The Raptor of Life

Interlude 19

 

(Secretary Alexander Goodwin Pierce)

 

January 9th, 2014
The Triskelion
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters

 

Fury has become dangerous, he has access to technology thousands of years more advanced than anything on Earth through his connections with the new space power in the Sol system who somehow weren't interested in conquering Earth. No, instead they were going to defend it and interfere in the running of the governments here.

HYDRA couldn't have that. It was them who would conquer this world, they have already started. Project Insight was now defunct, Pierce was sure that was the case. They didn't control the orbital and couldn't force the compliance of the citizenship anymore now that the Systems-Commonwealth were allied with Fury.

But maybe they were willing to work with the 'Director of SHIELD' not necessarily Fury.

Pierce made a sad smile, and it was with regret that he ordered the Winter Soldier to be deployed and to launch an attack on Fury. The operation started right away while he sat at his desk.

 

------ ✶Raptor✶ of ✶Life✶ -------

(Nick Fury)

 

Washington DC

 

Fury wasn't having a good time, he was involved in a car chase by some enemies disguised as police officers. He has been dodging those fuckers for the last five minutes. As Fury heads into the traffic he smashes into some cars causing a pile up which stops the police cars. 

The mercenaries get out of their vehicles and start shooting at Fury's car, who manages to kill two of the mercenaries by running them down before getting past the traffic, but the remaining mercenaries continue to chase after him and manage to sandwich Fury's vehicle between them.

Fury's V.I spoke, [Warning, approaching intersection.]

As they approach the intersection Fury manages to shake off the two police cars, killing off the mercenaries by getting them run over by a big truck.

"GET ME. OFF. THE GRID." Fury gritted his teeth.

[Calculating route to secure location.] The VI said.

He sees a mysterious figure emerge ahead in the middle of the road. "Motherfucker."

The man suddenly shoots a bomb that attaches itself to Fury's vehicle causing it to explode and flip over. Trapped inside his car, Fury watches as the figure walks over to the car but he manages to escape just in time by using a laser weapon to burn a hole out.

But it wasn't needed as a group of four people materialized out of thin air and confronted the man who downed his car. He recognized the Systems-Commonwealth space marine and he pushed a sigh of relief, Captain Grey didn't betray his expectations.

One man who stood at 200 cm tall, approached the masked individual and then suddenly disappeared only to reappear behind the masked assailant and injected something into his neck. Then threw the hypodermic needle away and hugged the assailant from behind and held onto him tightly, until the long haired and masked man fell asleep.

The huge man in power armor secured the assailants by taking his cybernetic prosthetic and putting him in a silver casket which suddenly appeared next to him. The rest of the men and women helped Fury out of the wreck of his car.

One woman in power armor then put a hand on him and he suddenly was feeling better. She had healing powers that surprised Fury. Next a huge shadow covered the city and it was a spaceship. From under the ship a blue light suddenly struck the group, the Casket and Fury's car and all of them started rising into the air and suddenly found themselves in some sort of hangar.

"You're safe now, sir." The electronic voice coming from the suit was clearly young and there it was that Lukedonian accent.

Fury nodded. "Thanks for the help."

The other woman in armor took off her helmet and she was Asian, with green eyes and beautiful. That was one of the normalized things in the Systems-Commonwealth, everyone was beautiful, they could easily all be ranked at 10/10 for beauty or handsomeness.

Beep. Beep. She looked at her wrist and looked at the screen. "Captain Blake wishes to see you, Director Fury."

Fury frowned. "Captain Grey didn't come?"

She shook her head and informed him, "She's busy coordinating the teams of super soldiers to take out the HYDRA cult housed in SHIELD."

Just like he expected a resurgence of that old group, everything happening since his tenure was now explained. "We have HYDRA agents in SHIELD…"

*Operation Paperclip.* Fury made a fist, realizing that Rogers had been right once again.

They moved to the door leading out of the hangar, ending up in a corridor.  As they moved the Asian woman started speaking, "ONI knew since the start to keep SHIELD at arm's length because of their presence, they operate in secret and on the behalf of the World Security Council which is full of squids."

The woman looked at Fury and said, "We wish for your help, Sir. To remove them and destroy them completely."

Fury puffed up his chest and gave a sharp nod, "You shall have it, Sergeant Gurē."

 

------ ✶Raptor✶ of ✶Life✶ -------

(Secretary Alexander Goodwin Pierce)

 

It failed, the operation failed because of the timely intervention of the Lukedonian force coming to help Fury. Pierce became paranoid, how did Fury secure their help? And their asset, the Winter Soldier was taken from them. Pierce had no illusion of what was going to happen to him, he might get deprogrammed and used against them.

It was like their adversary was two steps ahead of them; he wasn't used to being in this disadvantageous position.

Ring! Ring! The phone on his desk rang, he picked it up and said, "Pierce, here."

Zap! Zap! "Sir, we got infiltrators! They are-"

Boom! An explosion shook the Triskelion. Outside dropships landed and Lukedonian troops exited them, launching a full frontal attack on the building. Pierce pushed the big red button on his phone, it connected him to the speaker system in the entire building. 

"We're being attacked, fight for your lives!" An alarm activated.

When he pulled the left drawer it was to take his pistol; but he jumped in surprise when he heard a feminine voice say, "Hello, Secretary Pierce… you have been a very naughty boy."

"Damn it." The HYDRA leader reacted quickly, swiveled his chair and shot his pistol three times behind him. Bang! Bang! Bang!

However, the bullets bounced off the black armor the woman wore. She giggled and said, "You'll need a bigger gun, you primitive."

Pierce looked at her in terror and asked himself, *Who is she? And how did she enter my office?*

"Secretary Pierce, you're under arrest for crimes against humanity and free will, and attempted assassination of a valuable ally of the Systems-Commonwealth. You'll be remanded to the ONI division, we already have proof of your bankrupt and unethical actions. Please give me the satisfaction, resist." She continued saying and Pierce understood that he was finished, for the cause, he couldn’t afford to be captured; who knows the methods they have to make people talk?

He put his gun under his chin. "You won't take me alive-"

Zap! She fired an arc of lightning at him and Pierce started seizing at being electrified. He fell on his knees and looked at the woman approaching and he saw only darkness after she slapped him.

 

------ ✶Raptor✶ of ✶Life✶ -------

(Captain Steve Rogers)

 

Atlantis Class Dreadnought
SC-Dagger
Medical ward

 

When Captain Grey called out to the Avengers, Steve wouldn't have expected to be forced to battle an old enemy; the resurgence should have been expected when he heard of Operation Paperclip. It all started at the end of World War 2, Arnim Zola and a bunch of Hydra scientist and their family were taken in by the United States of America in May 1945 by an OSS/SSR program in which over 1,500 Nazi German scientists and engineers were brought to the United States of America and pardoned for their activities in World War II in exchange for federal employment. 

*They should just have killed them or put them in prison.*

This was his honest opinion, some of those men have done horrible things to other human beings. They didn't deserve mercy; America was blinded by greed when they made the decision to allow those monsters to roam amongst them.

Steve looked at the sleeping form of James Buchanan who had been placed in a regeneration tank by the Systems-Commonwealth doctors aboard this dreadnought. They told him that Bucky was being controlled through brainwashing techniques and had activation words which could turn him into a killing machine at the drop of a hat.

He was being deprogrammed by the onboard mental specialist, the treatment was supposed to take one month. Steve will be patient and stay with his friend even if he has to go to Lukedonia. But first he would help Governor General Jean Grey take out the HYDRA cult.

Steve turned heel after looking at Bucky for a while and walked out of the medical ward. He walked in the corridor and took a turbo lift to deck 1 where the CIC was located. There was Governor Grey looking at and listening to her strategists who coordinated against HYDRA.

She raised her head when she noticed Steve and she smiled at him. "Captain Rogers, you're finally here and you seem motivated."

The officers next to her moved on and let the two of them speak. Steve was grateful for their sense of propriety, Captain Rogers saluted almost reflexively. Being in front of Jean Grey was like being before the POTUS. "Hello, ma'am. Yes, I am ready to finish the job I started back in the day."

She was still smiling as she turned around the table and stood before him. She pointed at the holo-table which showed areas all over North America. "Excellent, Captain. I shall then take advantage of your willingness to do the job. As you can see, we already took control of the Triskelion and smote the main HYDRA bases in America."

The table changed light construction from the North American continent to the entirety of Europe, Japan, South America and Russia. "However… The European ones need to be taken care of, that is why I shall send you, the Avengers and some of my men to Sokovia to neutralize the base there. You’ll have several objectives to fulfill, get Baron Von Strucker and his inner circle, retrieve Loki's scepter and two really important people that one of my allies here on Earth wish to have captured alive and unharmed."

Slowly putting himself at an at parade rest, Steve stammered, "I… will do my best, ma'am."

A suitcase appeared on the table with a flash of blue light and she floated it toward Steve. "Here is a present, my best armorer made you a power armor in your color with some weapons that you might like. It is black boxed technology by the way, it will only work for you. There's a short manual for its operation in the case."

Steve was shown a hologram of what the armor looks like and it looked more like a fancy Captain America suit. "Thank you, ma'am Governor. By the way… Do you know which team you'll send with the Avengers?"

The redhead nodded. "Yes Team 7, consisting of twelve of my most elite men and women. They are already waiting for you in hangar B-32." 

"Then I shall go right now." He saluted and turned heel, but before he could leave the CIC, Steve was stopped by Jean calling him. 

"Captain."

Steve turned back to her. "Yes?"

The woman's eyes were hard and her smile predatory. "Finish HYDRA properly this time."

With a sharp nod he said, "Yes, ma'am, I won't be disappointing you or the world."

She nodded back to him."Good." 

Steve left and he went to one of the locker rooms available on deck 5 where the troops were preparing and put on his armor and started reading the instructions. He liked what he was reading, even a grunt could understand how powerful that skin-tight armor was, it was mostly supportive. It was a 4D-suit, equipped with a storage, force lances included and some kits for healing or connecting to the datanet of the SC or using their technology. 

There was even some magnets for his shield, they made a new shield for him and it looked way better than his old one. It was black and silver. "Let’s do this."

 

------ ✶Raptor✶ of ✶Life✶ -------

(Bruce Banner)

 

Europe
Sokovia
1 hour later

 

*Ah Sokovia, what a quaint little place to be in.* Bruce Banner thought as he looked through the hologram of his Helmet at the landscape passing by under him. The hatch opened and Bruce was the first to jump down from it.

As Bruce dropped from the Pelican he thought that he loved his current job. Some minutes later he landed with a roll on the forest bed. He looked around him carefully, while some of the SC super soldiers also landed. He engaged the cloaking module of his armor and the others followed suit.

The plan was simple: have the Avengers be a big distraction while Team 7 would infiltrate the facility and take it down from the inside. The reason why Bruce had come with team 7 was because he was charged to steal HYDRA's research in this base by ONI.

How did this happen? After meeting Jean Grey In the Avengers Tower, she extended a helping hand to help fix his problems. He never regretted it, since then he reconnected with Betty Ross (Now Betty Banner), his old flame and they eloped in space toward a Terraformed Mars.

For over a year under time dilation, Bruce was given help in acknowledging that Hulk was a part of him thanks to a telepath, Doctor Tetsuo Yamada, a Systems-Commonwealth's mental specialist. Thanks to his therapy he mastered his anger and with the advanced technology possessed by the SC he could safely find an outlet for the Big guy in the holodeck or doing some excursion in Lukedonia’s jungles or plateau with all the monstrous animals roaming there. 

The combat training and the meditation sessions did him good as well until he merged with the big guy. Following that, Bruce did his five year stint in the military. He didn't his stint anyway despite being anti-military since due to the trauma because of General Ross. It's where Betty's presence and Doctor Yamada helped him disentangle his feelings from his memories.

He was safe, he has his love supporting him, and a fulfilling job. That is what he always wanted and now… and he was ready to SMASH HYDRA. 

Sergeant Gurē, the one in charge of team 7 said through the tacnet, "We have a five minute window before they erect the shield powered by the artifact. Move people move, put your cloak on!"

They moved silently through the forest surrounding the base and decided to use the back of the mountain as an angle of penetration. Sergeant Gurē used her terrakinesis power to create a tunnel large enough for the team to enter.

And now they were inside the facility thanks to the topographic scans given by the Observation satellites in orbit. The team divided in two groups, Bruce went with Sergeant Gurē and another man, a fresh recruit called Morales. They spread in the research base and started neutralizing all the scientists while cloaked.

They sent the prisoners through a portal each time to the receiving area in America where the SHIELD loyalists under Fury's control were.

BOOM! The research lab shook as the signal that the Avengers were there and attacking the base. The time for subtlety had passed, they already secured Doctor List, all that was left were Strucker and the special targets. Gurē was the first to deactivate her cloak; she was immediately seen by two security guards here to defend the lab.

Morales was the second to do it and the reaction of the helmeted guard was funny to look at. 

“What the-?”

“Who are those power rangers wannabes?”

Gurē’s stance turned rather hostile at the comment and she found herself saying, “Doctor Banner?”

Bruce broke out of his cloak as well and the two guards fired their Chitauri rifle at them, the shots of energy being dispersed by the refractor shields on their energy weapons harmlessly. Gurē continued to speak and said, “Please, SMASH.”

Banner grinned. “HULK SMASH!”

He entered in a shoulder tackle and bowled into the two men, killing them on impact, their bodies squelched in pieces on the tools and computers inside the lab. 

“Let’s go look for that damn scepter, corporal Morales.” Sergeant Gurē commanded.

“I’m gonna do my job, yeah.” Bruce said behind them and started working on the computers that weren’t covered in blood. 

He hated going back to Earth's mechanical computer keyboard, those things weren't adapted to his physiology. He preferred holographic haptic interfaces. "All this amazing technology and my fat fingers fail me now!!"

He spotted a bunch of pens near him and used them to type on the primitive things…

 

------ ✶Raptor✶ of ✶Life✶ -------

(Special Lieutenant Natasha Romanoff)

 

On The Avengers side…

 

Natasha used a biotic slam, destroying the group of HYDRA soldiers firing a barrage of Chitauri weapons at them. Her years of training and being able to read a battle triggered her sixth sense as she felt more than knew that they were behind her. With smooth motions her bolter pistol whipped out and fired behind her. A trio of shots killed them with the subsequent explosive rounds. Stark flew overhead with his friend Rhodey, their armors unleashing a rain of steel turning into a bombardment that sent the soldiers to kingdom come.

The Chitauri cannon defenses were systematically demolished by the fast flying power armors. Thor, Jane Foster, Hela, Amora and Lorelei were taking out the soldiers in the forest with Captain America. It was awe inspiring to see the tanks being destroyed by a rain of sword or lightning. What was downright scary was Lorelei and Amora charming the HYDRA soldiers to turn against their own.

The ex-widow used multiple biotic charges to throw herself in the throng of soldiers while her barrier took the brunt of the energy weapons being shot at her, intermittently taking cover to let her refractor shield and biotic barrier to recharge. Natasha noticed the laser shots coming from the north, Clint was having fun with his new laser bow and the cloaking device that she gave him at the start of the mission.

She really hoped that later she could convince him to get Laura and the kids to the SC to extend their lives. That’s a problem for later, she used charge again to dodge the cannon strike that a looming tank shot at her; she used her biotic ability to lift it in the air and slam it repeatedly. 

She loved her space powers! Natasha holstered her bolter pistol, on her HUD, the 4D-suit was already replenishing the ammo; from her back, and it unfolded to become a compact shotgun. Natasha used her biotic charge to move toward one of the watchtowers still firing at the rest of her team. The ex-widow made an evil smile and fired two fusion grenades under the watchtower.

BOOM! BOOM! The tower collapsed, its support was destroyed, the bunker next to it didn’t fare any better.

[Who did that?] Natasha heard on the tacnet. 

It was Steve Rogers, he was still fighting. The sounds of his shield bouncing and chitauri weapons being fired at him rang on the communication channel.

“It’s me.” Natasha said.

[Good job, Nat! They were being annoying.] Rogers thanked her.

“No problem.” 

The ex-widow was about to move to another area and take out some more Hydra soldiers when she heard the familiar voice of Hela say in an annoyed tone, [I bore from this pointless exercise. I’m destroying everything.]

Natasha’s eyes went wide and she yelled on the tacnet, “Everyone take cover, Princess Hela is going crazy!”

“YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!!!”

The sky darkened and everything started becoming gray around Natasha, then the forest began withering. The cries of all the soldiers rang into the air as they started dying in droves; at the same time, Hela’s laugh could be heard.

[Mother of God…] Rogers said in awe and fear.

Hela stopped laughing and said with a serious tone, [I’m a true Goddess of Death, don’t speak about your imaginary sky god in my presence.]

With a sweet tone, Hela then showed how bipolar she was by saying, [Jean, darling, I’m sure you’re listening to this conversation. Can you heal the forest now that the bloody annoyances have been dealt with?]

Beep. The signal that a priority individual entered the tacnet appeared on Natasha’s HUD. [Hela we will talk about your actions later, come back home.]

[I can’t wait.] The Asgardian Woman said with pleasure. On the HUD, it showed Hela’s picture disappearing from the chat.

And as if the death aura around them was a lie, a giant bird made of flame appeared in the sky and from the death around Natasha, life flourished anew. It was like spring had come back despite it being winter.

[I apologize for Hela’s misconduct, thank you for helping take care of that Hydra Base.] Governor General Grey said with a saddened tone.

Rogers took this in stride. [Thank you for your intervention, Ma’am.]

Tony’s voice rang on the tacnet as he said in an excited manner, [Hey Jeanie, let’s talk after this!]

The Governor chuckled. [Sure Tony, as a matter of fact I have an offer for you.]

[Oh! It's gonna be good! I feel it.] Tony and Rhodey landed on top of the research lab the topographic scan on her HUD showed.

“I’m getting too old for this shit, I’m going to retire and become a seamstress or something.” Natasha said on the channel.

Clint was the first one to answer her. [I hear you, Nat. I hear you.]

They all walked toward the HYDRA research base now that they had no one to fight anymore.

 

------ ✶Raptor✶ of ✶Life✶ -------

(Sergeant Ada Gurē)

 

Growing up with a Goddess of Death for the last twenty years hadn’t been easy, Hela was demanding and didn’t easily praise the Eternals the Great Mother Jean created. Some were still training to become competent warriors in Princess Hela’s war camp.

Ada was the first Eternal created by Jean and because of this she was chosen to stay by her side, her brother and sisters didn’t envy her position for the simple fact that she was held to an almost impossible standard of perfection by her mother’s consort.

Jean always found some time to be with her and her siblings, it’s almost like she bent space and time to always take care of everyone. They all felt loved and taken care of; but… the Eternals were all competing between each other to work in the Governor's Palace to be close to the family. John and Ada found it problematic…

Now that she joined the Systems-Commonwealth special forces, Ada was getting away from the craziness of her siblings. They were all too gung-ho in her opinion.

Ada reveled in violence and used her powers to find worthy opponents, a trait that she inherited from Hela and Jean who were battle hungry people. Fighting her way through the base was easy, just some kinetic cutter beam fired to slice at the soldier was enough to take them out. The assault has already succeeded, the base was theirs; her Great Mother’s consort got bored and finished the troops in the forest. 

When she entered the panic room by demolishing a wall, Ada was confronted with the fact that the Baron was now ensconced in a bubble of energy that shielded him from attack fed by Loki's scepter. Oh and by the turrets coming online in the room she was going to be shot at by energy weapons.

"Ah great." Ada sighed in annoyance. "Won't you surrender Baron Von Strucker? Your sentence can be lowered from death to life into one of the mining colonies if you do."

The HYDRA leader's eyes went cold, he licked his lips and said while brandishing the scepter, “If you want me and the scepter, then come and take it.” Baron Von Strucker taunted.

Ada's body lit up with white energy surrounding her. “Challenge Accepted.”

Zap! Zap! Zap! The turrets started firing at her, but she dodged easily by rolling forward and creating pillars of rock which pierced the concrete floor and destroyed some of the energy turrets. Ada somersaulted, avoiding to be hit by one of the turrets and when she landed pointed her hands at the two remaining turrets firing at her, creating two laser beams and striking them each. SHING! SHING!

Boom!

Still on her guard, she looked at the energy bubble to find a way to circumvent it. As it was powered by an Infinity Gem, she decided to just use logic. He stood on the ground, so he could still be reached. 

“You imbecile. You were too confident in the tech you stole from the Chitauri.” Ada said as she saw the man look at her as if she was a monster.

“How can zis be?! You should be dead!” Baron Von Strucker pointed his hand at her.

“Huh, because of your badly tuned energy turrets? No way, I’m used to taking on more powerful than that faulty shit you cobbled together. Dude, you’re using technology you barely understand and you ask how I could be done in?” Ada rolled her eyes.

She cracked her knuckles while controlling the Earth under her. “You’re lucky we were ordered to take you alive… but, if you get a bit banged up in the meanwhile…?”

“What?” Baron Von Strucker didn’t feel reassured at all as he heard her dark chuckles.

BRRRRRRR! CRACK! From the ground sprouted multiple rock pillars inside the bubble, and from the pillars, manacles sprouted to encase the man’s wrists and ankles with them.

“No, please… no don’t!” Trying to struggle, Strucker tried to use the power of the scepter to free himself but…

Slice!Ada cut his hand that was still holding onto the scepter, then the barrier protecting Strucker suddenly shut down. Quickly running toward the artifact, Ada took it, separated it from the mind stone and put the gem into a high-tech strong box provided by her 4D armor which sealed all the gamma ray emissions from it.

The Sergeant looked down at Strucker who was still bleeding, she walked up to him and cauterized his stump while delighting in his painful screams and said, ““Some motherfuckers are always trying to ice-skate uphill.””

She flinched when she heard another voice in the room saying the same quotes as her and she turned to see Jean Grey wearing her red SC 4D suit. The young woman said in surprise, “Mom, what are you doing here?”

“Ada, baby girl, why can’t I be here? Now secure this motherfucker down for me will you?”

The girl smiled, of course she was wearing her helmet but she was sure Jean could perceive her emotions; growing up with her mother had been an experience. She always knew when someone did something bad, she never hit them but her punishment could go overboard while she explained why the thing was bad. Jean Grey gave them a…. Really gray sense of ethics. 

“Yes, ma’am!” She saluted nonchalantly.

“Good girl.” Jean gave her a telekinetic pat on the head.

Ada secured Strucker and spirited him through a red colored portal into the medbay of the Dagger warship belonging to John.

When she was done, Jean pulled her toward one of the corridors where the test subjects were kept. Ada had never seen so much misery before; the men and women in the cells were barely hanging on. She knew that HYDRA was bad and a bunch of fanatics, but this…“Strucker and all his friends are going to be spaced, mom?”

She knew Jean, those barbarous and dehumanizing acts wouldn’t go unanswered.

“That’s too quick, no. We’re going to send them to Gehenna and see how they like being experimented on.”

Ada trembled a bit at Jean’s plan for the HYDRA high command; Gehenna was a tide locked world where the Systems-Commonwealth did their most unethical experiment, like that video game she played in her teenagehood, Portal; those men and women were going to be tortured Aperture style. Her mother could be ruthless and… a bit hypocritical sometimes. But she could understand the ‘an eye for an eye’ philosophy that Jean espoused.

They stopped between two cells facing each other; an auburn haired young woman in a gray prison getup was sitting on her bed; the other was a white haired young man playing with a ball that he threw against the wall. Ada knew that they found the targets, finally. It was time to wrap up this operation.

“Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, I’m so happy to finally find you.” Jean called their names and the two siblings stood up and looked at her.

“Who are you?” The auburn haired girl, Wanda asked.

Her brother nodded, “Yeah, Lady. You don’t seem to be from the usual type of science monkey here.” He crossed his arms, glaring daggers at the two interlopers.

Ada cringed at her mother’s evil chuckles. “Don’t worry your pretty little heads about who I am. Why don’t you two sleep, you’ll be in a better place when you wake up.”

“Huh…”

“I… what are-”

When Jean tilted her head, each of the siblings began feeling tired and swaying on their feet.

Slump. 

Ada looked at the siblings; they were unconscious; she stared back at Jean who commanded, “Get them into the ship and call the contact when you’re done."

"Yes, ma'am!" Ada immediately saluted with a fist on her chest and a clank of her heels.

 

------ ✶Raptor✶ of ✶Life✶ -------

(News Reel)

 

Same day…

The world was reeling from the appearance of spaceships again after the first two were spotted and had headed to the border between Canada and the US. It created mass panic and obvious violent reactions…

 

20h
Journal de TF1

 

« Bonsoir, c'est Jean-Pierre Pernault, la question : Sommes-nous seuls dans l'univers a été répondue ; plusieurs vaisseaux spatiaux géants ont été aperçus dans différentes parties du monde, créant une panique et des pillages de masse tandis que des soldats humanoïdes en armure noire ont été aperçus en train de tuer ou de capturer certaines personnes. L’ONU et le gouvernement français n’ont pas encore fait d’annonce ni déclaré de confinement ou d’action… » (Good Evening, this is Jean-Pierre Pernault, the question: Are we alone in the universe has been answered; multiple giant spaceships have been sighted in different part of the world, creating mass panic and looting while humanoid soldiers in black armor have been spotted killing or capturing some people. The UN and the French Government haven’t yet made any announcement or declared a lockdown or action yet…)

---------

Sokovia News1

 

“SHIELD and The Avengers intervened in the outskirts of the capital, Novi Grad; a giant ship was spotted hovering in the area. Iron man and Captain America assured that everyone’s question would be answered after they took care of the facility that they assaulted. The research institute that they attacked was financed by Baron Strucker, one of the remaining token nobles left in the world, the facility was led by a certain Doctor List…”

---------

TaiwanPlus TV 

 

“Two spaceships have been spotted hovering over Beijing and Shanghai; the two military warships sent down a message that we will now show you:

“My name is Captain Jill White. I am from the Systems-Commonwealth, an assembly of worlds. Fortunately for you, we come in peace and are helping some of the governments of this world. We call to calm and order while we proceed to our mission on your shores. Any kind of attack upon the SC warships will see swift retaliation and severe consequences.”

"Obviously, the CCP attacked, because their ‘face’ and ‘sovereignty’ was hit hard and launched artillery and fighter planes at the two alien warships. As a result, all of China's military bases were taken, military vehicles, Beijing and Shangai’s infrastructures were targeted by a Electromagnetic Pulse and taken down. The Systems-Commonwealth instituted martial law.”

The anchor put a hand on his right ear where his bluetooth earbud was. “A recent development just happened, it seems that all over the world files about an organization thought to have disappeared long ago has resurfaced and now proof leaked by the Systems-Commonwealth, SHIELD, and diverse Intelligence Agencies show it’s infiltration and subordination of the current government on multiple levels…”

 

------ ✶Raptor✶ of ✶Life✶ -------

(Ambassador Steven Armstrong)

 

January 12th, 2014
Geneva
UN Headquarter

 

“I’ll show them, all those limp-dicked pansies need a reality check…” Mumbled Steven as he waited in the room allotted to him.

He was guarded by a team of the best commandos in the SC, not that he needed it. Steven Armstrong was a man who recently got back his youth and chose the usual brick package of super strength, toughness and senses, all on top of his own previous ten year stint in the SC. He’s Special Forces through and through, retired or not, and one of the pioneers of the SC military; he helped in the founding of the Space Marines damnit!

Sometimes he couldn’t believe that he was here, standing again, and unlike the damn paper-pushers, actually doing something worthwhile! He had been on his deathbed in that old veterans clinic after his tour in Afghanistan, his wife and children at his side until some redheaded lady came to look for him and asked him if he wanted to live - gods be damned, truly live again - with a purpose and goals worth pursuing.

His wife had raged and yelled at the seemingly young woman, but the orange and yellow light surrounding her quelled everyone’s mood. She told him that he could choose to die today or come work for her after she fixed him. Steven never regretted his choice. She healed him on the spot and took him and his family to her spaceship and became one of the first Earthlings to join the Systems-Commonwealth.

He did his ten years in the Space Navy, then realized that the guys and girls needed help at the governmental level. The AI in charge was too… logical at that point in time, and he had to become one of those politicians but for a good cause. He needed to argue and debate with DOMINA to not let her treat everyone as a ‘resource’. Fortunately, she finally got better over the years and more…let’s say, humane.

Then he was made the local mayor of the island where his people lived and now he was made into an Ambassador to the UN on Earth. The Systems-Commonwealth is a dream come true, it’s a government for the people who held to the best interests of its constituents and because of the environments on Lukedonia, the people were strong and dutiful. No one was waiting to be a casualty in the SC, everyone was a fighter in their own ways. Their Justice was swift, certainly it may seem a harsh or cruel and unforgiving one, but space was unforgiving and the SC tolerates no freeloaders or liabilities.

You killed someone? You got spaced, game over. If it was by accident? You got sent to a military penal colony to do military service and were watched for a while by the Imperial Bureau of Investigation or ONI, unless those eminently qualified individuals decided something else was appropriate.

He realized that he was a bit of a Darwinist in his thinking but he loved it there; rarely do the SC's words go unheard - because the SC is strong enough to "speak softly and carry the biggest sticks in your goddamn world".  

Knock. Knock.

“Enter.” Steven said, letting some measure of  annoyance leak into his tone. Best to let the staff around here know that their bosses were upsetting him. It’s only right that he gives the grunts a chance for a heads up on their COs’impending displeasure… especially since some of those HYDRA-loving shits might not be sticking around much longer.

The man who entered was a typical pencil-pusher with balding hair and small glasses. He addressed Steven by saying, “Sir, the representatives are ready for you.”

Steven paused for a moment, piercing those round-frame glasses, taking his measure and finding him lacking. Just an errand-boy. He was right to make him sweat. Hopefully he’s smart enough to spread the word to his fellow lackeys about just how pissed the Ambassador looked.

“Perfect.” He exited the door, took his suitcase and walked after the little man; he was brought into a room which looked like an auditorium. There were already some people there and his Augmented Reality HUD told him who each of them were.

Secretary Ross for the US, President Lepen from France, Prime Minister Smith from the UK, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from Japan, President Glorsky for Russia and Prime Minister Du Jardin from Canada. All the big seven were there but not China. The door opened and all the minor country representatives entered as well.

Steven ignored the rabble and focused the most on Wakanda's king. Gods, how he hated those techno Barbarians, but he was biased. Governor General Grey had the same opinion about them. He chose to ignore the lazy arrogant piece of shit king, who in turn seemed to eye him with wariness.

Good, let the ninepenny king of his little hill sweat until worry left him bald, balder than that pencil-pusher. At least the lackey hadn’t failed his duties.

When he looked at all those chickenshit bureaucrats, Steven couldn’t help but feel disdain towards them. Right in front of his face, some of those people have been cooperating with HYDRA. He grit his teeth marginally, mollifying his disgust with the knowledge that it’s just a matter of time before they’re arrested as well. 

This meeting already started badly as Councilor Ross took charge. “Thanks for coming to this meeting, Ladies and Gentlemen. Due to the situation in recent days we’re gathered here to get to know the situation brought upon by the alien-”

Steven rolled his eyes and stood up from the chair he was sitting in. “You can stop right there! We didn’t cause this problem, it was you and your corrupted peers who allowed HYDRA to run free for decades on this world and slowly take it over.”

This shut up everyone, but… they quickly started speaking together, their voices drowning in a cacophony of noises.

“Order! Order!” Secretary Ross shouted as he beat the gavel on the table.

When everyone went silent and order was restored in the room, Ross turned to Steven. “Ambassador… Armstrong, you’ll talk when asked to-”

Steven interrupted the old criminal and pointed his finger at him. “If it is in the interest of Order that you are all acting, then I shall have to insist. Ross, you couldn’t enforce Order from an SC warship, let alone that pedestal you keep trying to climb up on. I didn’t come here to play power games with your toothless organization; I came here to tell you what’s the score, and you will hear it, because I speak with the weight of my nation’s full strength when I say that no Justice can come from this forum until it has been cleaned of the corruption still infesting it.”

There was a glare of outrage in Ross and some of the presidents and other representatives' eyes. Some of them were even shocked by Steven’s heavy-handedness, his threats. Because that’s exactly what his words were now. The SC did not make threats idly, and they all knew it. Few could forget that first fateful flyover, and their predicament had only gotten worse since.

That’s why Steven let the sputtering taper out until silence reigned… and the fear set in.

Steven sat back and threaded his fingers together and started saying, “It all started with Operation Paperclip, yes it’s all the fault of the US. You accepted those HYDRA scientists into your midst despite their several crimes against humanity and let them assume the guise of loyal servants while they slowly took over and subordinated every level of your society, the military, the government, your corporations!”

With a derisive smile, Steven smiled and said, “You got greedy and dirtied the costly peace that Captain America bought for you. The Land of Freedom, huh? No, the Land of idiots and suckers.”

Protests erupted at his insults, but Steven knew he’d already riled them up enough to make the right mistakes…

Ross slammed the gavel on the table and threatened, “I won’t let you insult my country!”

Steven laughed. “Oh, sure, it’s your country that worries you. It couldn’t possibly be about your own crimes, hmm? Though with HYDRA scum like yourself one has to wonder if there’s even a difference. So I invite you, Ross, to explain exactly how you think it is that you can do anything about it. Why, I’d even invite you to try against just me, personally.”

Armstrong let a mocking smirk twist his steady expression.

The secretary’s face became murderous; just what Steven wanted. How he wished he could just light up a cigar or something, but his wife made him stop that habit and he promised not to start again. “I’m sure some of your HYDRA friends helped you get this cushy politician job too… aren’t you friends with Secretary Alexander Pierce? The HYDRA commander who was the head of SHIELD?”

Ross’ eyes became shocked and he started to untighten his tie. The man should just buy a clip-on… The newly minted secretary changed tack and said, “We’re not here to throw accusations… but to have our questions answered…”

“Sure.” Steven chuckled.

The SC Ambassador looked at the rest of the panel and dealt a career ending blow to Ross. Right about now, some of their secretaries should be informing them via earpiece about the evidence delivered to their respective desks a few hours earlier, “Hey, someone change this guy. I, and perforce the SC will not tolerate a forum with a traitor and terrorist leading it.”

If looks could kill, Steven would be dead… Ross shouted, “How dare you-!”

The French president stopped the rant Ross was building up to. “Secretary Ross, maybe you should desist, in light of your… associations, you might be too biased to lead zis panel.”

*Eh, the cheese-eater had balls? That’s unexpected.* Steven thought. 

Ross primarily looked at the French president and the rest of the panel. “I see, then I shall give my role to-”

“I will take over.” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said with a wizened voice. “I’m neutral in all this, but I want to get home later. Ambassador Armstrong, if you could explain everything… in detail?”

And there it was, someone with both a brain and a spine stepped up. And they knew to ask politely.

“Then I will get to the point!” Steven said as he began to expose on how HYDRA survived, what they did, the experimentations on humans, the Red Room involvement with their trained assassin. It eventually led to the discovery of HYDRA when they attempted to kill Nick Fury in Washington DC and the Director of SHIELD involved the Systems-Commonwealth in his mission to find the squiddies. He spoke about the helicarriers that HYDRA planned to deploy and subjugate the world with.

“And this is how we started systematically removing every HYDRA base in a day with our Space Marines. We succeeded and here we are now.” Steven finished telling them the entire adventure.

He really liked how the Governor was proactive with those things. Taking down evil, smashing politicians' faces in… even if Steven himself could only fantasize about doing so now, but crushing them in a diplomatic forum did have a unique satisfaction to it as well.

“Thank you for the story, Mister Ambassador. Now we can start the round of questions.” The Japanese Prime Minister said. 

A portly gentleman with balding black hair and gray eyes asked while straightening his suit, "Then I will start. Ambassador, what does your government intend to do with China? You're currently occupying it."

*Right for the jugular huh?* Steven chuckled. 

Leaning against his table, Steven opened his mouth and said something that shocked the entire panel. "If it was me who was in charge, I would say 'what we godsdamnlike' but Governor General Grey said to tell you that 'We shall lighten the path for those sheep and reform them' so I'm going with the hunch that she’s going to turn China and all its satellite states into her pet project, and knowing the Governor General as you do, I imagine you’ll know that attracting her… tender attentions to such a degree entails a level of revolution that’ll liken the 21st century to ancient barbarism."

Slam! An Asian man of little stature with slicked back hair and small glasses shouted, "This is an outrage! This injustice should not be born! You invaded China and want to… treat us like lab rats?"

Steven laughed. "Look at the pot calling the kettle black, you have no leg to stand on, you mass murderers. You starve and treat everyone under your boots like dogs and rule by juggling your endless ineptitudes. And despite all your eastern philosophy, 5000 years of history, you reject it and refuse to learn from your mistakes - or worse, double down on failed ideologies.." 

Steven used his wrist computer to show the atrocities perpetrated by China and displayed them on the holo-projector in conference mode. The organs harvesting, the genocide of minorities, the corner cutting on their projects making their building made out of tofu. The thievery of technology and the preying on third world countries to get them indebted to them. The bio weapons they were working on to weaken the west, and their plans to try to wreck the world economic trade and money. 

Steven showed China’s atrocities and their plan to reach hegemony.

Obviously the reedy little man denied everything Steven showed. The panel was shocked by the instant-dose of debasement and ruthlessness of the CCP. It clearly showed that they couldn't be trusted and had no intention to coexist with anyone on this planet. "Those allegations are not proof! This is a conspiracy against us! We demand that you cease your invasion and-"

Steven leaned in his seat and said as if he had thought about it, "Demand? As if you were in any position to make demands of us? Hilarious. As we speak, the entire CCP is being dismantled and the provisional government is going to untangle the morass of idiocy that that country has become. By the way, you and your pal in exile’s days are numbered."

Everyone started to speak together again, the Japanese Prime Minister called for order. After he got it, the Wakandan king stood up and said, "I wish to pass on a motion that Wakanda doesn't approve of the Systems-Commonwealth's method and that they should give back the reins to China's rightful sons and daughters. Or else…"

Steven stared at T'Chaka as if he was crazy. "Wow, I am scared of the mighty Wakanda; tell me, can you afford this threat? After all, we know so much about your little obfuscation."

T'chaka gave a dark look at Steven; shit he was having so much fun playing with those bastards. The prep work was so worth it. "That’s what I thought, there’s nothing you can do. And let me make something clear, everyone, we don't need you, so an embargo would do nothing to us… you are confined to this gravity well. Economic sanctions? Smear Campaigns? Fearmongering? It will get you nowhere. Our economies no longer work on even the same order of magnitude, do you understand that? You are printing money that you don't have, for goals that you cannot attain, with words that you cannot enforce.

"So, I guess that if you want to claim China for yourselves, you'll have to come and get it. But we don't mind removing one ant or dozens. I personally am an advocate of the so-called ‘Uniform Approach’ to Earth Diplomacy, but more moderate voices in the Systems-Commonwealth decided to not bother with you until you can come up with FTL on your own and stop killing yourselves. They figure at least one nation-state will figure it out before they have all thrashed themselves suicidally against our might. Me? I say that at this rate you're all headed for nuclear annihilation at your own hands or some other errant apocalypse. And even should you all be so monumentally self-destructive, my nation has the means to reclaim the planet even if you’ve caused an extinction event. The Systems-Commonwealth and its peripherals maintain interest in Earth despite your presence here, not because of it. You would be wise to remember that our indulgence lasts simply because we cannot be bothered. Those who have fallen have done so by their own hand in forcing our closer attention. As China demonstrates, our attention is most thorough. Draw it at your peril."

Steven then leaned against his seat and watched the fireworks that he set up explode as the politicians started to howl like animals in the savanna. He loved these moments when he could play mind games, he felt fulfilled.

---

A/N: So with this we caught up to the patreon chapters! Time to build another buffer. from 30 to 33.