In what was supposed to be nothing but an empty plot of land in the middle of nowhere stood now hundreds of men and women, all working under the hot sun. They were all wearing ugly orange jumpsuits and strange-looking metal collars around there next as they worked on setting up a massive fence around the area.
Other than that massive group of people was another smaller group, they looked like soldiers, though their uniform were black, they held their weapons tight in hand as they watched the orange people work.
Finally, there was a smaller group of people who shouted orders at the orange workers and clearly served as foremen for this project.
This would already be considered a rather large project, yet in truth, there were dozens of groups just like this. Thousands of people are working to the fence off a massive area.
A single unmarked road that wouldn't appear on any maps connected to the area they were closing off, and in the heart of it stood a towering amusement park.
The sudden appearance of the amusement park and the massive undertaking to fence it all had caught the attention of Shield, who were on high alert for anything related to either the Bulwark or The Chaos Insurgency, so this massive event drew much attention.
Level 7 agent Phil Coulson, one of the most trusted men under Director Fury, had been sent out with a small army of agents to investigate, which included SHIELD's STRIKE team, a heavy assault team that should help them get past the blockade if they needed to use force.
Personally, Phil hoped it wouldn't come to that. They had been watching the area from above and knew that they would be outnumbered if all the different construction teams gathered together.
However, if it proved to be The Chaos Insurgency behind this, Coulson would call in backup and have them dealt with, killing and capturing as many as they could for information. So far, the analysts believed it to be the bulwark.
"Any luck IDing any of them?" Coulson asked as they neared the barricade.
"None, Sir. We aren't sure how, but we can't get any clear photos of any faces. Some unknown technology seemed to be used by them to interfere somehow." Came the response over the radio.
Coulson frowned at the response, a feeling of unease settling over him. The Bulwark was known for its secrecy and advanced technology, but this level of interference was troubling. He knew they needed to proceed with caution.
"Alright, let's move in closer," Coulson ordered, signaling for the team to advance. "We need to find out exactly what's going on here."
The convoy of SHIELD vehicles rolled to a stop a safe distance from the perimeter of the construction site. Coulson and a few agents stepped out, approaching the barricade cautiously. They were greeted by a pair of the black-uniformed soldiers, their expressions unreadable behind dark visors.
"I'm Agent Coulson, SHIELD," he introduced himself, showing his credentials. "We're here to investigate the activity in this area."
One of the soldiers stepped forward, his stance rigid. "This is a restricted area. Authorized personnel only."
Coulson's eyes narrowed slightly. "Restricted by whose authority? This land is under no jurisdiction that I'm aware of."
The soldier remained silent for a moment, then spoke in a clipped tone. "You need to leave. Now."
Coulson didn't back down. "We're not leaving until we have some answers. What's the purpose of this construction? And who are these people working here?"
Before the soldier could respond, he paused and lifted a hand to his ear. He was clearly getting some kind of information. "You may pass, follow the road, don't leave it, and follow all instructions." He finally said, no doubt just relaying the order he was given.
The sudden turn of events took Coulson by surprise, but no matter how much he tried to ask the soldier for why the sudden change of heart, he just repeated the order or told them to get lost.
He wanted to know what was going on, but he had only two options: turn back and give up the mission or continue into the unknown. Well, it wasn't that hard of a decision. "Let's go, we will see what they are hiding in there."
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Far up ahead, at the end of the road a group of Foundation agents just received some new orders and had to move quickly to manage to ensure they could complete the task in the short amount of time they had.
They quickly made sure to hide away the insignia of the Foundation on their uniform and their equipment, something they thankfully weren't new to having to do. And so, before the convoy of Shield cars reached them, there was nothing to expose the fact that the so-called Bulwark organization was a lie.
They then all stood watching around, trying to see from where the bigshot would arrive from. They didn't even know who, though they guessed it had to be a high-ranking SITE director who would join them to deal with Shield.
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The SHIELD convoy proceeded down the unmarked road, Coulson's eyes scanning the surroundings for any clues. As they neared the end of the road, they saw a group of people waiting for them. The individuals were dressed in nondescript uniforms, with no visible insignia.
Behind them was a large amusement park, with a big sign over the entrance reading, "Wantertainment Land" Something he had never heard about before, and they had lost their signal, so they couldn't even ask HQ if they could look it up for them.
"What is all this about?" he couldn't help but ask the large group of people standing between him and the entrance. He once again noticed that there seemed to be three different groups of people, security, workers, and what seemed to be a mix of scientists.
"Someone will be arriving to explain things to you; I'm not authorized to say anything." Someone said and Coulson assumed that they were in charge here.
Coulson, however, wasn't about to accept that answer. After all, if they were to wait around for someone, surely he could use that time to try and gather a bit of information. "Surely you can identify who you are and what this amusement park is all about?"
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However, none of the people in front of him provided the answer. Instead, he heard a distorted voice from behind him. "Since you asked that, I guess you have to have had the displeasure of knowing about Doctor Wondertainment and his toys."
Colson immediately turned around, as did his escort, and looked behind him. There, from nowhere, a black silhouette of a man had appeared.
Except it wasn't a silhouette. Coulson could clearly see that it was a person wearing some kind of strange metallic black bodysuit that seemed darker than the darkest thing he had ever seen in his life, almost like it consumed the light itself around it.
It's strange suit did not at all allow him to see any indignation of who could possibly be behind the mask. There were only the white eyes and mouth, which seemed static but glowing, and on his chest a circle, and within that once more in that same glowing light was 05-1 written.
He didn't even have a chance to ask who it was before this small army, but he assumed it was bulwark security personnel shouting out in loud unison. "Overseer on site, highest priority, protect the overseer!"
Instantly, they all rushed into action. I stayed and grabbed their weapons, and a standoff immediately happened between the shield strike team and these soldiers, who were apparently about to start a war to protect this and appeared out of nowhere.
"Stand down, agent. There is no need for violence here." The overseer's distorted voice once again sounded as he walked past the shield agents. He completely ignored all the weapons trained at him and just walked over to his own people.
"Overseer, Sir, where are your protection detail? Where is unit Alpha-1?"
"I am quite safe where I am. You do not need to care about my protection, agent. Just focus on the task at hand." The overseer said before turning back to Coulson and to shield once more.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am O5-1 overseer of the Bulwark's Council of Overseers, the ruling body of the Bulwark organization." Alexander Ricci Introduced himself while wearing his O5 suit. Meaning that Coulson had no idea who was standing before him.
Coulson kept his composure, though his mind was racing. An overseer of the Bulwark? This was big. They knew little of that organization's leadership, so the chance to meet one was unexpected but welcomed.
"I'm Agent Phil Coulson, SHIELD," he replied, trying to gauge the situation. "We're here to investigate the sudden construction and the appearance of this amusement park. We need to understand what's going on and ensure there are no threats to public safety or national security."
O5-1's glowing eyes seemed to scrutinize Coulson for a moment before responding. "We are here to make sure that Wontertainment Land won't become a problem, its likely not too dangerous, but Dr Wondertainment is hard to predict, so we want to keep everyone away."
Coulson was starting to get a general idea of what might be going on here, but he needed to try and get as much information as possible. "What can you tell me about this park and who this Dr Wondertainment is?"
O5-1's glowing eyes focused intently on Coulson. "Doctor Wondertainment is an enigmatic entity, known for creating anomalous toys and products that often defy the laws of physics and reality. While some of his creations are harmless, others can be unpredictable and dangerous."
"Wondertainment Land is one of these; it's filled with things that shouldn't be, and most annoyingly, it has a habit of moving around on its own, disappearing and reappearing at random."
Coulson processed this information, realizing the gravity of the situation. "And the people in orange jumpsuits? Are they here voluntarily?"
To answer this question, O5-1 turned his head to look at the large number of D-class personnel. "They came here on their own free will, knowing that the alternative would be a few worse than death."
Coulson frowned, processing this new information. "So they're prisoners," he said, a hint of disapproval in his voice.
"They are volunteers," O5-1 corrected, his tone firm. "They are just people who have decided to… commit themselves to help us."
Coulson knew it was a lie, he knew that even Natasha had been given a bomb collar. These people were all here against their will. And while he wanted to protest he also knew that he had bigger worries about.
He had one of the people in charge of the Bulwark before him, and he needed to use it wisely to get as much information as possible.
Coulson decided to shift his focus, storing away the information about the prisoners for later. He needed to understand the immediate threat posed by Wondertainment Land and what the Bulwark intended to do about it.
"Alright," Coulson said, his tone measured. "Let's talk about Wondertainment Land. What specific threats are we looking at, and how do you plan to contain them?"
O5-1 glanced at the amusement park, his expression hidden behind the mask but his posture tense. "Wondertainment Land is filled with anomalies, though most of them are harmless, and none of them leave. So we just close off access and keep an eye on it. The real target is Dr Wondertainment."
Coulson's interest piqued further at the mention of Doctor Wondertainment. "So, Doctor Wondertainment is still active and possibly inside this park?"
O5-1 nodded. "That's correct. Doctor Wondertainment's exact location and identity are unknown, but we believe they might be using the park as a base of operations or as a means to test their creations. Containing the park helps us monitor and hopefully capture Wondertainment."
Coulson pondered this information, understanding the potential danger. "What kind of security measures do you have in place to prevent these anomalies from escaping? And what can SHIELD do to assist in this operation?"
O5-1 paused, considering the offer and question. "I believe it would be better to have this discussion after you have seen the park; until then, you can't really judge or understand many things."
Coulson understood the wisdom in O5-1's words. Seeing the park firsthand would provide crucial context for any decisions they made moving forward. He nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's take a look at this park. Lead the way."
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