Chapter 85: The Avengers in Action
News of Maria Hill's arrest quickly reached Ryan.
He was sparring with Thena, testing his new abilities.
Two weapons forged from cosmic energy clashed. Thena's raw strength was inferior to Ryan's, but her combat skills, honed over millennia, were vastly superior.
Identifying Ryan's weak spot, Thena spun and thrust her spear in a backhanded strike.
Ryan deflected the spear's tip with his right hand, then raised his left hand. Two identical duplicates of Ryan instantly appeared beside him.
The three Ryans shifted and moved constantly, making it nearly impossible for Thena to distinguish the real one. The next second, all three attacked her simultaneously from different angles.
Strangely, Thena ignored them entirely, instead pivoting to face behind her and raising her energy spear.
Clang.
Weapons clashed, and the real Ryan's form gradually materialized.
"How did you know?"
Thena's lips curved slightly. "The phantoms' eyes are lifeless—you haven't perfected your illusion abilities yet. Furthermore, your weapon strikes create air displacement from your strength, but they lack technique. This exposes weaknesses, especially against experienced warriors."
Ryan lacked extensive combat experience and systematic training, making it difficult to find optimal strategies mid-battle.
To some extent, technique could compensate for raw power, which explained why Ryan struggled to achieve decisive victories despite having advantages in several encounters.
Ryan humbly accepted the criticism and raised his hand, conjuring another phantom duplicate of himself.
While it looked identical, the illusion felt like a soulless mannequin, lacking the presence of a living person.
Thena observed it. "For illusion mastery, you should consult Sprite. She can help you refine these abilities."
Ryan nodded, walked to the side, grabbed a bottle of water and tossed one to Thena, then opened one for himself.
As he was drinking, Corvus Glaive approached.
"Boss, the federal government has arrested Maria Hill from S.H.I.E.L.D. and is preparing to bring her back to the United States for trial. President Ross wants you to attend the hearing."
Ryan's current official position was Director of Federal Overseas Operations. While largely ceremonial, his rank was Cabinet-level, equivalent to a Secretary or the White House Chief of Staff.
"Why would I attend?" Ryan asked curiously, setting down his water bottle.
He wasn't a politician and didn't understand the intricacies of political maneuvering. From the beginning, he'd had no intention of becoming involved in President Ross's political machinations.
Instead, he maintained a cooperative relationship through leveraged coercion.
Corvus, a veteran warrior who understood hierarchies and politics, knew more about such matters than Ryan.
He replied, "I heard Ross submitted a proposal to the United Nations Security Council to officially disband S.H.I.E.L.D. My guess is he wants your support, Boss."
Ryan had no interest in such matters. He'd rather stay in the lab conducting experiments.
So he said casually, "You go in my place."
Ryan found politics tedious, but Corvus could use the opportunity to visit his family again.
Meanwhile, Maria Hill was immediately imprisoned upon her return to the United States, awaiting trial by the federal government.
However, as a seasoned intelligence operative, she'd already made arrangements before surrendering.
She quickly established contact with the outside world through covert channels and executed three strategic actions.
First, she mobilized former S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives to launch a clandestine investigation into federal leadership and establish secure communication channels.
Second, she arranged for covert contacts with Frank Castle—the Punisher—and Isaiah Bradley, the original Black Captain America, to investigate President Ross's recent activities.
Third, she worked to identify Skrulls who'd infiltrated federal government positions.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s decades of operation were far more complex than publicly known. What was revealed was merely what S.H.I.E.L.D. chose to disclose—the true secrets remained buried.
Many S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives worked within federal agencies, maintaining their official duties while maintaining covert ties to the organization.
While not S.H.I.E.L.D. members themselves, Frank Castle and Isaiah Bradley had strong personal stakes regarding government corruption.
Frank had been betrayed by authorities, leading to his family's murder.
Isaiah had fought for his country but was rewarded with thirty years of brutal imprisonment, subjected to inhumane experiments.
These two might not readily agree to work for anyone, but they'd eagerly investigate federal leadership corruption.
The greatest challenge, however, remained identifying which high-ranking officials were actually Skrulls.
New Asgard, Norway
Back at New Asgard, the atmosphere became subdued after Maria Hill's departure.
The federal government had already targeted S.H.I.E.L.D.—the Avengers would likely be next.
Kate Bishop exclaimed in frustration, "The Avengers saved the world! How can they do this?"
"The Skrull threat is serious, and suspicion is natural. The real problem is our inability to establish proper communication with the authorities," someone replied.
This communication breakdown stemmed from their attack on the federal military base. Since no one had claimed responsibility, blame naturally fell on the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.
Hawkeye Clint Barton, who'd remained silent, suddenly spoke. "Then let's dispel their suspicions. Let's find the Skrulls."
"The problem is how to find them. We know almost nothing about Skrull capabilities."
Everyone turned to look at Captain Marvel.
Carol said defensively, "Why are you all looking at me? The last time I encountered Skrulls was in 1995. It's been decades, and there are countless planets and species in the universe. The Skrulls aren't my only concern."
"Let's divide the investigation. Even with Hill detained, we can still rely on former S.H.I.E.L.D. contacts for intelligence. Sitting here accomplishing nothing won't help," Hawkeye suggested, and everyone agreed.
However, available personnel were limited, and collective action would be inefficient. The best approach was coordinated independent operations.
Clint Barton and Kate Bishop would investigate organizations behind recent terrorist activities. If Skrulls wanted to provoke war, they'd leave traces.
Jessica Jones and Danny Rand would work as field operatives, assisting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents investigating high-ranking officials across seven Western European nations.
Captain Marvel would track the fake Nick Fury and locate the primary Skrull base.
Shang-Chi was no longer on federal wanted lists, allowing him to return stateside to protect Maria Hill and help secure competent legal defense.
Bruce Banner suggested, "Ant-Man and Spider-Man might not want to help against Ryan, but if it's about Skrulls, I think they'd be willing."
The others agreed, and Banner's responsibility became liaising with Ant-Man and Spider-Man.
The remaining personnel would stay in New Asgard, ready for rapid deployment if needed.
After the teams departed, Banner called Ant-Man's home.
After Ant-Man returned from the Quantum Realm, he'd wanted to attempt time travel to rescue everyone. However, Tony Stark, somewhat disillusioned at the time, hadn't immediately agreed to help. Captain America and Scott had approached Banner to collaborate on quantum travel experiments.
Banner had even shared tacos with Ant-Man during those late nights, and Scott had ultimately saved him during the final battle against Thanos.
The two shared a close friendship.
As soon as the call connected, they exchanged greetings.
"Hey, man, how's it going?"
Scott replied glumly, "Not great. I'm still under house arrest with an ankle monitor. Can't go anywhere."
Recently, Scott had helped the Avengers deal with Ryan, but the moment he returned home, Ryan had appeared with council-approved arrest warrants.
This time, when Banner called, Scott was understandably cautious.
Understanding Scott's concerns, Banner explained with a smile, "Man, I know you don't want trouble, but I'm not calling about Ryan. I'm talking about a much bigger problem."
"What could be bigger than Ryan?" Scott grumbled.
Banner countered, "Did you see the news about the Skrull invasion?"
"Heard a little about it." Scott rarely watched television news—Hope had mentioned it during casual conversation.
Banner explained, "Man, the Skrulls are secretly invading Earth. We really need your help. Even if you won't do it for us, do it for your family's safety."
Scott, holding the phone, glanced down at the ankle monitor. After several moments of hesitation, he said, "I need to discuss this with Cassie and Hope. Can I call you back?"
"Of course. I'll wait."
After hanging up, Banner felt confident Scott would likely participate. He prepared to contact Spider-Man next.
Banner wasn't personally close with Peter Parker, but he knew someone who was.
He made another call. After several rings, a woman's voice answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi Pepper, it's Bruce Banner."
"Oh! Hi Bruce, how are you? I saw you on the news. I'm sorry—I've been worried about you."
Tony Stark had been a respected Avenger. After Tony's death, everyone had tacitly agreed not to burden Pepper Potts and her daughter Morgan.
"Thank you for your concern. I'm calling to ask if you could help contact Spider-Man. I remember he has a close relationship with Happy, right?"
Given her relationship with Tony, Pepper was eager to help and agreed immediately.
"Of course, absolutely. I'll contact Happy right away."
After Stark Industries sold most of its assets, Happy Hogan hadn't left but stayed to help Pepper and Morgan manage the remaining holdings.
While the Avengers actively addressed their challenges, the Skrulls weren't idle either.
The radical Skrull leader Gravik had captured Maya Hansen, one of the original developers of Extremis.
By extracting Dr. Hansen's memories, Gravik successfully synthesized the Extremis virus and replicated it within Skrull physiology.
Only by creating enhanced Skrull warriors could they eliminate the threat posed by the Avengers.
End of Chapter 85
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