Max sat at the head of the long, polished table in the Storm Chaser's conference room, the faint hum of the starship's systems filling the room. A large, holographic map of the nearby star systems flickered above the table, casting a blue glow on the faces of the individuals seated around it. Frank Castle, imposing in his Space Marine armor, sat to Max's right, his helmet resting on the table in front of him. Across the table, Yelena Belova and a handful of other Ghost agents — all former Widows now under Max's command — listened attentively. Their sleek, black Ghost armor, modeled after the StarCraft 2 design, made them appear even more dangerous than they already were.
The last few days had been busy, but today was the day that Max would outline the next phase of their operations.
Max took a deep breath and began. "Alright, let's get started. First things first — the remaining Widows from the Red Room have been teleported to the brig. All 24 of them." He glanced around the room, seeing nods of approval. "We've confirmed that they've signed the first magical contract, which means none of them are loyal to the Red Room anymore. That's one hurdle crossed."
Frank leaned forward, his scarred face expressionless. "So, no more Red Room loyalty issues?"
"None," Max confirmed. "We've officially broken the last of their conditioning. They're no longer a threat, at least not in that regard."
Yelena, seated across from Max, spoke up. "What about the others? How many are we working with now?"
Max tapped a button on his armrest, and a list of names and details appeared on the holographic display. "36 Widows — or rather, Ghosts — have signed the five-year contract. These agents are fully under my command for the next five years, and they're bound by magic. They can't betray us or reveal anything about our operations."
There was a murmur of approval from the table, and Max continued. "We've also been able to recruit and heal a number of veterans. Right now, we have 112 Space Marines, not counting Frank. These soldiers have all been equipped with the Space Marine armor, modeled after the StarCraft 2 design. The armor is still in the testing phase, but it's already proven effective."
Frank's eyes gleamed as he looked down at his own suit. His armor was larger than the rest, reinforced with vibranium plating, giving it a darker, almost ominous look. The pauldrons were massive, and the chest piece looked like it could withstand a direct missile strike. Even his gauntlets were equipped with built-in weaponry, giving him the appearance of an unstoppable juggernaut.
"The vibranium upgrades on my armor are already complete," Frank said, tapping his chest plate. "But the rest of the Marines and Ghosts will need time before we start rolling out those upgrades."
Max nodded. "Exactly. Testing is going to take a few more weeks, especially with the different functionalities we've incorporated. Once that's done, we'll move forward with upgrading everyone's armor with vibranium."
Yelena glanced at Frank, then back at Max. "What about the Uru metal? You mentioned it before."
Max smiled, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Yes, the Destroyer left behind some fragments of Uru when Thor defeated it. We were able to collect enough samples to start synthesizing the metal using alchemy." He brought up a display showing the composition of Uru and a 3D model of the Destroyer's armor. "This is the real deal — Uru is one of the strongest metals in existence. We can start integrating it into select projects, but we'll need to prioritize where we use it."
"Space Marines and Ghost armor upgrades?" one of the Ghosts suggested.
Max shook his head. "Not yet. For now, we're going to keep Uru for more specific, high-priority projects. We're not dealing with cosmic entities just yet, but when the time comes, we'll be ready."
He switched to the next topic, his tone becoming more serious. "Now, onto Frank's… problem."
Frank's face hardened, and the rest of the room grew quiet. Max brought up a list of names and faces on the display — CIA agents, military officers, and a few government officials. All were connected to the drug-smuggling operation that had used the bodies of dead soldiers as transport vessels.
"SHIELD only arrested the low-level operatives," Max explained, his voice cold. "The ones actually responsible, the ones in charge, are still out there. And if SHIELD can't clean up their mess, we will."
Frank grunted in approval. "Damn right. Those bastards deserve worse than a prison cell."
Max glanced at the faces of the Space Marines and Ghosts sitting around the table. "Frank, you're going to lead a team to hunt down every single one of these individuals. Use the Ghosts for recon and infiltration. Once you find them, beam them into the brig. If they deserve death…" Max's eyes flicked to Frank. "Then you can vent them into space. No mercy for traitors."
Frank's lips twitched into a small, cruel smile. "Consider it done."
The room fell silent for a moment as the gravity of the situation sank in. Max then shifted gears, moving on to the next pressing issue. "Now, let's talk about Dreykov and the people who made the Red Room possible."
Yelena's eyes darkened at the mention of Dreykov, and Max knew this was a delicate subject.
"For security reasons," Max continued, "the Ghosts — none of you — are going anywhere near Dreykov or his high-ranking personnel. I'm not risking any chance that your conditioning might be reactivated or manipulated."
Yelena clenched her fists, but she said nothing.
"Yelena, I'm leaving the decision to you on who lives and who dies. You know Dreykov and his men better than anyone, so it's your call. The ones who survive will be… relocated."
"Where?" Yelena asked, her voice cold.
Max smirked. "Somewhere problematic. I'm thinking… the White House, or maybe a nuclear testing site. Wherever they end up, I'll make sure they're caught by US authorities. Once they're caught, they'll be tried and convicted for espionage. Let them rot in prison."
Yelena nodded, a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "I'll make the list."
The meeting moved forward, and Max brought up the final point — the expansion of their operations into space.
"We've distributed 99 Stargates across nearby sectors," Max explained, showing a holographic map of the star systems. "95 of those gates are in systems that don't have Jump Point coordinates. This means no one from the interstellar community can access those systems without our permission."
Frank let out an impressed whistle. "You've basically isolated them."
"Exactly," Max said. "We control access. And on top of that, the two escort fleets for the dreadnoughts — Jupiter D1 and Storm Chaser — will be completed in the next few weeks. Once that's done, we'll be ready to expand further."
Max paused, letting the enormity of what he was saying sink in. "I want to build a city-ship. But to do that, we need more personnel. Over the next few months, I'll be touring these systems with a small fleet to perform experiments and recruit more people. That means you all need to be ready. The Space Marines and Ghosts will have plenty of time to train for space combat and shipboard operations before the fleets are fully operational."
Max looked around the room. Every face was focused, every soldier and Ghost ready for the task at hand.
"This is just the beginning," Max said, his voice firm. "We're building something bigger than any of us. Prepare for the future. It's going to be one hell of a ride."
The meeting ended with a palpable sense of purpose in the room. The Ghosts and Space Marines filed out, their minds already on the tasks ahead. Max remained seated for a moment, staring at the holographic map.