POV: Baldur
Alexander Pierce's Office, Triskelion, Between Washington D.C. and Virginia.
After the Battle's End.
Victory was ours, but no one here was in the mood to celebrate. All the Avengers gathered on the top floor of the Triskelion, in the office of the former Hydra leader. The atmosphere wasn't too cheerful, for various reasons. First, there were the injuries; everyone here, except for Clint and me, bore some degree of wounds. Natasha was receiving magical healing from Amora on the far side of the room. Our encounter was somewhat subdued; we met, exchanged glances for a few seconds, then each took a corner of the room. This wasn't the time for personal conversations; both of us understood that.
"It's done," Stark announced from Fury's computer.
"That was fast; they're already talking about it online," Maria Hill commented, standing beside her mentor and chief.
"I still think I might regret allowing this," Fury muttered, seated at his desk.
"You didn't allow anything, Fury. Just stay quiet," I responded, prompting him to scowl even more.
During all the chaos, Natasha failed to execute Steve's plans to expose all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets to the world. We were sorting that out now.
"Wasn't that fun? Shall we do it again next Monday?" Stark quipped, stepping away from the holographic display and facing us all.
"Fun? Speak for yourself," Bruce retorted, huddled on the floor under a blanket. After defeating his enemies on the ship, he had gone on to attack those on land, causing serious damage to both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra forces. His cries of rage and triumph were giving me a headache; I was almost tempted to put him to sleep, but Natasha managed to calm the beast.
"Come on, Bruce, you know you love breaking things. Anyway, I'm heading back to the Base; lots to sort out."
With that, Stark, in his slightly battered armor, took off from the building, leaving us. I still had some things to inform them of, but it would be better to let him go; it's easier to just send him a memo or something.
I was about to speak when I saw Steve, his outfit nearly destroyed, enter the room, holding his shield.
"It's over. All Hydra members have been apprehended, but several managed to escape," Steve informed us.
Ending the battle was easy; the hard part was rounding up all the traitors, a task Steve took charge of upon awakening.
"Baldur, how's Bucky?" Steve inquired.
"I've told you he'll be fine, Steve. My sister took him to Genosha, where he'll be healed from his mental control. I can take you to him right now if you want."
"Thanks, but I think we still have matters to discuss," Steve replied, looking visibly relieved.
"Indeed. The most pressing of which is the Sentinels." As I finished the sentence, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me.
Natasha, having just been healed, stood up and glanced at me. "I thought we destroyed all those things."
"We did, but that doesn't mean they can't make more," I replied calmly.
"Are you going to tell us what you know, or are you going to keep us in suspense?" Clint interjected.
"I'm not being dramatic, Clint, just taking it slow," I explained to the archer.
"What do you know, Baldur?" Steve asked.
"The Sentinels can be built through conventional means, one by one, but the true project of their creator was to automate the creation of these beings. What we need to destroy to end the Sentinels is the Master Mold."
"So, they're robots built by a robot?" Hill inquired.
"Yes, Agent Hill."
"But you said they could be built separately. How do you know they were made by this Master Mold?" Fury challenged.
"By the numbers, Fury. It's not easy to build a machine like that, and in a short time, our enemy managed to construct sixteen of them."
I had already informed them about the attack on Genosha.
"Stark should be listening to this," Natasha remarked.
{I am,} Stark's voice echoed through the room. Of course, Stark wouldn't miss the chance to eavesdrop on a conversation he wasn't present for.
"You shouldn't have left so quickly, Stark," Natasha continued.
{I need to make sure the Base is secure; I don't want it veering off course or colliding with Earth again.}
"How are things up there?" Bruce's concern prompted him to join the conversation.
{I couldn't get the portal to work, so I'm going the slow route. When I get there, the first thing I'll do is fix that damn portal.}
POV: Baldur
Office of Alexander Pierce
Triskelion, Between Washington D.C. and Virginia
After the End of the Battle
We had won. Yet, no one was in the mood to celebrate. All the Avengers gathered on the top floor of the Triskelion, in the office of the former Hydra leader. The atmosphere was heavy. Everyone, except Clint and me, was nursing some degree of injury. Natasha was receiving magical healing from Amora on the far side of the room. Our encounter had been somewhat restrained; we simply acknowledged each other before retreating to opposite ends of the space. This was not the time for personal discussions, and we both understood that.
"It's done," Stark announced from Fury's computer.
"That was quick; it's already trending online," Maria Hill noted, standing next to her mentor and boss.
"I still think I'll regret allowing this," Fury muttered, seated at his desk.
"You didn't allow anything, Fury. Just keep quiet," I responded, which only deepened his scowl.
During the chaos, Natasha failed to carry out Steve's plan to leak all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret information to the world. We were rectifying that now.
"That was fun. Let's do it again next Monday?" Stark quipped, stepping away from the holographic computer to face us.
"Fun? Speak for yourself," Bruce replied, huddled under a blanket on the floor. After defeating his enemies on the ship, he went on a rampage against those on the ground, causing significant damage to both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra operatives. His screams of rage and triumph were giving me a headache; I was about to put him to sleep when Natasha managed to calm the beast.
"Come on, Bruce, you know you love breaking things. Anyway, I'm heading back to base; lots of things to fix," Stark said, his battered armor gleaming as he took off out of the building, leaving us behind. I had some things to inform them about, but it would be easier to send a memo or something later.
I was about to speak when I saw Steve, his outfit almost entirely destroyed, enter the room holding his shield.
"It's over. All Hydra members are in custody, but many managed to escape," Steve informed us.
Finishing the battle was easy; rounding up all the traitors was the hard part. Steve took charge of that when he woke up.
"Baldur, how's Bucky?"
"I told you, he'll be fine, Steve. My sister took him to Genosha, where he'll be freed from his mind control. I can take you to him right now if you want."
"Thanks, but I think we still have matters to discuss," Steve replied, looking somewhat relieved.
"Indeed. The most pressing issue is the Sentinels." As soon as I finished my sentence, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me.
Natasha, freshly healed, stood up and asked, "I thought we destroyed all those things."
"We did, but that doesn't mean they can't make more," I responded calmly.
"Are you going to tell us what you know, or are you just being dramatic?" Clint chimed in.
"I'm not being dramatic, Clint, just thorough," I replied.
"What do you know, Baldur?" Steve asked.
"The Sentinels can be built piece by piece, but the true danger lies in their automated creation. We need to destroy the Master Mold to put an end to them."
"So, they're robots made by a robot?" Hill clarified.
"Yes, Agent Hill."
"But you said they could be built separately. How do you know they were made by this Master Mold?" Fury asked.
"By the numbers, Fury. It's not easy to build one of these machines, and yet our enemy managed to construct sixteen in a short period," I explained, having already briefed them on the attack on Genosha.
"Stark should be hearing this," Natasha pointed out.
{I'm listening,} Stark's voice echoed through the room. Of course, he wouldn't miss a chance to eavesdrop on a conversation in his absence.
"You shouldn't have left so quickly, Stark," Natasha continued.
{I need to make sure the base is secure. I don't want it re-entering a collision course with Earth or drifting out of orbit.}
"How are things up there?" Bruce joined the conversation, concerned about the base.
{I haven't been able to get the portal working, so I'm taking the slower route. When I get there, the first thing I'll do is fix that damn portal.}
"Forget that for now. Get the sensors operational first. We can track the energy trail the Sentinels must have left behind," Bruce suggested.
Bruce's idea was solid. These Sentinels weren't perfect killing machines like in the movies or comics, but they demanded serious attention. If the problem wasn't resolved immediately, they could become a global threat, even to Genosha.
{Understood. I'll get the sensors up and running while you gather the necessary data to track them,} Stark agreed.
"No need for that; I already know where they are," I said.
{That speeds things up.}
"We need to move quickly, not give them time to reorganize," Steve said, showing his soldier's instincts.
"That's exactly what we shouldn't do, Steve."
"Why not?"
Steve was a great guy, but his strategies were too battlefield-oriented. I wanted to prepare the battlefield first. His plan for a swift strike to end things was acceptable, but not perfect.
"Hydra is certainly disorganized now. A strike on their base would cause significant damage," I began my explanation.
"Then why not attack now?" Steve repeated.
"Because I don't want to cause significant damage to Hydra; I want to destroy it."
"And how do we do that?"
"Simple. We let them regroup. We'll attack all suspected Hydra bases, forcing their top commanders to flee to the only safe one. It will be their last stand, and we'll destroy them all at once."
After today, if I remember correctly, Hydra will order the extermination of all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, causing many deaths. It will also flush out the rats. It was a complicated plan, but worth it to catch all the hidden traitors.
"That's dangerous, Baldur. You said giving them time would increase their strength," Steve argued.
"True, Captain, but it also gives us time to gather more allies," I responded.
"Thor?" he asked.
"Yes, it's time to call my brother back from his vacation. My sister will be thrilled to join the fight too. And if that's not enough to convince you, I'm willing to use Genosha's military might as well."
"Genosha cannot enter American territory!" Fury shouted, rising from his chair.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a global organization, but most of its facilities are in the United States. Naturally, a paranoid man like Fury wouldn't accept an army from another country on his turf.
"As far as I know, the attack on Genosha was a Hydra action, not sanctioned by your government. Am I right?" I asked, looking at Fury.
"Our government had nothing to do with that attack," he replied, already knowing where this could lead.
(No relation at all? Seriously? Half of Hydra is made up of politicians.)
"Then they won't mind our help cleaning house. Besides, we're already here!"
Alice, understanding what needed to be done, made the Níðhöggr appear in its full glory above the Triskelion. I had asked it to come after the fight.
"Sir, a massive ship just appeared above us," Hill reported tensely to her boss.
"I'm happy to cooperate with the United States, Mr. Fury," I said, smiling at the scowling Fury.
He had no choice. If he refused my help, I could claim his government ordered the attack on Genosha, a good enough excuse to start a war. Of course, I wouldn't do that, but Fury didn't know that.
"Heh!"
A soft laugh from the far side of the room drew our attention. It was Amora, enjoying my dominance over our enemies. Her laugh reminded me of her presence, and my heart tightened a bit.
(I'll talk to her later.)
"I agree with the help and the plan. How about you, Natasha?" Steve's approval was a significant step.
"I agree too. It's the best way to end this. Clint?"
"Who wouldn't want to fight alongside Captain America against Nazis?"
(Three down.)
"Bruce, I know you don't like transforming, so how about coordinating everything from my ship? None of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s systems are reliable," I suggested.
"As long as I'm away from the battle, I'm happy," Bruce agreed.
"Stark?" I called out.
{As soon as I sort things out up here, I'll join you.}
"Then I think we're all in agreement."
"Wait, Baldur. We're missing two," Steve pointed out.
He referred to Sam, who I had forgotten, and Amora.
"I don't have any issues with the plan, but I'm currently without my wings," Sam said.
"Don't worry; I can fix that quickly."
Then I looked at Amora, who was also watching me.
"And you, Amora?" My voice came out colder than I intended.
"I'm not part of this group, so I don't have a vote," she replied emotionlessly.
"You became part of this group the moment you chose to help us, even unwillingly. Your vote counts to me."
(Steve and his gift with words.)
That same gift earned him some respect from the icy woman my wife appears to be to strangers.
"I've stood by this man for a thousand years. In all that time, none of his plans have failed to achieve their objective."
Ignoring the shock of those discovering my age and Tony's jokes about me being a grandpa, we started planning.
The plan was straightforward. My theory about Hydra's kill order was confirmed. Now Hydra members were attacking S.H.I.E.L.D. loyalists worldwide. We had to split into small groups to save as many as possible and eliminate as many enemies as we could.
With Fury "dead" and S.H.I.E.L.D. still in chaos, the present Avengers flew out in Genoshan ships with a small group of elite soldiers for cover. I didn't want to use my men since we needed years to recover from the War of the Realms, but it was necessary for the plan to work. To prevent casualties, I equipped these men with superior armor, only vulnerable to bombs or missiles.
Steve, Natasha, and Clint boarded the Níðhöggr to receive their new uniforms made of Vibranium mixed with a bit of Adamantium, prepared by me since the invasion ended. Afterward, they each took a jet to their targets.
Banner and Sam also went to the Níðhöggr. As planned, Banner would coordinate everything from the control room alongside Agent Hill, who volunteered to help. Sam, on the other hand, had to wait for his new wings to be sent from Genosha. The Falcon project security was laughable; we already had the designs, so we just needed to rebuild them with better materials.
Amora didn't say anything, and I gave her no orders. After the plan was set, she simply vanished from the room. I knew she preferred to move alone.
I wouldn't participate in the initial attack. I had to return to Genosha to relay the plan to my sister. Then, I had to pull my other brother from his vacation with his girlfriend. Finally, I needed to track down two young mutants being deceived by the enemy.
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