"Why does the water taste better in Wakanda?" I asked, shivering at the chilling cold water that also had a subtle sweet taste to it.
Shuri giggled at my expression, sitting with her own glass as the rest of the royal family looked amused at my words.
"Simple, it's micro-filters created with vibranium and controlled through my own little A.I. that also controls the filtration system throughout Wakanda."
"...Nice," I nodded, finishing the drink with a deep sigh. "So, was he telling the truth about the vibranium he took?"
"Unfortunately, so," T'Chaka spoke with a sigh. "Not just that, but most of our systems are filled with malware."
"Nothing I can fix, baba," Shuri replied, making me raise an eyebrow as the family just nodded. Huh, so she really is that skilled, huh?
"I assume from everyone's reaction that she is the one everyone go to for tech problems?"
"And then some," Shuri added with a smirk. "I'm just that good."
"Do not let your ego get too big, Shuri."
"Yes, Mama," Shuri grumbled, making me chuckle before I turned to see T'Challa staring at me.
"Something you wish to ask, prince T'Challa?"
"How did you know not only about Wakanda but also where to find us exactly?"
'Yeah, was expecting that question,' I thought, noting Ramonda's eyes flicking to me while T'Chaka folded his hands in front of his face.
"Well, let's just say that I've been busy over the past year since I escaped that HYDRA base," I replied, making the older king narrow his eyes as T'Challa frowned.
"You were a prisoner to HYDRA?"
"Not as a prisoner as I volunteered for an experiment they were proposing at the time," I replied. "Although I needed the power to fight in the civil war my country went through, I did not wish to be a slave to them so I decided to run away and take my sister with me."
"You have a sister as well?" T'Challa asked and I nodded. "Older or younger?"
"Younger twin sister."
"Ah, a fellow older brother, eh?" he joked and I chuckled as Shuri stared at me with a frown.
It was that moment that the door to the dining hall we were in opened, my eyebrow raising as a guy dressed in traditional Zulu attire walked in.
His eyes flicked to me for a moment and he frowned, making me realize that it was probably confidential information he wants to share.
"Well, your royal Highness, it has been a pleasure to meet you," I began with a smile, standing up and bowing to King T'Chaka.
The king in question blinked as I pushed my chair in. "You do not wish to stay for a moment more?"
"I do, but I must also go and make sure that Ultron hasn't tried to attack anyone I know," I replied and the king nodded. "Queen Ramonda, Prince T'Challa, Princess Shuri, it has been a pleasure to meet you as well."
"Agreed. If only it could have happened on better terms," Ramonda replied and I nodded with a smile before T'Challa spoke up.
"We can only hope that you keep what you've seen today a secret, yes?"
"But of course. It is not as though I need anything from the rest of the world given that I can just take it."
"So, you're a thief now?" Shuri asked and I gave a shrug.
"When I need to be, though I always pay the price of whatever I took with interest. Now, farewell," With that, I vanished, racing out of the castle and out of Wakanda in the blink of an eye.
The moment I left it, I vibrated my body while continuing to run, narrowing my eyes as I felt the micro-vibrations throughout my body beginning to fall out onto the ground.
'Nano trackers that were most likely added into the water. I can respect that,' If I sat on a literal trillion dollar goldmine and someone else knew of the location, I'd have done the same so I didn't blame the Wakandans for doing that.
I didn't like it, but I understood the reasoning for it.
When I felt the last of the vibrations leaving, I continued racing out until the grassy fields turned to snow-covered mountains.
My eyes moved across the snowy plains of the Siberian mountains before I moved on, scanning the entire mountain range in the blink of an eye.
What felt like hours passed in the blink of an eye before I stopped, staring at the missile silo in front of me. However, my attention was fixed on the five silent vibrations I could feel underneath, my body vibrating as I dropped through the solid door.
The moment I passed through ,I kicked off the wall, keeping my body in a vibrating state as I slipped through the walls and made my way to the vibrations.
'Yep, here they are,' I thought as I came to a stop, staring at the five stasis pods in front of me that each contained a person.
One woman and four men, just like in the movies. My eyes moved from person to person as I walked, narrowing my eyes at the stable heartbeats and breathing being shown on the control panel attached to each pod.
'...This could help a lot,' I thought, racing through the hidden facility before coming to a stop in the medical room.
Moments later, I returned back in the pod room with five syringes, taking one before vibrating both it and my arm. I pushed through the pod and sunk the needle into the first Super Soldier's arm, stopping my hand's vibration.
The moment I did, I grimaced at the slight tearing I felt growing across my hand, immediately draining a bit of blood before vibrating my hand, the syringe and the liquid in it at the same time.
It was a lot more draining than just doing myself as I pulled my hand free, solidifying first the syringe followed by the liquid and then my own arm.
"Fucking hell, that was rough," I muttered, shaking my hand before looking to the other four.
Well, time to get some more info.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Day 1 243 of the Winter Soldier Expansion Program, led by myself, General Vasily Karpov.
So far, results have been extraordinary. The capabilities of the five most elite assassins HYDRA offered have increased exponentially.
There is still the matter of their mental capacity having reduced due to the rage induced by their transformation, but that can be remedied with repeat programming.
Winter Soldier Prime Bucky Barnes however, has shown to not increased in skill or capabilities despite having received a second dose of the serum.
Most likely, the serum he was given already pushed his capabilities to their absolute maximum and thus, a second dosage would achieve no results.
More monitoring will be done towards the five elite soldiers, but I fear that they will need to retake their mental programming exams once more.
End Report.
"..." I was silent as I stared at the screen, staring at the hundreds of reports made by this Vasily up until '91. I have already watched the ones about the Winter Soldier, more specifically, the ones where he killed Tony's parents.
On one hand, I wanted to tell him and just rip that bandaid off. On the other hand, that's most definitely pushing Civil War closer, especially with the strained relationship right now thanks to Tony making Ultron and the reports about the nuke I carried over the arctic.
'In other words, do I think that the Avengers will still be a thing if I let this news free?' I thought to myself, taking a deep breath as I stared at the screen.
Then, my hands moved, copying everything to an external drive I plugged in.
'A hero does what's right and not what he wants, but I'm not a hero,' I'm definitely going to release this to the Avengers, but the information of the Winter soldiers and their blood samples are going to be mine until I need to use it.
After all, Shang and Xialing with Super Soldier capabilities ounds like quite the powerhouses, don't they? I think the Ancient One might also like it since it both extends one's lifespan and keep her at peak physical condition.
On the other hand, though, there's the mental enhancing aspect of the serum to consider.
'I'll focus on that another time,' I thought to myself, taking out the hard drive as the files finished copying. I expected it to take a lot longer, but I guess HYDRA's computers has some good copying speed.
Putting it away, I vanished, racing through the facility towards the pod room again.
Staring at the five Super Soldiers, I mulled it over in my head before nodding, piercing through each of their chests with a vibrating hand.
I could feel their hearts being torn to shreds as I watched their eyes snap open. They all locked onto me for a moment before their eyes turned glassy, a sigh escaping my lips as I vanished and activated the self-destruct sequence at its core.
With that done, I raced through the base, running up the entrance walls and shooting through the hatch with a grin.
Flipping through the air, I landed on the snow with a grunt, stretching my arms above my head.
'Well, that was a fun four hour expedition,' I thought as I took off, skating across the ice and making my way back to Kamar-Taj.
At least, I was if not for my danger senses blaring in my ears. My head snapped up just as two beams of scorching light slowly came down, my body immediately lunging to the side to avoid it.
Sliding to a stop, I looked up and paused, staring at the floating man dressed in a dark blue bodysuit with golden mystical accents sparking on his suit.
His glowing eyes were fixed on me, narrowing when I watched him land in front of me with a frown.
"Uh, who the hell are you?"
"No one you need to worry about. However, you are in the way of our mission."
"Mission? What mission?" I asked, taking slow steps back when the man advanced.
I'm fairly sure that this was Ikaris i.e. the de facto leader of the Eternals. The fact that he is here and that he attacked first told me that he saw me as a threat...which I was not.
'Then, why would he attack me? Is it because of the Celestial egg in the planet? Got to do something about that, too,' I thought with a frown, sparks dancing along my body which he took note of.
Ikaris said nothing in response to my question, simply narrowing his eyes before my own widened when their glow grew brighter.
In the blink of an eye, I was gone, tearing across the snow-covered ground of Siberia. At the same time, I turned and saw Ikaris keeping up, though he was struggling from the strained look on his face.
Unfortunately for him, though, I was just warming up.
With a lunge, I accelerated significantly, sliding under his attempt to grab me before taking off in another direction. This time, my entire body blurred as I shot forward, speeding up even more.
Sonic booms echoed in my wake as the world went quiet, my eyes focused on Ikaris who was slowly turning to try and follow me.
He was too close to the ground though and I sped up one last time, vibrating my fist as I raced towards him.
Before his eyes could even focus on me, my fist cracked against his jaw, a shockwave rippling outwards and sending him flying back.
'Fuck!' I cussed, cradling my hand as I felt the fractures in my fingers.
Yeah, forgot he was a bit of a durable bastard.
'Well, time to go for the intangible path,' I thought, feeling my fractures heal while Ikaris stopped in his tracks with a frown.
His eyes then moved towards me and I immediately took off, but my eyes widened when something slammed into my side with devastating force.
The world spun as I ragdolled across the ground, coming to a stop just as I felt a familiar face stopping beside me.
I would have been happy for the fact that Makkari was here if not for the sad frown on her face, immediately rolling away when she reached out to grab me.
I back-pedalled away from her, but she kept pace, the two of us taking off away from Siberia.
I came to a stop in the Sahara desert moments later, turning my head as Makkari stopped behind me.
"What the hell is going on?" I signed and Makkari grimaced before letting out a silent sigh.
"The Arc Reactor you moved to the arctic seas nearly destroyed the point of the core of the Celestial I was sent here to protect," she signed back. "On top of that, the Earth was nearly destroyed by advanced civilizations trying to get to you. Therefore, the others...and I have agreed that leaving you alive is no longer an option."
"...You being serious right now, Makkari?" I asked, unable to believe her as she didn't respond. Instead, she glanced at the sigils around her right wrist.
I myself stared at it before I took off, Makkari easily keeping pace as the two of us crossed the Sahara.
She swung at me, but I ducked under her punch. Countering with a jab, she ducked under it and grabbed onto my wrist, spinning and throwing me away.
I skipped across the ocean water before rolling to my feet, vibrating my body as she passed through me. She spun around only to catch a vibrating punch to her head, immediately taking off while wincing at the pain in my wrist.
Racing after her as she flipped over, I delivered a flurry of punches, each of which she dodged with a frown. She then swung at my head, forcing me to dodge as her punch cracked the tree behind us.
I then took off before abruptly stopping, swinging a back heel kick that Makkari slid under her. She hopped to her feet and turned, the two of us staring each other down.
Neither of us said anything as we stared at each other, a frown adorning my face as golden electricity sparked around my body.
At the same time, golden mist-like energies radiated from her body, both of us lowering our centres of gravity before we vanished.
The world was frozen in time as I swung the first punch, Makkari avoiding the blow and countering with a high kick. I ducked under it and grabbed onto her leg, spinning and slamming her onto the ground.
At the same time, her leg snapped out, connecting with my chest and sending me spiralling through the air.
Yet, I flipped and kicked off the air, shooting back at her as she raced towards me. Our clash was silent, a frown on my face as she pushed her arms against mine.
Neither of us gave up any ground as we pushed against each other, a glare in my eyes as she stared at me.
However, before she could move, I ducked down, rolling under her before slamming her head first into the ground.
She went to recover, but I grabbed her leg, spinning and throwing her halfway across the sea.
As she skipped and rolled to her feet, a vicious punch impacted her skull, followed by a barrage of kicks that slammed her back first into the Eiffel Tower.
I went to deliver a stomp, but she moved out of the way, wrapping an arm around my neck before slugging me in the face.
The blow knocked my head back, feeling a pair of hands landing a swift two-handed punch to my chest.
The wind was knocked from my lungs as I was knocked back, but as I rolled to my feet, Makkari slammed into me with a sonic boom.
The blast sent me flying, a grunt escaping my lips as I tore through the largest of the pyramids of Giza and out the other slide. Flipping over with a growl, my head snapped up as I saw Makkari charging towards me.
Her fist was fast, but I was faster, dashing around it and taking her back.
My fist dug into her back, twisting my wrist with a snarl that knocked the wind out of her. Pushing on, I sent her spiralling through the air, but took off in the other direction and ran.
I didn't pause for a moment until I reached the farthest corners of the north, standing in the midst of a blizzard paused in time.
Keeping my vibration up to keep myself warm, I waited for her to catch up and it didn't take long for that to happen.
Makkari slid to a stop in front of me, sonic booms echoing in her wake as the two of us stared each other down.
"You know that I wouldn't do anything to harm the Earth, right?"
"I do."
"Then, why not tell the others? I'm sure if you do-"
"Even if I do, Pietro, Ikaris won't risk the off-chance that you do destroy the core," she signed back with a resolute stare. "I will say that I enjoyed teaching you both sign language and how to use your speed."
"...I enjoyed your lessons," I signed back, crouching slightly as Makkari did the same.
I began to speed up my vibrations, taking slow breaths as Makkari pulled a fist back. Neither of us wanted to move as I watched her shift her footing, analysing the way her body twitched.
Then, it happened. Makkari launched forward and so did I, both of us crossing the distance in the blink of an eye.
Yet, as she swung towards me, I ducked down, punching through her with a vibrating hand. Her eyes widened as my hand passed over her heart, and I paused it just for a moment to give some tearing throughout her chest and heart.
Quickly stepping back and away from her, I slid to a stop a few paces away. Makkari fell to a knee, golden ichor dripping from her lips and nose as we stared at each other.
"I apologize. Goodbye, Makkari," I signed and vanished, taking off towards Kamar-Taj as fast as I could.
Of course, I didn't miss Ikaris soaring past me towards where Makkari was, but given how I'm sure that there was one amongst the Eternal with telepathy, I think they're going to focus more on healing her before coming after me.
'Well, today was okay and now it's shit,' I thought as I crossed the planet in the blink of an eye, coming to a stop in front of Kamar-Taj with a sigh.
I nodded to the sorcerer guards as I entered, but I paused when I saw Aria standing in the middle of the courtyard.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" I asked, walking over as she turned and smiled.
"Considering that I'm no longer injured, I'm more than adequate to move around on my own," she replied as I stopped beside her. "So, how did your battle against Ultron go?"
"Depends. How much did you see?" I asked in turn, smirking as she just turned to me with a knowing stare.
"Enough to know that this is just the beginning."
"That's comforting to hear. Well, can you tell me anything that can make this end quicker?"
"Nothing you don't already know," she replied and I sighed. "Also, Pietro?"
"Yeah?"
"Good work on surviving," she spoke and I smiled as i gave her a side hug.
"My pleasure. Now, I got some sleep to catch up with so see ya," I replied, letting go and making my way to my room.
I didn't even take my clothes off as I fell face first onto my bed with a groan, chuckling at the soft paws of Tails on the back of my head.
"Sorry, bud. Got delayed," I murmured, turning and hugging the fox to my chest.
Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long before sleep caught me and took me away, only one final thought flashing through my mind.
'Man, just once, let tomorrow be a calm day.'
A/N: And we end it here~! Yeah, wanted to end this chapter here 'cause I got something planned for the Eternals, for Pietro and for Ultron and Kang when the two finally catch up.
What that is, we'll have to wait and see.
Anyway, check out my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories that may peak your interest. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one...
Ba-Bye~!