Tony Stark, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Phil Coulson, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Melinda May; each and every one of them were communicating via holograms, Tony being at home while the rest were in a completely private room with no possibility of being overheard.
They were currently reviewing things in order.
"Okay, let's run this through again," said Fury, rubbing his face and cursing Gabriel to infinity.
"First of all, there is the multiverse, and ours is catalogued as 'Marvel'," Tony began, "first of all, we are in a universe with a numerical nomenclature. Originally, Gabriel thought it was 19999... all because my face looks like someone named 'Robert Downey Jr.'" He continued, pointing out the next detail: 'similar faces with different names.
"After December, Gabriel gained powers, reaching, according to him, the top 3 in power, where 'Ancient One', someone who, according to future details, is a leader of a magical community called 'Kamar-taj', with which he is in contact," Coulson continued.
"Not to mention the fact that at that moment he mentioned two individuals as 'Thor' and 'Loki', and the only individuals with those names are the gods of Norse mythology. But assuming that the multiverse is real, the existence of deities, whether through true divinity or alien life, is not as rare as expected," explained Maria Hill as she showed images of Norse mythology.
"Then there are the 'Thunderbolts*', which means that it was a group created after the 'Avengers'," Bartorn (Hawkeye) began.
"An initiative I plan to start... knowing about his replacement is not comforting,' said Fury, then looked at Natasha, who was looking at the names of the 'Thunderbolts*', especially the first, third and last ones. 'We will also have to see if we can rescue some of these individuals, as many of them are under the Red Room, a group we thought was destroyed.'
Natasha clenched her fists, vowing to rescue her family, sighed, and continued, 'Then we have that "system" that apparently distracted us, and it seems to "force" him to write every day in exchange for monthly powers. It also erased his memories and practically send him here.'
"And thanks to that we can know that HYDRA still exists, since losing its 'protection' makes it very concerned about infiltrations. We'll need to investigate carefully in case of a leak," commented Melinda May as she frowned at what she was reading. HYDRA was very bad news.
"Then we have a group of individuals and events in a relatively short period of time. As I said before, the "Avengers Initiative" is something that was prepared for future crises. I planned for Stark to join as 'Iron Man'..."
"Normally I would say that I'm not interested in joining a 'super secret boy band', but for now... I'll make a note of it," Tony interrupted.
Fury glanced at him but continued, "According to his comments, a 'Hulk' will be released this year, whatever that may be. For now, we don't have anything, so we'll have to be careful about that." He then showed images of Captain America, "He also mentioned Steven Rogers by name, saying 'was taken from the Arctic. (post 2008-pre 2012)', which means that the Captain is alive and we can get him back."
"So many years thinking he was dead, and in the end... the serum was probably what kept him alive," Coulson said with a smile, thinking of his idol, but then frowned, "Of course, that clarifies the details he mentions about his personal group he plans to create."
"Correction, Coulson, I think so," said Fury, showing images of Gero. "This is Dr. Maki Gero. He recently took over arms sales to the army now that Stark has closed the weapons division of Stark Industries," said Fury.
"Not to mention that he may have Captain America's DNA, so he can create his own super soldiers," commented Hawkeye.
"There's also the fact that, in reality, the red-haired spy lady, I understand the rush, but I don't even know your names, or I wasn't paying attention, but the point is that Gabriel NOT only gains powers, but where did this Dr. Gero come from?" commented Tony.
"Wait…" said Natasha, thinking about what he said, "if we follow what Stark says is, then anything or anyone could be part of Gabriel's side. First it was magic, now Gero, and then…"
"Then in a few months he'll probably have things that only God knows what the hell that may be," said an annoyed Fury.
"Well, sir... if we follow some details that Gabriel wrote down, technically 'God' would be 'The One Above All'," Melinda commented, suppressing a smile at her boss's look.
"Not to mention that Gabriel seems to be sharing the magic he has," said Barton as he ran the Shadow Charm through his fingers.
"How are you getting on with the Shadow Charms?" asked Fury, looking at his subordinates.
"I'll be honest with you, sir, this," Barton said, highlighting the coin, "is extremely useful, but it terrifies me. Basically, anyone can buy something that could be considered a weapon of great power. It's dangerous."
He tossed the coin and caught it again, "but all my physical attributes have also increased. I'm much stronger than before, even my aim with the bow has improved even more."
"Same here, my agility is even better. At this rate, I'm more like a cat sometimes," Natasha said with a touch of humor.
"Unfortunately, we don't get involved in as many situations, but our senses are much sharper," Coulson said, referring to himself, Melinda, and Hill.
"One detail," Tony pointed out, "those can be used with machines, or at least with JARVIS," he explained. "So it's not limited to just humans, so it could be abused."
Everyone nodded at that, that can be a problem.
"Okay, the rest are things about his game, his tournament and all of that," said Fury "Normal, that was the only thing that didn't cause problems," he said, drawing Tony's attention. "That reminds me... Stark," he added, "did he tell you anything else about the tournament... besides wanting an area where he wouldn't be bothered?" he said, sounding almost hurt, but it was from the headache he gets just remembering the island THING
"No, first I have to tell him when the duel disk are completely ready and start making mass production, along with the details of customitation, so we can say I week before the official announcement of the tournament and see what's his plan, But I doubt he can take any longer, or he'll get suspicious."
Everyone nodded at Tony's words; it was best not to lose the advantage he had by raising suspicions.
"Good," Fury began, "first we have to find Captain America. If he's part of the Avengers, we'd better take advantage of it and buy ourselves more time. We also need to find a way to locate HYDRA and eliminate it permanently. Then we'll keep an eye on Dr. Gero and see if he has anything planned."
Everyone nodded in agreement. That was the best plan they could come up with right now. The information Gabriel was giving them was fragmented, to say the least; too much context was missing. So, at the very least, they were going to have to plan with what they had and prepare well for the future.
Meanwhile I was enjoying my time doing my work, after increasing the number of shops across the country I started preparing tournaments, of course I hire a few people, of course, I also used some Gemini Elves to help with that; of course, most people think they're costumes, but it's not like I'm going to contradict them.
The serum is going at 30% last time I checked, I remember what Myuu said.
"This is art. I don't know who created this, but it basically allows a simple weakling to reach the pinnacle of the species and beyond," he murmured, glancing at the modifications and the simulations appearing on the screens. "The alteration necessary to modify the base formula is incredibly complex. One microscopic error, and no matter how we do it, all the subjects would die. Even with your magic, sir, it would have to be done with microscopic precision to avoid irreparable damage."
This tests how advanced they are and explains why that damn serum is so coveted. But thanks to it, we'll have the Hulk, so I'm not complaining. The tournaments were quite long since I held tournaments almost every day. Of course, they were very cheap, $3 for entry but with multiple prizes, so I managed to improve the decks of each of them.
But among the tournaments, there are about six individuals who always stand out: Peter, Ned, and James for the younger ones, and Alex along with his friends Andrew and Tyler for the older ones. These six are basically the elite of duelists I currently have.
"I'll have to ask Yao if she wants some of the apprentices to participate so I can gauge their skill level," I muttered to myself. Each one had a different deck, adding variety to the situation, since for some reason they're a mix of anime and real life. The main thing about the deck is their personal preferences, but the best generic cards for their decks are also used. I hope that continues because it's very interesting.
The problem with the "wait" is that until Tony gives the green light, I can't schedule anything. At most, I'm using the time to prepare a script and the details of the island, especially the different fields like the Duelist Kingdom.
That will make it interesting, showing adaptability in a negative situation. He could also do it as an action duel to make it more exciting, since he'll probably record it and broadcast it live or edited to attract the masses.
"Gabriel, you're a genius~!"
He smiled at my thoughts; little by little, things are getting better and better. Besides, it's the end of the month, which means I'll earn both more money and more duelists. There's also the fact that I might win something powerful later.
"Patience, Gabriel, patience," I murmured to myself. I have to wait until Loki comes to get rid of HYDRA with the Mind Stone. I don't even know if they're just Mega-Nazis or if they're joined by the Inhuman Hive, but it doesn't matter. With the Mind Stone, I'll have enough power to get rid of them, not to mention all the power I've accumulated, the souls I've taken, and everything else. HYDRA only has four more years to live, after that...
"Heheheh HAHAHA" A devilish grin spread across my face. So many people serving to strengthen me and increase my own power. Obviously, I'll leave SOMETHING for SHIELD, but not too much, unless they let me keep the Mind Stone—well, 'Loki's scepter,' which was more Thanos's than anything else, but whatever.
I smiled at my thoughts; little by little, things are getting better and better. Besides, it's the end of the month, which means I'll earn both more money and more duelists. There's also the fact that I might win something powerful later.
---
"And now let's show the TOP 4 participants:
Jensen Taylor vs. Alex Smith
Andrew Richards vs. Nicholas Harris"
A Control deck against a Fire deck and a Demon deck against a Light deck; two Elemental decks against two Thematic decks. This will be quite interesting.
[Alex Smith: 4000]
[Jensen Taylor: 4000]
"Alex Smith goes first" I said and everything started.
"Draw, I summon 'Darkfire Soldier #1' in attack mode." Said Alex, summonen a Warrior without a shirt and being literally on fire with one sword.
[Darkfire Soldier #1 lvl 4 FIRE Warrior ATK 1700 DEF 1150]
"I set 3 cards face-down and end my turn."
"My turn" said Jensen "draw, I activate 'Confiscation' I pay 1000 Life points, I can look at your hand and discard one card."
[Jensen Taylor: 3000]
"I activate my face down cards, 'Solemn Judgment' I pay half my Life points to negate your card" Alex counter.
[Alex Smith: 2000]
Unfortunately Jensen smiles at that, "good, next I activate 'Delinquent Duo', pay a 1000 Life points and you discard two cards, 1 I choose and one you choose."
[Jensen Taylor: 2000]
"Dammit" grumbles Alex, discarding his only two cards.
"Set a monster and then activate 'Raigeki' and destroy all your monsters.Turn end."
"Draw" said Alex and unfortunately it wasn't a monster, "set one, turn end."
"My turn, draw, I summoned 'Gemini Elf' in attack mode." Twin girls with elf ears appeared.
[Gemini Elf lvl 4 EARTH Spellcaster ATK 1900 DEF 900]
"I activate 'Trap Hole' and destroy that Elf."
"Well, then I flip-Summon 'Crass Clown'", A creepy clown with a scythe balancing on a ball appear.
[Crass Clown lvl 4 DARK Fiend ATK 1350 DEF 1400]
Alex smile at that, "sorry but no, 'Torrential Tribute'"
"Crap" said Jensen who couldn't help but laugh, one has too many monsters and the other one too many traps and 0 monsters.
"My turn, draw, YES! I summon 'Darkfire Soldier #2'"
[Darkfire Soldier #2 lvl 4 FIRE Warrior ATK 1700 DEF 1100] A samurai on fire with two swords appear.
"Direct Attack"
[Jensen Taylor: 300]
"My turn" said Jensen, "set one monster turn end."
"My turn, draw, 'Darkfire Soldier #2' attack your face-down"
Jensen Draws for a turn and sets a face-down monster and a set card; Alex draws and activates 'Mystical Space Typhoon'.
"Sorry Alex, activate 'Scapegoat' I summon 4 'Sheep Tokens'"
[Sheep Token lvl 1 EARTH Beast ATK 0 DEF 0] x 4
"Crap, I banish a FIRE monster from my graveyard to special summon 'Spirit of Flames'", a demon emerging from the very fire appears.
[Spirit of Flames lvl 4 FIRE Pyro ATK 1700 DEF 1000]
"Then I tribute these two to summon 'Tyrant Dragon'" A giant red dragon with enormous wings appear.
[Tyrant Dragon lvl 8 FIRE Dragon ATK 2900 DEF 2500]
"Thanks to its effect I can attack twice since you have more than one monster, first I burn one of your tokens and then your face-down, turn end."
"Draw" Jensen smiles after seeing the card, "I activate 'Offerings to the Doomed' to destroy your dragon, but I lose my next Draw Phase, next I summon 'Dream Clown'" A clown with a jester's hat and a cape appears.
[Dream Clown lvl 3 EARTH Warrior ATK 1200 DEF 900]
"Direct attack and I end my turn"
[Alex Smith: 800]
Alez close his eyes and draw a card, when he look at it he smil like he won the lottery, "YES! I activate 'Raigeky' destroy all your monsters, end turn, and since you can't draw you can't do anything"
Jensen shrug with a smile, "now you are top-decking, let see if you are lucky"
Alex took a deep breath and "DRAW!" look at the card and visibly deflated, an equip card, fuck.
"Pass."
"Draw", Jensen smile like crazy, "I win, I summon 'Sky Scout'" A man with red wings and bird-like features appears
[Sky Scout lvl 4 WIND Winged-Beast ATK 1800 DEF 600]
"Direct attack."
[Alex Smith: 0]
[Jensen Taylor: 300]
[Winner: Jensen Taylor]
There was applause after the duel, which was very evenly matched. I need to increase the card pool to add more variety, as I really enjoyed how the game went.
The next two duels were more or less the same. In the Andrew Richards vs. Nicholas Harris match, Andrew had a clear advantage since Dark monsters are the most common, although there was a surprise appearance of a White Dragon. But the last duel was intense, basically a duel between Aggression and Control. Control won by a hair, but in the end, Jensen was the winner, and I congratulated him with a smile. Not counting the heroes, I currently see over 14 'elite' duelists, as they are the ones who appear most often and win tournaments, but the game is still new, so I'll just have to wait and see.
After the tournaments, I had a moment to rest. Reviewing the plans, I can see that the serum analysis is almost 50% complete. Tony just sent a message saying everything is ready, even suggesting an announcement or something. Even in collaborations, he has to showcase his style.
"It would also be good to start writing in the journal now."
In Stark Industries
"Sir, the Journal," Jarvis said as Tony checked his deck. It was obvious he wanted to beat Gabriel, but as soon as he heard the announcement, Jarvis quickly prepared for the 'meeting'.
The holograms activated, and everyone in his group—they really need a name—gathered.
"He decides to update in the middle of the afternoon?" Barton muttered, somewhat annoyed.
"He doesn't seem to have a schedule, so it is what it is," Natasha commented.
"We'd better focus on this. Let's hope there's something interesting," Fury said.
The tournaments have gone perfectly. Currently, I could say I have 14 elite duelists, but the card pool is very small, so after Duelist Kingdom, I'll add more card packs to increase our strength. Luckily, duel spirits rarely come to the human world; the veil separating them is very strong. But just in case, I'll check to see if there are any gaps where the veil is almost nonexistent. Also, after the tournament, I'll open multiple shops in multiple countries. I'll have to check their minds or something to prevent infiltrators.
With these preparations, I only have to worry about possible alterations to history. I have everything prepared for what I know, but I'm wary of the butterfly effect. Hulk still hasn't appeared, and there are still a few years before Thor falls in New Mexico, not counting Captain America. There's also the question of whether or not Loki is responsible for the Battle of New York. I have a feeling it won't be Loki, or something like that, just so Murphy can mess with me. But the point is, the scepter will probably be necessary. After that, I'll take the scepter and use my magic to eliminate HYDRA completely. Of course, if it turns out to be the Inhuman and not the super Nazis, then it'll be more of a hassle, but I'm confident that with my current power I won't have any problems, much less in a few years.
For now, I'm going to have to do some serious juggling to make the appearance of more shops seem 'natural,' although SHIELD will probably take a look. It's practically the same as HYDRA, so I'd better just avoid them all. Although for some reason several SHIELD members entered my shop, there haven't been any other interactions. They didn't even participate in tournaments, and it's not like there weren't any adults participating, but oh well.
There's also the fact that no one else has made a connection or put their will into the cards, which is personally better, because I remember they could literally interact with certain energies, and it's a miracle nothing's come out in the news. Either that, or some people know how to keep their mouths shut. Check it out for later.
"The fuck it means 'it's practically the same as HYDRA'?!" Said Fury in outrage.
"It literally says so, Fury, your spy group has spies," Tony said, half-concerned, though now he was mentally reviewing who could be a spy.
Fury pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew HYDRA would be a huge nuisance from the moment he discovered they still existed, but this, this was much worse.
"Sir, according to the journal, Gabriel plans to act after the 2012 event and use a 'scepter' to eliminate HYDRA. I know you don't like the idea, but knowing they're inside, shouldn't we just do nothing?" Maria Hill said, and Fury looked at her as if she were crazy.
"Sir," Coulson began, trying to calm the situation, "we don't know how deeply they're infiltrated, or in which sectors. Unless we use external systems and networks, they could possibly know we're investigating them, and we could end up as targets."
"I hate it," Natasha said, "but it makes too much sense. Now I'm wondering if some missions were manipulated by HYDRA, and I don't even know if that's possible."
Fury took a deep breath and ran a hand over his bald head. They were right, and he hated having to keep himself in the dark to avoid trouble and prevent things from getting worse.
"Fine," he said, though everyone could tell it pained him to do so. "We'll leave it on hold... for now..."