next wave."

The three robot wrecks still smoked when a roar split the field. Steel Titan turned. Vulcan had torn free of Hulk's grip. The lava-skinned titan charged toward the tower, where Starium's people had gathered for shelter. Red cracks glowed across his gray hide. Steel Titan started after him, but Stark grabbed his arm. "The fleet's locking onto you," Stark said. His visor flashed a warning. "They've got a tow beam. If you stay planted, they'll drag you up to the ship." A blue column of light snapped down from the clouds and gripped Steel Titan's chest. His feet lifted off the ground. Steel Titan looked from the beam to the tower. Vulcan raised both fists over the crowd. People screamed and pressed against the tower wall. Steel Titan had one choice, and it was the hard one. He could not save himself and them both. "Cut me loose," he told Stark. "I have to reach the people." "That beam will pull you off the planet!" "Then pull it down with me." Steel Titan dug his heels back into the dirt. The beam strained. His metal skin groaned. He reached out, caught the edge of a robot wreck, and hurled it up the beam of light. The wreck slammed into the source above. The tow beam flickered and died. Steel Titan dropped. He hit the ground running. Vulcan's fists were already falling toward the crowd. Steel Titan crossed the field in three strides. He drove his shoulder into Vulcan's side. The titan flew sideways, away from the people, and crashed into open ground. Hulk arrived a breath later, chest heaving. "You left me one hit short," Hulk growled. But he grinned as he said it. He seized Vulcan's leg and swung the titan hard into the dirt. Steel Titan pressed his knee to Vulcan's chest. Heat poured off the lava skin and scorched his metal, but the metal held. "You will not touch them," Steel Titan said. Vulcan snarled and spat sparks. "You cannot guard this rock forever." Hulk pinned the other arm. Together they held the titan down. The people at the tower stopped screaming. Some began to climb back inside. Stark landed beside them, breathing fast inside his suit. "Beam's out. Good throw." His visor scanned the sky. Then it stopped. The blue glow dimmed. "But that stunt lit us up. The ship knows exactly where you are now." Steel Titan followed his gaze. High above, a shadow spread across the clouds. It was not one shape. It was many, and it grew wider as he watched. "The next wave," Stark said. "Not three this time. All of them." Vulcan laughed under Steel Titan's knee. The people were safe for this moment. But the whole fleet was falling toward Starium, and Steel Titan had just shown it the way home.