Chapter 8: The Ghost Protocol & Darcy's Discovery
The sound of the Guild System notification was almost silent, yet to Adam, it thundered like a victory drum. He was sitting on a bench in a quiet Budapest park, a subtle smile playing on his lips, a mere hour after his rooftop conversation.
[Guild Invitation Accepted: Yelena Belova!]
[New Guild Member: Yelena Belova. Loyalty: 87%]
[Congratulations! Guild Member Count: 4!]
Yelena. Belova. Adam felt a surge of triumph mixed with a healthy dose of trepidation. This was it. His inner circle was forming. Jeremy, loyal, steady, and his eyes on SHIELD. Wanda and Pietro, nascent powerhouses with immense potential. And now, Yelena, the ghost, the lethal operative, the perfect counterpoint to his own chaotic energy. Her loyalty at 87% was solid, especially for someone so independent.
He quickly sent her a mental message through the Guild System, a feature he was still experimenting with. Welcome to the team, Yelena. We have work to do.
A moment later, a reply: Don't think this means I trust you, Adam. Just that your offer was… marginally less irritating than my current options. What is 'work?'
Adam chuckled. Oh, you're going to love it. First order of business: Red Room remnants. I need intel. Any active cells, any assets, any lingering threats. Discreetly, of course. Use your system to convert anything useful you find into GP. And check the Guild Store – I'll send you some basic gear options.
[New Mission Created: 'Operation Widow's Shadow'][Objective: Investigate active Red Room remnants/assets in Eastern Europe. Gather intel on their operations, finances, and any potential connections to other rogue organizations. Acquire salvageable items if possible.][Reward: Variable GP based on intel quality and acquired assets. Adam's cut: 50%.][Assign to: Yelena Belova? Y/N]
He sent it. He knew Yelena would accept. This wasn't just a mission; it was a chance to finally exorcise some of her own demons.
While Yelena went dark, Adam made his way back to the United States. He wasn't needed in New Mexico anymore; Thor was gone, the Destroyer was handled, and SHIELD was cleaning up the mess. His next stop was Santa Fe, to pick up another crucial piece of his puzzle: Darcy Lewis.
He found her exactly where he expected, drowning her recent existential crisis about alien gods and sentient robots in a sea of lukewarm coffee at a local diner. She was still Jane Foster's intern, but the experience in Puente Antiguo had clearly rattled her, awakened something beyond her usual sarcastic detachment.
"Hey there, Darcy Lewis," Adam said, sliding into the booth opposite her, a friendly, casual smile on his face. "Mind if I join you? You look like you've seen a ghost. Or, you know, a giant metal robot from space."
Darcy nearly jumped, spilling a little coffee. She glared at him. "Who are you?! And how do you know my name?!"
"Adam Stiels," he introduced himself, extending a hand. "We... briefly intersected during the recent 'cosmic fireworks display' in Puente Antiguo. You were the one valiantly documenting it all on your tablet, if I recall."
She eyed him suspiciously. "Yeah, and you were the weirdo yelling about dust storms and pushing people. What do you want?"
"Just checking on a fellow survivor of the 'weirdness'," Adam said, shrugging. "And offering a solution. You strike me as someone who looks at the world, sees all the bizarre, impossible things happening, and then tries to find the patterns. The logic. The underlying code." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "What if I told you there's a bigger pattern? A grander scheme at play, behind the scenes, that makes all this alien stuff look like a Tuesday afternoon? And what if I told you that you, with your knack for tech and your utter lack of filter, are exactly the kind of person who could help me find it?"
Darcy scoffed. "Is this some kind of cult? Because I'm really not into robes, but I am into free snacks."
Adam grinned. "No robes. Snacks might be negotiable, depending on your output. But it's not a cult. It's… a network. A Guild. Of people who see the truth, who want to make a difference, and who are willing to fight for it. And we need someone who can sift through the digital noise, find the whispers, the anomalies, the things SHIELD doesn't want anyone to see."
He kept his voice low, his eyes intense. "You saw what happened. You know there's more. Don't you want to know what it is? Don't you want to stop it before it gets worse?"
Darcy chewed on her lip, a flicker of genuine curiosity, overriding her cynicism. She did want to know. The events of Puente Antiguo had shaken her, ignited a desire for answers.
[Character Sighted: Darcy Lewis – Detected]
[Proximity: High (Within 1 yard)]
[Send Guild Invitation to Darcy Lewis? Y/N]
Adam sent the invitation. Darcy gasped, her eyes widening as the shimmering blue interface appeared before her. She poked at it tentatively, then looked at Adam with a mixture of terror and utter fascination.
"What in the... this isn't real. This can't be real," she breathed.
"Oh, it's real," Adam assured her, his voice firm. "And it's a choice. Your choice, Darcy. Stay on the sidelines, watch the world go crazy, or join a team that's actually trying to make sense of it, and maybe, just maybe, save it."
He waited. Darcy stared at the prompt, then at him. He could practically see the gears turning in her head, the cynicism warring with a deep-seated thirst for adventure and a desire to actually do something.
After a long moment, she let out a shaky laugh. "Okay, fine. You're completely insane. But I'm bored. And this is definitely more interesting than trying to convince Jane that alien wormholes are real. What's the worst that can happen? I get abducted by actual aliens? Been there, done that, got the mental scars." She tapped the 'Y'.
[Guild Invitation Accepted: Darcy Lewis!]
[New Guild Member: Darcy Lewis. Loyalty: 80%]
[Congratulations! Guild Member Count: 5!]
"Welcome to the Guild, Darcy," Adam said, a genuine smile returning. "Get ready. Your first mission involves a lot less coffee and a lot more… digging."
He immediately assigned her initial intel-gathering missions. "Operation: Digital Dust-Up." Her task: use her tech skills to scan for anomalies in global network traffic, unusual data spikes, hidden files, anything that suggested something was operating outside the known parameters of SHIELD or standard government agencies. He also purchased her a "Basic Hacking Skill Book" (10 GP) from his Guild Master Store, knowing she'd burn through it. His GP was dwindling fast, but these were vital investments.
[Adam Stiels – Guild Points (GP): 3.85 - 10 GP (for Hacking Book) = -6.15 GP (Debt)]
"Crud. GP debt. That's gonna sting," Adam muttered, but a quick glance at Darcy, already furiously typing on her old laptop, a new glint in her eyes, made him realize it was worth it. His Guild was growing. And the puzzle pieces were finally starting to fall into place.