POV: Amora.
Triskelion, Theodore Roosevelt Island
Potomac River, Between Washington D.C. and Virginia.
Less Than an Hour to the Start of Project Insight.
Even though I'm not particularly fond of mortal architecture, I must admit they did a decent job building this base. The Triskelion certainly deserves to be the headquarters of this cursed organization.
After discussing the plan, we moved as swiftly as we could from the dam where Fury was, to here. We made a stop along the way for Rogers to steal his old uniform. I understand it's a symbol for him, but that thing is over a hundred years old, made of cloth.
Natasha split from us to carry out her plan, while Rogers, Hill, the Rookie, and I made our way to one of the Triskelion's checkpoints, which occupies a significant portion of the island it was built on. Surprisingly, it was relatively easy to enter the island; I didn't even need to use my magic. The damn one-eyed man had secret access codes that we used; he was truly born not to trust anyone.
We entered the island and began moving stealthily, avoiding any soldiers or security systems. It took us about thirty minutes to reach one of the Triskelion's control rooms.
At the door of the room, we all stood behind Rogers. He signaled to Hill, who detonated a small charge on the nearby communication antenna, isolating the Triskelion. It didn't take long for some fool to open the door and come face to face with Rogers wearing his blue-starred uniform.
"Excuse me," he said to the technician, who raised his hands in fright like a puppy. The four of us entered the room, and the people inside were mostly technicians, but there were some guards around the room who pulled their guns when they saw us. Rogers was the quickest and threw his shield, hitting two of them, then returning to his arm.
The Rookie also did well; he hit another guard with his weapon, leaving the last one for me. I simply created a portal beneath his feet, sending him to the bottom of the nearby river we were next to.
The technicians in the room were frightened after witnessing those deaths; they weren't warriors, so their behavior was understandable, but their fear could lead them to sabotage the plan. So, I stood in front of my allies and conjured my magic.
"I conjure the Mists of Morpheus!"
A mist appeared on the ground in front of me, and as if alive, it attacked all the technicians in the room like snakes. When the mist reached its targets, they simply fell asleep on the floor.
"Did you kill them?" the Rookie asked, looking in shock at the bodies on the ground.
"No, you fool, they're just sleeping; they'll wake up in a few hours."
Hill seemed unconcerned with what I did and passed by me. After dropping one of the sleeping bodies onto the computer, she sat at her station and began typing on the computer, taking control of the communications.
"We're ready, Captain," she said after working on the computer for a few minutes.
"So, how does this work?" Rogers asked me.
When I was listening to their plan, I suggested using a bit of magic to give a boost to the counterattack against those still loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D, but the boy is still a bit uncomfortable with the idea of using magic. Unlike Natasha, who simply accepted the existence of magic when she learned about it, Rogers and the others still think I have some kind of superhuman ability. I also didn't make any effort to explain it to them.
"Just speak normally, and leave the rest to me," I tell him.
"I can do that, but what I really want to know is the effect this magic will have."
"Explaining it simply, I will transmit your feelings to the people who hear your voice. It's not as powerful as what I do to control men, but I guarantee that anyone loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D will do their utmost to help you. That is if you speak sincerely." I explain everything to him.
(It's best not to mention that this is a magic I created recently and that I'm using them to test it.)
"I always speak sincerely. You can start, Agent Hill."
So Rogers goes to the microphone at the control table. Before he starts speaking, I've already used a bit of my charm mixed with Midgard magic on him.
"S.H.I.E.L.D agents, this is Steve Rogers."
He spoke calmly; the others around me couldn't see, but when he finished speaking, a faint wave of energy was transmitted through the speakers in this room; this must be happening throughout the Triskelion.
"You've heard a lot about me in recent days. Some of you have also received orders to pursue me, but it's time to know the truth."
With my magic working, I can only observe the effect on the mortals who are here with me; their reactions so far were as if they were nervous, because that's what Rogers is feeling now.
"S.H.I.E.L.D is not what we thought it was. It has been taken over by Hydra; Alexander Pierce is the leader, STRIKE and INSIGHT are also Hydra. I don't know how many of them there are, but I know they're in the building. They could be beside you; they're close to achieving absolute control. They shot Nick Fury and won't stop there."
Then came the anger; my mortal allies are now filled with pure rage at the betrayal they suffered from those they trusted.
"If they launch this expedition today, Hydra will kill anyone who stands in their way unless you stop them. I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high, it always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I bet I'm not alone."
The speech was certainly perfect, and judging by the reaction of those in this room, my spell also worked perfectly; you could see the flames burning in Hill's and the Rookie's eyes. I look at the cameras showing images of the entire base; already people are rising and acting. They may not be able to tell who is loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D or Hydra, but at least they fully believed in Rogers, and they're already acting to prevent the launch.
(The attempt was unsuccessful, of course.)
The whole base begins to shake; clearly, they're launching the Helicarriers now. We all go to the window overlooking the river.
Gigantic doors begin to open on the river, draining all the water. There are three doors, each one beside the other. It didn't take long for three enormous aircraft carriers to reveal themselves and start taking off. The Helicarriers were using Stark's idiotic repulsor technology this time, as in his immense wisdom, he chose to help S.H.I.E.L.D.
They were three flying Helicarriers, all equipped with dorsal and ventral long-range cannons, not to mention the large number of Quinjets ready to take off from them. Any of these Helicarriers could easily wipe out a city in hours, truly the pinnacle of human technology; only Stark could create something superior to this.
Certainly, they were indeed the pinnacle of human technology, but that's not taking into account Genosha, nor does any of the Helicarriers have energy-firing weapons, they can't even create energy shields to protect themselves. Just one shot from Níðhöggr would be enough to shatter Hydra's dream.
"You're not going with them?" Hill asks me, looking at me.
During my thoughts, Rogers and the Rookie have already moved toward the Helicarriers; each of us has a target, so I must go to mine. Outside the room where I was, I can see Rogers running and fighting against several soldiers trying to reach his first target. The Rookie was also not having much success. With his wings, he could fly, but the Helicarriers' assholes didn't need altitude to function, and the shots were keeping him at bay.
(T/N: The rookie is falcon)
I spin my hand around my body, releasing a dense green energy like a mist that covers me. When the green mist dissipates, I'm right in the center of my target.
There are several Quinjets around me, as well as soldiers wearing all-black clothes who immediately start shooting at me. I create a magical cocoon around me; when the bullets were just inches from hitting my skin, they simply freeze in the air. Still, the soldiers only stop shooting at me when their bullets run out. My body is now surrounded by hundreds of bullets floating in the air. I spin my hand, and all of them turn to face my enemies.
"Here. I'm returning them."
With a snap of my fingers, the bullets come to life again, firing at high speed and shredding several soldiers around me. Some of them were smart and took cover behind the Quinjets. My target hasn't appeared yet, so I can only play with these pawns for now.
I was about to cast a major spell to destroy everything around me when I see three Quinjets flying towards me from above. Since I teleported directly to the Helicarrier, I had no problems with the cannons and missiles, but the Quinjets could give me some trouble.
The three ships fire dozens of small missiles in my direction, completely ignoring their allies around them. That certainly irritates me.
"For the Shields of the Seraphim!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! "
A circular shield with several green runes appears in front of me, protecting my entire body from the missile explosions. Many of them missed the target and hit the other Quinjets on the ground near me, creating a series of explosions all over the deck, killing all the soldiers lucky enough to survive my previous attack.
Surrounded by flames and smoke, the three ships couldn't see me, but they're skilled enough to know that I'm not dead. They enter formation and start firing now with their machine guns. I ignore all the shots that ineffectively hit the Seraphim's shield protecting me. I join my two hands, and when I separate them, green dust appears in my palm.
Then I blow it in the direction of the three ships.
"People who kill their allies don't deserve a good death," Baldur once told me, so I didn't give those pilots a good death. The green dust doesn't obey the laws of mortal physics; it passes through the Quinjets and hits their pilots. The effect was immediate on the pilots, who lost control of the jets and crashed to the ground.
If anyone could see their cockpit, they looked at the bodies of three humans with twisted faces of agony; they were taken by a curse that literally kills a person in pain. Of course, to use such a powerful curse as this, there are certain requirements, the greatest of which is to spill the blood of your allies. I found it poetic.
I walk calmly through the flames, the wreckage, and charred bodies scattered on the ground. On the way to the objective of my mission, I encounter other soldiers, who are easily killed. When I'm about to enter the interior, my instinct kicks in. I spin my body and conjure an energy shield at the exact moment a burst of energy is about to hit me.
"Finally," I say to the woman wearing green armor floating several meters away, looking at me.
"I was a little bored killing these pawns, I had given up on you, thought you had chosen to hunt Rogers, or the Rookie, but well. Why don't we begin?"
The woman wearing the green armor doesn't respond to me; she simply draws her sword from her back and charges toward me at high speed.
I can only laugh. Finally, someone worthy of dying by my hands has appeared.
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