This was destined to be anything but a quiet night...
Far away at the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters by the Potomac River, beneath the gleaming eagle emblem, junior agents hurried about, compiling detailed reports and vast amounts of surveillance footage before submitting them to their superiors for review.
With Agent Coulson away on his journey to New xico, the one overseeing operations was Maria Hill, a sharp and efficient female commander.
The chaos unfolding in New York was undoubtedly a sign of the growing audacity of super-criminals...
After incidents like the Green Goblin's rampage at the carnival and the mutant attack on Manhattan, these extraordinary villains and criminals had begun to brazenly step into the spotlight.
"Eddie Brock, a young photographer for the Daily Bugle, appears to have been parasitized by an unknown alien lifeform. Until recently, New York citizens mistook him for Spider-Man. Codena: 'Venom'..." Hill handed a file to Nick Fury.
The one-eyed director frowned in thought...
Hawkeye had accompanied Coulson to New xico to investigate a fallen extraterrestrial object, while Natasha was occupied with her own classified mission. Besides, she wasn't a high-tier combatant... she couldn't handle a situation like this.
'Should we send in Captain Arica?' Fury dismissed the idea.
It wasn't the right ti yet to unveil the Avengers.
"Can we reach Stark?" Fury asked.
Hill shook her head, "Tony Stark is currently in Los Angeles hosting a new energy product launch for his company. We can't get through to him right now, and even if we could, he wouldn't be able to make it back in ti."
"What about the Fantastic Four?" Fury pressed.
"We've already notified Dr. Richards, but even with Johnny Storm's flight speed, it'll take so ti."
The bald director's brow furrowed. These super-criminals were operating in the heart of New York's busiest district. Heavy weaponry was out of the question, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top operatives were spread thin. There was no imdiate solution to this crisis.
His mind flashed to the military's recent manhunt... rumors that General Ross' super-soldier replication experint had gone awry, birthing an unstoppable green beast. A glint of calculation flickered in Fury's remaining eye. Perhaps it was ti to expand recruitnt.
"Who's the other one?" Fury asked.
"Flint Marko. A bank robber who escaped prison a week ago. His body appears to have undergone genetic alteration. Codena: 'Sandman'..."
S.H.I.E.L.D. maintained files on nearly every active vigilante and criminal in the city. Satellites orbiting Earth served as an all-seeing eye, and with the vast network of surveillance caras, tracking anyone's movents was child's play.
"What a sha." Fury sighed, watching the footage of Spider-Man being overwheld. He couldn't help but feel regret.
A hero like this (clean record, solid moral compass) was the perfect candidate for the Avengers Initiative. The director had planned to observe him a little longer before making an offer.
But now, it seed that chance was slipping away. Still, perhaps this would serve as a wake-up call... a reminder that going solo was a recipe for disaster. Joining an organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. was the smarter choice.
Nick Fury stepped out of his office, and rested his hands on the railing...
The S.H.I.E.L.D. lobby buzzed with activity, phones ringing nonstop, agents rushing about. The organized chaos gave the otherwise cold, detached agency a strange vitality, almost like a Wall Street trading floor.
The one-eyed director, clad in his signature black trench coat, surveyed the scene. Everyone was working like cogs in a well-oiled machine.
"Any progress on the Stark assassination attempt?" Fury asked without turning.
"The assassin is codenad 'Winter Soldier', a forr Soviet ace killer. Highly skilled in firearms and combat. We've found no further records; no entry logs, no follow-up traces. The only electronic lead points to an offshore shell company."
Fury wasn't surprised. He said nothing, but the mory of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s near-destruction before it fell under the World Security Council's jurisdiction sent a chill down his spine.
That was why he never fully trusted anyone, not even Coulson or Hill. Painful experience had taught him vigilance. Trust was a luxury he couldn't afford... a lesson paid for with the loss of an eye.
"Add 'Venom' and 'Sandman' to the wanted list. If Spider-Man dies tonight, we'll need those two to appease public outrage."
Fury was preparing for the worst. Spider-Man, caught between two super-criminals, stood no chance. The Human Torch wouldn't arrive in ti, Iron Man was unavailable, and even the National Guard would be powerless to stop this tragedy.
The live feed showed the chaos...
Spider-Man was webbed to a steel beam in the abandoned building, he was immobilized. The colossal sand giant rained down crushing blows, each punch like a wrecking ball. The hero's red suit was in tatters, blood trickling from his nose and mouth.
"Sir! Soone's intervening!" Hill's sharp voice snapped Fury's attention back to the screen.
A blinding streak of golden light tore through the night sky like a blazing sword descending from the heavens!
Amid the suffocating despair, everyone witnessed a towering figure wreathed in radiant flas crash into the sand giant. The sheer heat instantly lted the creature's massive form, turning it into brittle crystal.
The golden figure stood like an ancient deity with lightning at his feet, and divine radiance bathing his armor. Tiny particles of energy danced across his suit like miniature bolts of electricity.
Behind the dark visor, Sean smirked as he watched the roaring sand monster reform. He clenched his fist, and the air itself trembled... a sonic boom erupted like a hurricane's fury. The abandoned building seed to shudder under the force.
With a single devastating punch (a strike faster than sound) he blasted a gaping hole straight through the sand giant's torso. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the streets.
The towering sand colossus staggered, nearly collapsing onto the building behind it. Grains rushed to fill the wound, its massive arm elongating like a striking serpent, lunging at Sean with crushing force.
"Just warming up, big guy." Sean laughed softly as his golden form shot skyward.
A searing red beam (hot as a molten blade) lanced out, slicing the sand monster apart in an instant. The residual heat fused the grains into glass...
User Comments
0 comments from readers