Chương 118: Aftermath of the Battle
A/N: Reminder that I've stopped writing new chapters, and will only upload the old ones. The story is officially dropped!!
Read on!
TWO CHAPTERS TODAY! THIS IS THE FIRST ONE!
—
The City of New York was recovering, people were healing. It had faced an attack far worse than the one a decade ago, the tragic filled Plane hijack that led to 9/11 and the start of a war on terror.
An attack carried out by an Alien force, led by a so-called God, Loki Odinson of Asgard, opposed only by sixteen people with extraordinary gifts.
The Avengers, the team was called, as people had soon learned. More than half its members were mutants from the old team of discarded Mutant superheroes, the X-Men. One was the brother of the enemy leader, Thor Odinson, one was the feared Hulk, whose battle with a similar Creature a year ago had led to a lot of destruction in Harlem.
Two members had crawled right out of legends, the first two Superheroes of the modern world, Captain America and Captain Avalon, both having been declared dead decades ago. Then there was Iron Man, New York's very own rich billionaire protector from anything terrorist. And lastly, two normal people, only known by the names Hawkeye and Black Widow. A man with a supposed best aim in the entire world, and a woman who people knew almost nothing about.
These sixteen people had done what the army, Air Force, or even the Marines couldn't. They defended their world from the Alien force. They fought the aliens for the 45 minutes the battle had lasted, only 15 minutes of which they were helped by the US Military forces.
And now, a week has passed since the battle, and a lot of information was coming to light, thanks to the news channels. Almost a thousand people had lost their lives, and more than four thousand had been injured.
Some news channels, and government officials, were blaming the Avengers for the destruction wrought upon the city, but most of the civilians knew that the Avengers were not to blame for the battle.
"The Avengers did not bring the battle to us. Loki did not bring the aliens to Earth to fight these Avengers. He brought them here to conquer our planet, our home! The Avengers protected us from the attack, I was there, I saw them fighting for us, saving us. Blaming them for the attack? That's just spitting on the sacrifice of the many people that died that day." One woman had said, in response to the Senator Sterns blaming Tony Stark for somehow taunting the aliens into attacking Earth.
Nick Fury had had a chuckle at that, voiced only in the privacy of his Helicarrier office. Despite the World Security Council's efforts at pushing the blame of the attack on the Avengers, and not on their own efforts at pushing for Project Pegasus, the people still trusted the Avengers. They felt comfort, knowing that people stronger than them are out there, to protect Earth if something like this happens.
Of course, some people had their whole worlds shattered, knowing that there are other races of living beings out there. Aliens, if one race of them could attack Earth like this, why can't another.
As Nick sees a child explain how Iron Man, Captain Avalon, and Hulk fought the aliens on the news, however, he can't help but think that the world will not face as many troubles as he'd seen coming.
People were also wondering just where the Avengers actually were. Their sudden appearance and their just as sudden disappearance, they were calling it. The X-Men had returned to their base at Xavier's home almost right after the battle, while Stark, Banner, Thor, Loki, and Steve had stayed at Stark's tower for the last week.
Widow and Barton had returned to base, of course, back to work so they could salvage their aliases and covers after their public battle.
And lastly.. the man who was a surprise to not just them, but to the entire world. Mason Lucas Aves. Captain Avalon, Britain's poster boy, and one of the world's first Superheroes. But more importantly for Fury, the man whom Steve Rogers was more loyal to than the American Government. And now, not even Fury knew where he was.
"Where are the Avengers?" An old WSC member asks, bringing Nick Fury's attention away from the news that was still on, on a monitor.
Looking up, feeling fairly annoyed by them, Nick says, "I'm not currently tracking their whereabouts. I'd say they've earned their leave of absence."
Even if he was skeptical about the Mutants within the team, including Mason Aves, Fury could say for sure that after a battle like this, where each one put their lives on the line for the World, a vacation was the least they deserved.
"And the Tesseract?" Another WSC member asks.
"Gone. Out of our hands, and off our world. Exactly where it belongs." Fury answers. In hindsight, it should have been discarded off-world right after the disaster that could have happened in 1995.
"You do not have the authority to make that decision, Director Fury!" A Councilman yells. "First the Alien Loki, then the Scepter that he used to Mind control loyal agents, and now the Tesseract. You've lost us a lot of firepower, Director."
Nicholas thinks that maybe Aves had a point after all. The Council looked far too eager to have something with Mind control capabilities in their hands.
He just stares at the man that yelled at him, or the image on his screen, and says, "I did no such thing, Councilman. I had no hand in making a decision regarding it. I just didn't feel it necessary to argue with the God who made the decision. And as for the Scepter, you have my Agents' reports in your possession, read them and you'll see that before you went over my head and asked Mr Secretary to make a move on Loki and the Tesseract, the Avengers had already willingly submitted the Scepter to the Strike team."
One thing, he could say, though. Aves had balls. Sure he could heal from any wound, was stronger and faster than everyone there save for the Metal clad mutant named Colossus, Hulk, and Thor. But stealing the Scepter from the Strike team while being surrounded by weapons that could have ridden him with holes faster than he could heal, was nothing short of ballsy.
"So.. you let the Asgardian take the Tesseract, and the War Criminal, Loki. And you let the Deserter take the Scepter." The councilman says, no doubt trying to pin this on him.
Fury scoffs, and says, "I'd like to see you argue with the God who goes toe to toe with the Hulk, as well as the man who has so far proved to be immortal. And let's not forget that that man took the Nuke through the Portal, survived an unprotected flight through space, and destroyed the Alien mothership, which is what allowed us to actually win the fight. The Nuke that you sent to New York, Councilman. Aimed at the civilian population, need I remind you?"
"I don't think you understand what you've done, Director." The Councilwoman says. "The Avengers, the X-Men, they're all dangerous and you've just let them loose on this world. And Aves now has the Scepter, who knows what he'll do with it."
"They surely are dangerous." Fury admits, not saying anything on Aves just yet. "And the whole world knows this. In fact.. every world knows this now, how just 16 people defended the world from an Alien invasion."
The rest of the aliens will be wondering, no doubt, what the rest of Humanity can do. He hasn't spoken with the Skrulls just yet, but he knows that they'll be worried too. If just 16 people can fight thousands of aliens and come out on top, what happens if the rest join in?
Mutants, Mutates, Superheroes. There aren't just 16 of them, no. Hundreds, thousands, maybe millions. And now, the Universe has seen what Earth can do.
Will it have consequences? Yes, most definitely. But good or bad, only time will tell.
"Was that the point of all this? Of the Avengers Initiative? A statement?" The councilman asks, frowning.
Fury smiles, and says, "A promise. Earth is not to be messed with, because we have people capable of defending it from anything that comes for them."
Even Skrulls, if they ever change their mind about their friendship.
As for Aves.. he's a powerful mutant, with a lot more still hidden than even the battle had brought out of him. And worst of all, he knows they know he's a Powerful person. If it was just his mutation, then a simple Mutation Inhibitor Collar, or any similar device, would have been a perfect counter for him. But this Magic, the Magic that Peggy Carter apparently knew about, was not something they had ways to combat. Not yet.
For now, he'll be allowed to roam free, allowed to keep the Scepter safe. But as soon as they have something to combat his Magic, or as soon as Danvers decides to make a visit to Earth, the Scepter will be in their possession. By force, if necessary.
But as long as he doesn't have a way to combat Aves, he will not be declared an enemy of the state. No matter what Pierce or the WSC might want. No need to make an enemy out of the United Kingdom.
Fury doesn't wait for the Council to say anything, and shuts the meeting off. The battle may have been over, but his job was not. Earth still needed to be looked after, while the Avengers were having their well deserved holiday.
—
Appearing in my Castle on Sanctuary with a pop, I sigh, a bit happy at finally coming back home. I'd been on Earth for the last week since the battle was over, helping out what little I can.
I'd made sure that no more people died of injuries than what had already lost their lives during the battle, made sure that the buildings didn't collapse while the rescue missions were taking place.
Not out of any goodness of my heart, of course. I was waiting for Selene to show up, hoping that my presence during the battle and my appearances in openly using magic to help the people prompts her to approach me from wherever she's hiding. But alas, nothing happened.
So I finally gave up today, and came back home.
My talk with Steve was not something I saw coming, nor his anger at me apparently putting myself down. It helped, most of all in making my heart lighter, and I am glad for him. I am glad I interfered where it wasn't needed.
It wasn't as if my and the X-Men's presence decreased the Death toll by too much or anything. Our presence caused Loki to increase the frequency of the Alien intake through the portal, so the numbers were still somewhat close to what would have happened had we not been there.
But still, this will help Earth in the long run. Maybe when the Titan shows up, maybe when the Infinity Stones are gathered, maybe when Apocalypse wakes up for the last time.
A soft pop in my mind announces the appearance of someone outside the door to my castle, and within a single minute, that someone enters the kitchen, where I was busy cooking some soup for myself.
The one benefit, or even a drawback, of having Sanctuary as the connecting point between Earth and Avalon, was that Sanctuary was present on both the planets at all times. This means that anyone from Earth, as well as Avalon, can come here just as easily as they'd go somewhere on their own planet.
Power to do so notwithstanding, but this person has no shortage of Power in his hands. He was one of the strongest Wizards on the planet of Avalon currently. Not the strongest, and not the most skilled, but he was up there, amongst the top 100 in terms of sheer power. His skill could use some work, however.
"How did you even know I was back?" I ask, without even turning around.
The person behind me chuckles, as he sits down on the dining table, and says, "I didn't know for sure. I've been visiting every day, hoping you'll be here."
I sigh, wondering why I didn't sense him those times, and pouring out two bowls of soup, I join the man at the table. I immediately remember why I didn't sense him, and groan to myself.
How the fuck could I forget that?
He graciously accepts the soup, and after taking a sip, he says, "You should come visit, you know. Dad's missing you, and I know that Aunt Luca, and her mothers do too. You haven't been to our home in 7 years!"
"I will visit soon. Don't worry Harry. I just.. I have a lot on my plate right now." I answer with a shrug, not minding their worry at all.
Harry James Potter, the 27 year old son of James and Lily Potter, scoffs, and says, "Like I'm letting you stay here any longer. You're coming with me today, and staying with us for at least a week. We're having a small get together in two days, in celebration for your successful fight against the aliens, and your presence is mandatory. You can come back here and wallow by yourself after that, but this week, you'll be with us."
I chuckle, wondering what's with scrawny little shits bossing me around and being so brutal with me. First Steve, now Harry.
Looking at him I ask, "When did you grow up so much? It wasn't that long ago when you were wetting the bed and begging your mum to stay with you."
Harry rolls his eyes, and says, "I grew up while you were travelling the world looking for.. Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
I smile softly, not minding it too much. Looking out the window, I say, "You never met her, Harry. Once you do, once you get to know her, then you'll probably see why I miss her so much."
When she returns, that is.
Harry sighs, and says, "I understand what you feel, Uncle Mason, I do. I might not have known her personally, but I've seen memories of her, heard tales of her. But tell me, if she's as skilled as everyone always says she is, then will she allow anyone to harm her?"
"No one can harm her. No one has the strength to do so, not even I." I say, turning towards Harry once again.
Harry nods, and says, "Exactly! So stop worrying for her, trust in her, and trust that she'll be back safe and sound. And then all of us young ones can get to know her too. So.. come home. Come with me, reassure us all that you're okay, and tell us all that happened in New York. The News didn't tell us too much, you know."
Shaking my head with a smile, I finish the soup and say, "Fine. I'll come with you. It's been a while since I've met the rest of the kids anyway. What are they up to anyway?"
"Well, Altair is off travelling on Earth, training to be one of the Mediators. Celeste is studying Alchemy under Aunt Dorea." Harry begins, finishing his own soup.
Huh, I didn't know one of the kids was on Earth.
Altair and Celeste Black, the children of Sirius Black and his wife, Luca Greengrass. The match was a surprise to not just the parents of the couple, but everyone around them too. Apparently, during their Hogwarts years, the two hated one another. Hogwarts ended, and two years later they somehow got together, and married a few years after that, followed soon after by the birth of Altair Black. I didn't however know he was interested in becoming a Mediator.
Celeste was the younger child, six years younger than Harry himself, while Altair was Harry's age.
Mediators. The term is given to the Wizards and Witches that are given leave to travel freely between Earth and Avalon through the Gates set up by the Wizarding Governments around the world. Their main duty was to track down any newborn muggleborns and keep an eye on them, to make sure nothing bad happens to them until they can be introduced to the Wizarding World, and even after that.
Once the muggleborns are accepted into one of the hundreds of Schools of Magic, the Mediators make sure no one catches on to the fact that every year, at least a hundred children leave the planet. They make sure there's a paper trail left behind for every child, so that no one comes looking for them.
Children are allowed to go back, of course. Wizards might be a bit on the dumber side, but even we're not that cruel. Some decide to leave the Wizarding World entirely behind, and go for education and jobs back on Earth, while some join the Wizarding World of Avalon happily.
Unfortunately, the parents and the child have to be bound by Magically bound NDA's, to ensure the existence of this World remains a secret.
Other than that, the Mediators make sure Magic remains hidden from the rest of the world by keeping the cameras around the Muggleborn homes confounded, and erasing any traces of Magic left behind, even the electronic ones.
Most of the Mediators were Halfbloods and Muggleborns, but some, like Altair, were purebloods too.
"Uncle Alain's still in France with Aunt Cassiopeia." The magical France, not the muggle one. Most of the nations had kept the names of their Earthen counterparts once the borders had been decided on. It was just too troublesome to change it. "I don't even know what they're up to nowadays."
Alain Flamel, the adopted child of Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel. The actual blood born son of Tom Riddle Jr, and my sister Candra. No one knows it of course, except for Nicholas and Perennell themselves. Not even Alain knows it, but everyone does know that he's adopted.
He was raised like a cousin with James Potter and Luca Greengrass, and surprisingly, he had found love in the only daughter of Dorea Black.
Cassiopeia Black was born in 1963, to the single mother. No one knew who the father was, and Dorea never said. The only thing she said was it was a one night stand, and the father did not want to be in the picture. He could be a wizard, or he could be a muggle, no one knew or cared. The only thing we cared about was Dorea had a bundle of happiness in the form of a daughter.
Alain and Cassiopeia had no children yet, but they were happy, that much I know. They were both in their fifties now, just like James, Lily, Sirius, and the rest.
"Dad's still busy with his job." Harry continues. "Mum's working on writing another Potion's primer or something. And Rosie.. she'll be done with her Transfiguration Mastery any time now. McGonaggal's already having her teach all the classes now, while she focuses on being the Deputy."
I smile, as I look out the window, listening to Harry's words. James Potter, the son of Aunt Mia, he had joined the Auror force soon after graduation. And now, he was the Head Auror, a position just under the Head of the DMLE.
Rose Potter, Harry's younger sister by three years. She's been studying for her Transfiguration Mastery under Minerva for the last five years. Good to know that she's close to being done.
Minerva McGonagall's still the Deputy, surprisingly enough. Dumbledore's just far too stubborn to die, or retire anytime soon. He is getting old though. He's almost 150 now, just a few years short I'd guess.
"Aunt Darla is still dad's boss, Head of the DMLE, and Aunt Ana's still working at her shop. Aunt Dorea.. I don't even know exactly what she's doing. It's been a few months since I last saw her. I only know that she's working on something big because I met Celeste and Cassiopeia recently."
As Harry stops speaking, I notice something however.
"You left yourself out of there, I noticed." I point out, not missing the way he winces.
Harry's still single, I know. There were three serious girlfriends in his past, but as far as I remember none of the relationships worked very well. Not Susan Bones, not Padma Patil, and not Ginny Weasley. And that's not counting the short flings he's had without his parents knowing.
He rubs the back of his head, and says, "Can you blame me? I'm not even doing anything at the moment. Everyone's doing something or the other and I'm just.. living. Nothing seems to suit my mind, you know?"
I shake my head with a smile, and say, "You're young, Harry. You don't have to rush into things if you don't want to. You'll find something that suits you, don't worry. What have you already ticked off the list? What have you already tried?"
Harry lifts his hand up, rolling his eyes, and counts on his fingers as he says, "Auror training, Hit-Wizard, Mediator, Healer, Teacher, Unspeakable, and even Quidditch player. I enjoy Teaching, both Defense and Charms, and I enjoyed playing Quidditch, but.. I don't feel as if that's something I'll enjoy doing for the rest of my life. And I'm 27, not exactly young."
I sigh, as his words remind me of the man I once was, even before I was Mason Aves. I say, "You could do nothing. I'd say your family is rich enough to afford you doing nothing."
Harry scoffs and says, "Granny will roll in her grave if I do nothing."
Mia.. she had died 7 years ago, which now I think about it, was the last time I'd been there. She lived a long life, a happy one I'd say, living till she was 114, but alas, she couldn't live more. Not alone, not while Monty wasn't with her.
Walking towards him, I put my hand on his shoulder, and say, "Take this from someone who knew Mia better than even your dad, kid. As long as you're happy with your life, she wouldn't care if you slept around and kept spending your dad's money all day." And I wasn't lying. Mia was strict, but she loved Harry and Rose a lot. She doted on them even more than she doted on James.
Harry shakes his head, although I do see a smile, and says, "Maybe I'll join you on Earth, be a Superhero."
Snorting, I swat a hand at the back of his head, which funnily enough just passes through his head, and say, "Earth has enough Superheroes as it is. And in them, one Wizard is more than enough."
Good to know he's putting Tatiana's cloak to good use though, detecting attacks coming and letting them phase through his body. And let's not forget sneaking into my house while I'm not there.
But.. this does give me one idea.
"You know what, I know what you can do while you decide what to do with your life. Go to Kamar Taj. The monks will help you figure your life out." I say, thinking for barely a second.
"Kamar Taj?" Harry asks, a bit surprised. "Would they even allow me? I thought residents of Avalon weren't allowed to study Sorcery."
I wave my hand, and say, "That's just to prevent the Demons and Gods from targeting Avalon and attacking us." Not that they'd succeed. The Wards around the planet that the Phoenix put up are more than capable enough of stopping even a full fledged demon attack from occurring on our planet. "And you'd be surprised just how many Wizards practice and use Sorcery, since it isn't actually illegal. It's just.. advised against."
Harry thinks on it for a moment, and nodding to himself, he says, "Fine, I'll give that a try if you say so. But you'll have to come home first."
Smiling, I shake my head and say, "I'll come with you now itself you brat, after you're done with your soup."
I do miss my family. My friends. Let's hope they aren't too angry at me.
—
Triskelion, Washington DC:
Alexander Pierce stares out the window, as the door opens letting one of his agents in. The agent stays silent, which Pierce could certainly appreciate.
Without turning around, he says, "Mutants are being raised up on a pedestal. Our allies cannot do anything without condemning their careers. And Mason Aves has somehow returned from the dead, already proving to be a thorn by our sides. Tell me, Agent Sitwell, that you have some good news for me."
The Agent in question nods, although Pierce doesn't see it, and says, "I visited Camp Lehigh as you asked, Mr Secretary. The Zola program.. he said that Mason Aves was not experimented upon by him, no matter what Aves keeps on saying."
"Oh?" Pierce asks, finally turning around.
Sitwell nods, and says, "Zola says that the only thing they did to Aves was keep him sedated and take a bit of his blood. There wasn't even anything that could have awakened the mutation he was said to exhibit right after his escape. The Healing. Zola said that he didn't even have the healing when he escaped their capture. It was only after he came back to destroy the base that he showed the Healing mutation."
Pierce hums, and muses, "Why did Zola not mention this before, I wonder."
"He says.. that he had forgotten it. That his body had forgotten it, but once his mind was transferred to the servers, the memories returned. He was speaking about Wizards and Witches and something called Grindelwald? Agent Rumlow is still at Camp Lehigh making a compilation of the information Zola is giving us." Sitwell takes a pause, and says, "I don't think Zola was lying to us, sir. But it seems as if his servers are getting old. He could be delirious."
Pierce nods, and says, "That's possible. But let's assume that what Zola told us is the truth. This means that Mason Aves is hiding the origins of his Healing mutation. Maybe it is his Magic keeping him alive, but we have little to no knowledge about said Magic to say for sure."
'And since the Wizards are all dead, or hiding so deep that we can't find them, I can't even check if it's the Magic that gives him Healing.'
Shaking his head, Pierce says, "Return to your post, Agent Sitwell. Mason Aves has shown himself to be our enemy, and he will be dealt with when the time comes. But until then, we need to make sure we don't show our hand."
Whatever the origins of his mutations are, what matters is that they don't have a way to capture or contain him. The rest, they can decide when Rumlow returns from Camp Lehigh.
Sitwell straightens up with a salute, and softly whispers, "Hail Hydra!"
Pierce nods at him, and just as softly returns, "Hail Hydra."
—
A few days ago, on Earth:
In the United States of America, there was a small town called Tulsa, which had a hospital called St Francis. A woman walks through the hospital with purpose, wearing dark blue scrubs, her head buried in a file in her hands.
She leafs through it, reading up on the information regarding the operation she was supposed to carry out in just a minute. She had already studied the case extensively, but it doesn't hurt to read it once again. Especially right before the surgery.
As she passes by the receptionist, the sound of News makes her stop and stare at the TV. The NEWS channels were speaking about the Battle of New York, which had happened just a day ago. And just like the rest of the people there, she was also curious about what had happened yesterday morning.
It's not as if the surgery was an emergency. The Patient had an UTI. It's bad, but not something that can't wait a few minutes.
The News channel was showing images of the battle that had just been made public. The woman stares at the TV, watches the Superheroes fight the aliens. The camera pans from one face to another, showing the mutants of X-Men saving people, Iron Man shooting down aliens, Captain America saving cops, and a lot more.
The Doctor is about to continue on her way to the OR, when the TV shows something that makes her stop. A Sword wielding man flying through the air, killing the aliens without a single expression on his face.
Something tingles at the back of her mind, which then travels through her entire body. Something happens, something that she doesn't understand, not at first. The woman tears up when she sees the sight of the man fighting the aliens, not knowing why. She listens to the News anchor talking about the man, questioning his existence, questioning his past, not understanding why she felt angry at the anchor.
And then, bright red flames cover the woman's body, startling everyone there. The visitors, patients in waiting, receptionists, and even the nurses are momentarily blinded. When sight returns to their eyes, the doctor is nowhere to be seen.
The people get back to their work, get back to their lives, and no one in the entire town remembers the woman previously known as Doctor Seline Kyle, Urologist.
—
A/N: And done. I'm wondering if I should bring Selene back immediately, or I should wait a while, let his suffering actually show.
I'm not a sadist, so I probably will bring her back immediately within a few chapters at most.
Anyway, Mason's friends have gotten old, Mia is gone, the Flamels are still alive, being immortal, Dumbledore is still alive too.
One thing of note, that I didn't mention in any chapter, is that the absence of Voldemort is why Harry is so young. Harry wasn't born in 1980 here, but 1985, which makes him 27 as of the Avengers movie. Similarly, I've aged down the others of his age too. Don't sweat on it too much, it's just because Voldemort wasn't an issue and people weren't desperate for children or something.
Did I forget anyone or anything? If so, please inform me.
Thank you for your support! Tata!
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