"A gray-white dragon rises from the sea, the flames spewed by the sky whales cannot harm it! One hundred and twenty-eight years, ancient lava, the ocean turns to slime, and a person wearing a pentagram ring stands atop black waves and white smoke. Daughter of chaos, infinite mad love, red eyes seeing a heart flowing with black venom!" The deranged medium mumbled to herself inside the New York Police Department, biting her own fingers, her cuffed hands covered in saliva and bloody bite marks. Officer Carter hurriedly called for medical staff to administer a sedative to prevent her from hurting herself. She had seen many addicts, but it was rare to see one this insane. "She probably hasn't been using drugs. No injection marks, no excessive mucus in the nasal membranes, normal pupil reaction," the doctor said after a glance, before continuing to bandage the wounded officers. The earthquake had caused blackouts and chaos, and NYPD had been working overtime to maintain order and block looters from entering the wealthy districts. The doctors were also working extra shifts. This particular doctor had been pulled from the ER, "If you want to see Officer Fusco rolling around in agony, you could give the painkillers to the crazy woman, that might quiet her down for a bit."
"Forget it, Officer Fusco has already been shot in the butt for the second time," Officer Carter waved her hand, "So what's wrong with her?"
"How would I know!" the doctor said impatiently, shrugging his shoulders, "Maybe it's agoraphobia, maybe autism, or some other mental illness typical of white women. I don't know, I'm just a surgeon working an ER shift! If it weren't for that annoying Strange, I wouldn't have been assigned here! I can write a prescription if you want, but I think adding another pair of handcuffs would solve the problem. I'll bandage her later, but right now, I have work to do."
"Fine, we'll do it your way. You're not handing out random prescriptions, right?" Officer Carter could only agree with the doctor's approach. She kicked away a punk trying to mess with the crazy woman. "I'm going to cuff you to my chair, got it?" she said to the madwoman, "I must be crazy, talking to a lunatic..."
"I am the Eye of Calamity! Great Lord of Magic, I beseech you to break these handcuffs and set me free!"
"The only thing that opens these cuffs is the key in my hand. If you understand me, nod your head!"
"The mighty Seventh Throne grants us bloody massacres, terrifying magic, profound prophecies, and hot coffee!"
"Hot coffee? I heard that, looks like you're not that crazy after all." Officer Carter grumbled as she pulled the woman up, "If you sit quietly at my desk, I'll pour you a cup. But no freedom, because it's not safe outside. Once order is restored, I'll send you to a shelter, or find your family and send you back. Do you have family? Do you remember where you live? Have you suffered abuse?"
"The kind dead whose life threads have snapped, I will listen to you," the madwoman suddenly lowered her voice, her words almost drowned by the noise in the precinct. She spoke in a tone so low Carter could barely hear, "This is the turning point of fate, the moment that decides the destiny of the planet. I will be quiet. I await the coming judgment of the future Emperor. I await the Daughter of Chaos falling into madness. Noble ideals and mad love will clash..."
"How much sugar and milk?"
"I dreamed of death and worms, filthy black blood covering the rocky shelves, crimson sunlight spilling over the beaches." The madwoman obediently sat on the chair, watching Officer Carter handcuff her to the armrest. She raised her voice again, as if the earlier calm was just an illusion, "A thousand spells, beautiful thirty-seventh messenger. Tell me, how many sugars and how much milk should I add today?"
Officer Carter raised her sore neck, looking up at the glowing white lights on the police station ceiling, and exhaled a long breath.
"Calling Shield One, Falcon One has arrived at Monhegan Island, over."
"Shield One received, positioned directly behind you, maintaining five thousand feet altitude, over."
Several heavily modified Quinjet aircraft skimmed the heavy cloud layers, heading toward the target location. Onboard were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents recruited by the Avengers and some Avengers members. Their flight paths were hidden within commercial air routes through AI calculation, and the stealth devices designed by Stark allowed them to briefly disappear from radar by not reflecting any signal bands. Their mission was simple—rescue Tony Stark and address the escalating earthquake disaster spreading along the East Coast.
All evidence indicated the sorcerers were involved in the earthquakes. As the tremors grew worse, the Avengers remaining at the base could no longer sit idly by. Especially Steve Rogers, who was determined to resolve the potential catastrophe that could devastate the East Coast. Although he initiated the mission, Captain Rogers was filled with unease. Even with Vision, who bore the Mind Stone on his forehead, joining them, Rogers lacked confidence when facing unpredictable magic.
The mission faced strong opposition from many members, particularly Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and Maria Hill, all former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They believed Solomon would keep his promise and release Tony Stark after the matter was resolved. Maria Hill especially felt there was no need for the Avengers to antagonize Solomon now. Not only because she wanted magical matters handled by professionals, but also because Solomon had demonstrated his strength during the Sokovia incident. She believed confronting Solomon would destroy the influence S.H.I.E.L.D. had painstakingly rebuilt and would raise congressional concerns about the Avengers engaging in unauthorized military action.
The last point concerned Agent Hill the most. The Avengers' reputation was already tarnished by the Sokovia incident; rumors suggested the White House was preparing to take action against them, just waiting for a public relations crisis. If the Avengers failed to handle this incident properly, Congress and the White House would have the perfect excuse to move against them.
"But you see the situation now, Agent Hill, and that's not a good enough reason to stop me. This mission has nothing to do with Solomon's actions. It's not about morality, law, or even sentiment," Captain Rogers said. "The earthquakes are intensifying, and we don't know when he will solve the problem—anyone can see they're related. Wherever Solomon goes, the epicenter follows. I believe he knows what's causing the earthquakes, and he's tracking it. The geologists tell us there's an ancient lava belt along the East Coast. If Solomon fails, the East Coast will face a massive earthquake. I can't ignore the chance to save so many lives."
"So you plan to just barge into Solomon's sky carrier?" Hill frowned. "That would be seen as a hostile act."
"Of course not, we'll start by negotiating for Tony Stark's release."
"And after that?"
"Then demand answers. When and how they plan to solve the problem to avoid a major earthquake," Captain Rogers said. "While I'd prefer to leave specialized issues to the specialists, we don't know if they can actually resolve it, and they've refused communication. So we must act. We can't turn a blind eye to the lives at stake, Agent Hill. We're not S.H.I.E.L.D. We are the Avengers."
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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