E/d note: Special shootout to "Ryan King" And "Davis Nguyen" for being Luke Sullivan tier holders! Lookout for their parts in this series as the supernatural enthusiast duo, "Ryan" and "Davis"! This chapter also marks the beginning of the Original Arc - Luke's Superhero Debut.
'Inner dialogue/thoughts'
"Normal dialogue"
[System]
[Diary entries]
(Word count: 2,254)
~ With Fury, in his office within SHIELD HQ ~
Fury had just gotten off the phone with Natasha for the third time that day. However, this time, Fury had a lot to think about. From the report, although Fury could be rest assured that he would be able to call upon Luke for assistance against the covenant, there were three main points that Natasha pointed out which was a growing cause of concern for Fury.
The first concern being about the covenant themselves. If the singular creature that the STRIKE unit had faced the night prior was able to cause this much damage by itself, then Fury did not want to imagine the damage that a horde could cause.
Although they now knew about the weaknesses of the creature, aside from his top Agents such as Clint or Natasha, Fury was unsure about the Military and his own Agents' competency in shooting at a specific spot for multiple moving targets from a distance.
Moreover, normal bullet wounds would not cause any damage as they had learned the hard way. This meant that almost 90% of all active Military personnel and Agent's marksmanship abilities would be severely affected, as they had been trained to shoot at targets mainly on the chest areas.
The second point was regarding SHIELD's internal security. This was a major cause of concern, especially for Fury as the current Director and Head of SHIELD. If it was truly the case that SHIELD – a highly classified spy organization, had been compromised, then it was highly probable that major organizations and Governments worldwide could be compromised too.
Fury was painfully aware that Luke had the answers to this question, since Luke had been hinting it in the diary throughout and now had verbally informed Natasha that she should not trust in SHIELD as well. However, he simply could not risk destroying the growing connection that had been forming between Luke and Natasha.
So, Fury could only keep looking into this issue by himself, in order to reduce the chances of alerting the person or group that had infiltrated SHIELD.
'I already have enough problems looking into where HYDRA could be hiding since finding out that they still exist from the diary. But as if that wasn't enough, now I have to worry about finding another group that could be hiding in my own damn organization and possibly in Governments and top Agencies all over the world. . .' Fury complained internally.
The third concern was Luke's knowledge regarding SHIELD.
'Luke definitely knows who's behind the infiltration of SHIELD, but what else does he know?' Fury wondered. Luke had specifically doubted SHIELD's trustworthiness due to the skeletons in their closet. Fury knew that SHIELD did hold a long list of skeletons in their closet, but what was the missing link? Which project was he hinting to specifically.
Suddenly, Fury's facial expression hardened as a bad feeling slowly enveloped him. Standing up, Fury made his way to the archive room with haste.
~ A few minutes later ~
Fury descended into the depths of the archive room, a vault-like space accessible only to those with Level 10 clearance. Fury maintained his stoic demeanour as he searched for a particular operation that SHIELD had conducted in the early days of it's inception.
Fury flipped through and inspected each and every document as if he was just on a routine inspection. He did not know if he was currently being observed, so Fury did not want to give anything away. Finally finding what he had been looking for, Fury's worries were only validated.
Not intending to be exposed just yet, Fury kept up his façade until he had finished inspecting all the documents in that archive clearance level, before proceeding back to his office.
~ Back in Fury's office ~
'Motherf*cker! I have been wrecking my brain at who could have possibly infiltrated SHIELD. And all this while the answer was right under my god damn nose!' Fury silently fumed in anger and shock.
The document which had caused Fury to experience such anger pertained to the events of one of SHIELD's earliest operations – Operation Paperclip. Fury knew he now had a longer and more arduous task ahead of him in order to fulfil his oath to protect his world.
'This clears up much of my unanswered questions. I've finally found them, HYDRA.' Fury contemplated as he began a thorough review of what he knew about SHIELD, as well as major and minor operations that could lead Fury to where exactly HYDRA was hiding within SHIELD.
~ At the same time, in a dark-lit apartment within Los Angeles ~
"Hey something weird is happening to a lot of the members." Ryan exclaimed, his tone tinged in excitement.
"Let me see." Davis responded as he walked up behind Ryan to see what Ryan was pointing at on the computer screen. Ryan and Davis, both in their late twenties, were close friends since childhood. Since young, both of them were enamoured by the mysteries of the supernatural, often finding themselves searching for evidence. However, their findings in their search had always come up short.
Due to the lack of success in that endeavour, Ryan suggested that they could expand their search to include cult-like organizations, since there were a few which were shrouded in the supernatural mysteries. Davis was initially sceptical, however, still agreed in the end through Ryan's insistence.
They both managed an active online group, consisting of thousands of unique members, that focused on spreading the information of different supernatural occurrences and cult practices, in the hopes of proving the existence of the supernatural.
"Hmmm, it seems fake though, doesn't it? I mean come on, I know we're into the supernatural but what are the chances that a bunch of members get an unknown package at the same time about this new cult?" Davis expressed his doubts.
Ryan's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he saw the numerous reports from the members of the group, "But think about it, Davis! This can't just be a coincidence. Look at this vote, that's over hundreds of our members claiming to have received the same mysterious package on the same day! That's got to mean something, right?"
Davis rubbed his chin, his scepticism momentarily giving way to intrigue, "Alright, let's assume it's not a hoax. What do these packages contain?" Davis leaned in closer, squinting at the screen where a blurry photo of a black, intricately carved box was displayed.
"The forums say within the box is a parchment, with what appears to be an unknown, yet ancient looking text written all over. When they remove the parchment, they discovered-" Suddenly, Ryan's tone intensified, "HOLY SHIT! They discovered a small gemstone!" Ryan explained in disbelief as he scrolled through the images shared by the members.
Davis's interest deepened, his initial doubts now overshadowed by the emerging events. "This. . . Cult. Has anyone heard of this cult before?"
Ryan shook his head, "Nothing in our database or in any of the literature and records we've collected over the years. It's like it just appeared out of nowhere, specifically targeting our members."
Ryan's voice dropped to a whisper, a mixture of excitement and thrill of the unknown, "Dude, this could be it. This could be our ticket to prove the supernatural."
Suddenly, Ryan and Davis heard their apartment door being knocked continuously. Spooked and wary by the events that they had just read their member go through, they both looked at each other, a hint of fear evident in their eyes as the knocking did not stop.
Ryan moved quietly towards the peephole, his heart pounding in his chest. As he peered out, the knocking on the door had stopped as Ryan saw that the hallway was empty. Confused, he turned to Davis, shaking his head, "The knocking. . . It's stopped, but there was no one there." Ryan whispered.
Davis, who was now gripping a baseball bat, whispered back, "Maybe it's just some kids messing around? But after what we've read, do you think. . ." Davis's unspoken question hung in the air.
Swallowing their saliva, they both nodded at each other in a show of solidarity, mustering their courage to check their doorstep. Ryan cautiously and carefully opened their door, with Davis behind him, ready to act if needed. To their surprise, they had found the same black box that the other members had received.
"Holy shit. . ." This time, it was Davis who expressed his disbelief. "It's a black, freaking box."
Knowing what was inside, Ryan immediately picked up the box and brought it into their apartment as Davis locked the door behind them. He then placed the box in front of their computer screen, before setting up their webcam to share what had just happened to them with live. A few minutes later, they were all set for the livestream.
As the camera blinked red, indicating that they were live, Ryan began his introduction to the livestream, "Hey guys! It's Ryan and Davis here! I know that most of you have said in the forums about receiving a black box with some items in it, and that there are others who are still sceptical about it. But we're here to tell you that the same thing had just happened to us!"
Pointing the camera towards the box, Ryan explained as Davis carefully lifted the lid of the box, "For those who are still sceptical, Davis and I are now going to open the box in this livestream to show you just what exactly is within the box."
Ryan and Davis leaned in, their faces illuminated by the glow of the computer screen, as they revealed the contents to the audience. Inside, nestled atop a velvet lining, was the expected parchment and a small, gleaming gemstone that seemed to glow with an inner light.
"Wait, something's different with ours." Ryan revealed. "And the gemstone seems to be glowing?" Ryan said as he held the parchment while Davis took the gemstone.
However, the further they separated the gemstone from the parchment, the dimmer the gemstone got. Noticing this, Davis's eyes widened as he said in awe, "Hold on guys! Something strange is happening!"
Davis held Ryan's hands in place, as he slowly brought the gemstone closer. "Look! The gemstone glows brighter when it gets brought closer to the parchment!"
However, when Davis took a look at the chat box, he was surprised to read that this was not the case for the other members. "Are you guys sure? No one else is experiencing the same thing? Is ours the only special case then?" Davis asked aloud.
As Davis interacted with the chat, Ryan decided to see the ancient and unknown text within the parchment. Carefully, Ryan unfolded the parchment with steady hands. What he saw had shocked him once again, "HOLY SHIT! Guys, take a look at this! It's written in Old English!"
Ryan said as he moved the parchment away from the gemstone and brought it closer to the camera for their audience to see. However, he was confused when the chat revealed that it was still written in the same unknown language as the rest. As if in realization, Ryan brought the gemstone closer, which then caused the ancient language to slowly change into Old English.
"It says here," Ryan began, his voice a mix of awe and excitement as he read the translated text, "That we can seek knowledge beyond our current understanding if many people were to converge at a place with a large concentration of gemstones."
Quickly connecting the dots, Davis suggested, "One of the largest jewellery store is located here in El Segundo, Los Angeles. It's known for its rare and valuable gem collections."
Without hesitation, they set the group's weekly meeting for the following day at the specified jewellery store. Turning back to the camera, Davis addressed their audience, which numbered in the thousands at that point.
"To everyone watching, this is more than just a meet-up. This is our chance to validate every theory we've ever had about the supernatural, to prove not just to the world but to ourselves that our pursuits and the ridicule we've faced were not in vain!"
Ryan chimed in, his enthusiasm infectious, "We need as many of you as possible who can make it to come with your boxes. If we're right, and I believe we are, we could be on the brink of something extraordinary!"
As they continued the livestream, they shared every detail of the parchment, the gemstone, and their plans for the meetup. They showed the gemstone up close to the camera, its facets catching light and seemingly glowing within without being near the parchment.
The chat on their livestream lit up with messages of excitement, scepticism, and everything in between. Some members expressed eagerness to join the meetup, while others were hesitant yet curious. Amid the flurry of responses, Ryan and Davis felt a surge of purpose.
They were no longer just moderators and of an obscure group. They were leaders stepping into the unknown, potentially on the verge of a supernatural breakthrough. As they signed off, promising to update the group with any new developments, the weight of their discovery pressed upon them.
Tomorrow could change everything.
- End of Chapter 56 -
Next time in C57 - The Calm before the Storm.
"You look like someone I once knew." Luke blurted before a wince of embarrassment swept over his face while he screamed internally, 'YOU ARE SUCH AN IDIOT LUKE! IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!'
"Uh, thanks? I guess." Wanda replied, knowing exactly who Luke was referring to. Feeling a little mischief building within her, Wanda decided to tease Luke, "Was she at least pretty?"
Hearing Wanda's question, Luke's gaze softened as she noticed a tinge of sorrow and nostalgia flickering, "She is the most beautiful woman I've ever met in my life."
.
.
.
"Luke, glad you picked up. We might have a situation here. . ."