"The enemy's target appears to be the Research Department; its direction of travel is very clear. Additionally, while our firearms can breach the creature's defenses, they don't seem to cause any actual, effective damage." The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents obstructing the Spider Gurongi reported the situation even as they fought back.
The Spider Gurongi grew increasingly impatient as he looked at the numerous agents arriving to stop him.
These Rinto (humans) are truly annoying. Their strange weapons are much stronger than those used by the Rinto I used to hunt. They can attack from a distance and fire strange projectiles that breach my surface defenses and enter my body.
Of course, the firearms held by the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents still posed no real threat to the Spider Gurongi. Bullets could penetrate his flesh, but they were useless; he could immediately expel them from his body and regenerate his tissue.
However, while he didn't fear human guns, getting shot still hurt.
The Spider Gurongi let out a roar and spat out spider silk. Before the agents in front could fire again, he bound them all tightly. Since his Gegiru game had not officially begun, he could not kill anyone, or he would be stripped of his eligibility.
The Spider Gurongi had no intention of losing his chance for promotion because of these humans, so he exercised restraint, refraining from taking lives. Otherwise, few of the agents along his path would have survived.
"Puny, fragile Rinto. The game has not yet begun, so I don't want your lives yet. Just hand over Kuuga," the Spider Gurongi said to the bound agents.
He spoke in the Gurongi language, which the agents naturally couldn't understand. However, they could tell that the spider-monster was trying to communicate. They looked at each other in confusion.
"Does anyone know what language this freak is speaking?"
Every agent shook their head. As elite operatives of an international organization like S.H.I.E.L.D., they often performed missions across various countries and had some exposure to different language systems. But the sounds coming from this spider-creature were completely unintelligible, with no similarities to any known linguistic family.
This was to be expected. The language of the Gurongi tribe was not of this world; these agents had certainly never heard it before.
"It looks like the monster wants to communicate with us?" Coulson said, watching the surveillance video with some uncertainty.
Nick Fury's eyes shifted slightly. "Have you heard anything similar before?"
Coulson shook his head. "Never."
"Record the creature's speech immediately and have linguistics experts analyze it."
"It seems ordinary weapons can't threaten this thing. Director, should we...?" Coulson's expression turned grim.
This was the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, after all. If they deployed high-yield weaponry, the collateral damage would be immense. Such a decision could only be made by Nick Fury himself.
Fury remained calm, stating flatly, "Isn't the Captain already on his way?"
Coulson's eyes lit up. Right! With the Captain there, he should be able to handle one monster. At the very least, the Captain could knock the creature out of the building, where they could greet it with every heavy weapon in their arsenal.
Coulson didn't believe they couldn't deal with one spider-man.
Fury watched the Gurongi on the monitor thoughtfully and spoke into his comms: "Report on casualties."
"No fatalities, only injuries," the medical staff reported. While they found it strange that the monster wasn't killing anyone, it was a welcome relief.
"Can't you understand me? Have the Rinto even lost their ancient tongue?" The Spider Gurongi shook his head in disdain at the bewildered agents. He followed the scent of Kuuga and moved on.
"It really seems this spider-creature has no intention of killing," Coulson remarked, his voice tinged with irony as he watched the Gurongi ignore the bound agents and head straight for the Research Department.
"In that case," Nick Fury paused, then added softly, "let's see exactly what this monster is here for."
Coulson was stunned. Did that mean they were giving up on stopping him?
Fury ignored Coulson's expression. Having made his decision, he issued direct orders: "Since his target is Research, let's accommodate him. Evacuate all personnel from the department, but leave the experimental items where they are. The Emergency Response Team is to set up a perimeter and wait for the enemy to enter the trap."
He thought for a moment and added, "And notify the Captain. Have him head to Research to intercept this spider-monster."
Coulson's mind raced as he guessed, "Director, do you think this spider-monster is here for the belt I brought back?"
The timing was too perfect. He had just brought the belt to headquarters, and this creature broke into the Triskelion immediately after. Furthermore, the monster's language was entirely new—just like the unknown script Coulson had seen in the ruins.
Fury remained non-committal. "We'll know soon enough why it broke in. There's no need for pointless speculation."
While Fury agreed the theory was sound, facts were always more convincing than deductions. By watching which specific area the creature headed for in Research, the truth would be obvious.
Under Fury's intentional arrangement, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resistance against the Spider Gurongi weakened. Seeing the opposition dwindle, the creature assumed the Rinto were cowards intimidated by his power. He became even more arrogant, charging toward his goal with reckless abandon.
"He really is after the belt Coulson brought back," Fury noted, a sharp light in his eye as he tracked the monster's position on the monitor.
"Now that we know his target, initiate the capture operation!" Fury commanded the agents lying in wait.
Naturally, they wouldn't let him actually touch the item. Once the target was confirmed, it was time to strike. Upon receiving the order, the hidden agents opened fire. Since ordinary bullets were ineffective, they switched to specialized ammunition.
Because Fury's priority was capture, they used high-intensity sonic rounds, tranquilizer darts, and electrical discharge shells. While these had some effect, the Spider Gurongi's body quickly expelled the foreign objects.
Ambushed and enraged, the Spider Gurongi let out a thunderous roar: "Despicable Rinto!"
He spat out a massive web, blanketing the agents. Standard gunfire was useless against the overwhelming tide of silk. In an indoor headquarters, they couldn't use Dragon's Breath rounds or other incendiaries that might burn the building down.
As Steve Rogers arrived, he saw the agents being pinned to the walls by webs. He immediately prepared to charge in and help.
Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat. A strange, inexplicable sensation washed over him. Fragments of a memory—a warrior fighting a monster—flashed through his mind. He froze for a split second, then followed his intuition to look toward a specific object.
It was the Kuuga Belt, sitting on a pedestal in the middle of the laboratory.
(End of Chapter)