Chapter 134 – Little Resistance
134
New York City, Central Park
S.H.I.E.L.D. Bunker
9:32 p.m.
The War Machine they didn’t know led them into the scorched remains of Central Park. Trees were either toppled over, burnt to a crisp, or bent at an awkward angle, almost as if a nuclear bomb had gone off in the heart of the once flourishing park. The fire in the skies sent a haunting orange and red haze over the wasteland, the shadows and the blackness covering the rest. In the heart of it all, just beneath a stone bridge that had miraculously survived the destruction, James Rhodes led them to its wall. He pressed his naked palm to it once the metal retracted away from his hand, the stone caving inwards and the wall opening for them.
Matthew Murdock and Daisy Johnson were led to a descending set of stairs, nothing but a few lanterns nailed to the concrete walls giving the only source of light as the bunker only further dug deeper and deeper into the earth. Once the air was breathable, Matt’s mask retracted back and he gazed about to every wall and stairstep downwards. He saw nothing but those flaming walls, but heard so much more. So many more people breathing, living, and talking just a few more meters down.
It was all whispers, but Murdock heard every word.
“… Where is he?”
“Has to be close. The secret entrance just opened.”
“Can’t survive out there for long. Metal freaks are everywhere…”
Rhodes stopped them just by the massive bunker door, a circular steel goliath of an entrance. With his metal fist, James knocked twice on the door’s exterior, two resounding clangs echoing off the walls and traveling for several seconds in the distance. The voices quieted down inside, Matthew only hearing the increasing heartbeats and bated breaths. Then the camera mounted on the ceiling before them narrowed its glowing red robotic eye, the massive bunker door unlocking and rolling to their left.
And standing on the other side with its gauntlets armed and jutted their way, the Punisher Armor was their greeter.
The skull and mask retracted back, the arms falling to its sides when Frank Castle met their conjoined stares. Their Frank Castle. Matt and Daisy both shared a sigh of relief from that. Stepping aside, Castle let the trio into the bunker, Rhodes leading them as Daisy and Murdock finally got to observe their surroundings, Johnson more so than Matt who only took in every other detail that could not be seen.
Other humans were scattered alongside the likes of Frank and James, the ill and the wounded, the weak and the strong, the curious and the fearful. Every last one of them rising or sitting where they were, seeing the two brand new souls enter their secret bunker. Daisy only watched as she was led by both Rhodes and Castle, an old woman speaking a fearful, undecipherable language—possibly Spanish—and reached for her. She held Daisy’s hand, then touched her cheek, a breath of relief leaving her when she felt the warm, human skin gracing her. Daisy could offer nothing more than sympathy, if not a bit of confusion to her antics. Yet she pushed it aside for further thought later, returning next to Matt’s side and pushing further into the bunker.
While Daisy could only gaze to the heartbreaking images surrounding her, Murdock’s heart shattered when he heard and sensed so much worse. Moans of agony from the medical bay several flights below them, the chorus of cries from the children without their mothers, without their fathers, with only a guardian or a caretaker to watch over them from then on. The lone woman sitting by the wall to his right, cradling her crying infant while she gazed to the four of them like they were deities brought down from heaven. Angels brought down to save them in their desperate hour of need.
Matt grimaced at that. He was the farthest thing from an angel, yet they saw them as such. Three men and one woman standing tall, able to walk, carrying with them that fighting spirit that had nearly been snuffed out many, many years ago. Curious to their current situation and surroundings, Matt asked Frank where they were or where Scott was.
Frank merely told him, “Save it for the director.”
Somehow, he did. Someway, somehow, Matt was able to keep his questions limited as James and Frank led Daisy and him into another room entirely. Though not as expansive as the main bunker, the room they entered was somewhat designed to be that of a War Room. The closest thing to that, poorly-designed and torn maps of New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and many others strewn on the concrete walls. Behind the main table in the heart of the room, the unforgettable S.H.I.E.L.D. logo was plastered on the wall and overlooked the entire room. Beneath that logo, that familiar face they once thought was forever gone rose up to meet them, that lone eye staring intensely to both Daisy Johnson and Matthew Murdock.
Daisy gasped. Matt heard that familiar heartbeat reach his ears once again. After five years. And Director Nick Fury rose up to full height, second in command Maria Hill rising alongside him.
The rest of the table was surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and personnel, every eye in the room turning accordingly to the entrance. They watched as the men in the bulking suits of armor stepped aside, fully revealing the Daredevil and Quake to the rest of the room. But everyone held their breaths when Fury cleared his throat, the lone eye staring with a burning intensity to the two newcomers.
And he said, “So… you’re the ones Mr. Castle told us to find?”
The question wasn’t stated as a question at all. It was more of a demonizing statement, the growing distrust laced around the wording clearly evident. Daisy’s jaw tightened once she caught the obvious signs not only from Fury, but every eye in the room. As if seeing Nick alive and well hadn’t already shaken her to the core, the rising tension in the room surely did.
Thankfully, Matt was there to ease it. He took a step forward, never blinked as he said, “We apologize for the intrusion, Director Fury.”
“Oh, don’t be sorry,” Fury instantly replied, practically cutting off Murdock. Maria crossed her arms over her chest, that same bemused frown joining Nick’s. “It’s just the first time in months Ultron’s goons discovered a human presence in the city, and they’ll probably up security and scour the streets for several more weeks, which stops us from sending scouting parties for food, water, and supplies. But, you know, you’re sorry.”
Matt pursed his lips at that, taking the message like a slap to the face. To his right, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. took a stand for them both. “Look, we didn’t ask to be here,” Daisy harshly responded, hand jutted towards the table, to the floor. To their current location.
“Then why are you here?” Maria asked.
“You first,” Matt retorted, earning a surprised brow arising from Maria’s face. With that glossy gaze, Matt turned to the entire room. To Fury specifically. “What happened to New York?”
Though not particularly amused with Murdock’s attitude—or even Daisy’s for that matter—he could tell they definitely weren’t from around. How anyone, any human specifically, didn’t know how New York or the world came to be was unheard of. Castle gave Fury and Hill the rundown earlier, but he wanted to hear it again. He needed to know if they were telling the truth. But before he could even do that… he needed to give them what they wanted, something he wouldn’t even tell Frank until the time was right. Until his full team was present.
Sighing to that, Fury stepped away and observed the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo behind him. Gazed to it as he began in a forgotten, almost haunted tone. “Six years ago… a late Tony Stark and Bruce Banner created an artificial intelligence that went by the name of ‘Ultron’. Little did they know… that by playing with forces, with magic, with science they never fully understood… they unleashed a wrath so profound it washed over the entire planet.”
Matt, Daisy, and Frank took a second to absorb that information. The best that they could. It was difficult. Fury, after a moment to collect himself, continued. “Ultron, after he killed the Avengers and wiped out all of Equus’ population, returned home to Earth, pulled off his insane, world-ending master plan. Ripped a piece of the earth from the ground… and just dropped it. Wiped out nearly all of the human population.”
“Oh, my God…” Daisy whispered, breathed, tried not to show that quiver in her spine.
“We tried to fight back,” Maria took over, arms still crossed. She looked to the rest of the room, to the weary, wounded, and utterly weakened S.H.I.E.L.D. agents filling the War Room. “What was left of S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to stop Ultron before it was too late. We weren’t strong enough. Didn’t have the numbers like him. Now… the best we can do is try and save pockets of humanity and bring them here.”
“Looks like Ultron isn’t finished,” Matt said, recent memory of the golden army attacking him and Daisy flushing back in.
“He keeps trying to pick us off,” Fury said with a nod, turning back to the table and his three guests. “Every last human, until all the world is simply him. Over these past six years, that’s all he’s done. He advances himself, grows stronger every day, and ultimately took over what was left of the world… killing everything that isn’t him.”
Frank crushed his metal palms into fists at that, Matt shakily breathing through his heated glare to the table. Neither one of them knew much about Ultron—as they weren’t present in the Avengers’ affairs during the Ultron Offensive—but they still felt that burn. The mere images of the men and women suffering around them made them apart of that tragedy all the same. The same fight, that same war… it was theirs now. Even Daisy couldn’t hide that fact.
Nick continued, gazing to the table and the map of the world. Most of the world was blacked out, Ultron’s horrific face stamped over every continent in blood red. “Eventually… the eyes in the sky couldn’t sit back and watch this forever. Asgard came down and waged war against Ultron’s empire. Didn’t help much. Pretty much devastated the rest of the planet. That final war was four years ago… and we’ve been here surviving in the shadows since then. The last of S.H.I.E.L.D. and quite possibly the last of humanity.”
It was a respite of nothing but breathing. Just three Avengers breathing in that information the best they could before they were forced back into reality. Even if it wasn’t their reality, it was the world they were trapped in for the time being. They needed to face it.
“Our turn,” Maria declared, gaining their attention. “How did you get here and why?”
There was a short moment of silence on their end, Daisy turning to Frank and Castle doing the same to her. They both eventually fell down to Murdock, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen straightening his lips once he felt their hearts turn in his direction, both Avengers holding their breaths for him. He caved in, finally saying, “It’s a long… long story. Like, really long. Short story is that we came from the future. At least, a couple years in the future. In that timeline, Ultron didn’t win. The Avengers beat him.”
Bringing up time travel definitely turned a few heads, broke Maria’s immersion and brought that growing skepticism upon her features. Several agents shared her stance, all eventually turning towards the director to see what his response would be to that. Surprisingly enough, he slowly nodded his head. Fury mumbled, “Already sounds nice. Definitely not the most insane thing I’ve ever heard.”
A milestone successfully reached. Murdock breathed a sigh of relief at that. Time to take that next step, and he was thankfully wasn’t alone that time.
“You’re gonna have to bear with us,” Daisy interjected, stepping forward with Matthew. “In our timeline, there’s this guy called Thanos who wiped out half of the universe’s population with the Infinity Stones. The Avengers… whatever was left of us… we all went back in time to get the Infinity Stones and bring every life back. Unfortunately, we’ve been diverged to this timeline to find our friends and the scepter.”
“The scepter?” Fury asked, tilting his head. “Like the one Loki had?”
Frank nodded. “That scepter has the Mind Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones. And Scott Lang is supposed to have his hands on the scepter.”
Neither Matt, Daisy, or Frank could speak after that. It was pretty much their entire ordeal laid out for anyone to take as an absolute truth or a falsehood. Seeing the looks on the agents’ expressions, their plight seemed to fall in the latter category.
“Well, that’s…” Maria mumbled, breathing out and shaking her head. “That’s something.”
Fury felt the same way, staring to the table longingly and shaking his head all the same. “Time travel. As if things couldn’t get any more batshit crazy.”
“I swear we’re telling the truth,” Daisy shakily stated, practically begged.
Nick Fury did not have much information to distrust them. Rhodes contacted him earlier, stating that Murdock and Johnson were both fighting several hordes of Ultron Sentinels when he found them. Even before that, Castle was found fending off at least two dozen Sentinels with his War Machine suit. Fairly impressive given the body count he acquired. Whoever they were—even if they were time travelers—they were not allies of Ultron. They were human. That much he could trust.
So, he did. To an extent, almost humoring them when he said, “I don’t know who ‘Scott Lang’ is, but if he has the scepter—and if what you’re telling me is true—and the Mind Stone with it… then Ultron already has him. Or, he’s dead.”
Daisy and Matt exchanged a glance, Johnson eventually turning back to Fury with those widened, fearful eyes. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“Ultron and his Sentinels can sense and track any form of energy,” Maria replied with her arms still crossed, still on guard to their presence. “Thankfully, our base is far enough below ground to stay out of his sensors. But as for your friend… I’m afraid Ultron already has the scepter. If you’re lucky, then he has Scott, too. If you’re even luckier… then he’s alive.”
Matt shook his head at that worrisome detail, hands on his hips. “Well… where would he take them?” he asked, lifting his glazed eyes and staring nowhere. To anyone willing to answer.
Fury simply pointed up. “You saw the giant fortress above the city? Yeah, they would be there. Capital of the Ultron Empire.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Daisy asked, hands shot out. No one even made a move, or responded to her actions, just watched with wearied focus as she pointed to the concrete ceiling. “W-we have to get up there. We gotta save Scott and get the scepter back! If Ultron gets his hands on the Mind Stone—!”
“He’ll become unstoppable,” Fury interrupted, already beating Daisy to the punch.
“He already is,” Rhodes piped up from the wall he leaned against.
After hearing that disheartening reality punch them square in the chest, Daisy dropped her arms and took a step back. It was as if the air had been simply knocked out of her, leaving her breathless and bug-eyed. Still, despite that painful conclusion, she was surprised to still see Fury sigh with what appeared to be withered acceptance. He bent down beneath the table.
“Rhodes, catch!” Fury called as he rose up, tossing him a small wrist device, much smaller than the ones Daisy, Frank, and Matt wore. As James caught and analyzed it, Fury stated, “Last cloaking device we have. Scout out the Fortress and see if their friend’s even there. Try and find the scepter if you can, as well.”
As War Machine nodded to that, the shared shock between the three Avengers could be felt radiating in the room. “Wait…” Daisy interrupted, staring to the head of the table. “You’re helping us?”
“Just because our timeline is screwed doesn’t mean yours has to be,” Fury replied, fists pressed to the map of the world. “We’ve been sitting in this bunker for years now just slowly dying. If your friend is there… then we help him. We get the Infinity Stone before Ultron realizes there’s one inside the scepter. But you three clowns are spearheading the assault when the time comes. Deal?”
That same withered acceptance was shared equally amongst the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, some of them growing more confident by Fury’s words. Even Hill managed to nod in the end, turning her hardened, strengthened eyes to the three Avengers. The entire War Room awaited their response.
Matt nodded once. “Deal.”
Frank and Daisy nodded, too.
“Good,” Fury said with a forced smile. That smile instantly died, Fury waving them away. “Now get the hell out of here and let us plan in peace.”
They didn’t have to be told twice. Even as Rhodes led them out of the War Room, the three of them could still hear the lingering conversation left from their presence. Matt, especially, caught every word said about them.
Fury groaned. “Time travel… Jesus.”
“If that’s not the most insane thing you’ve ever heard, then what is, Nick?” Maria asked.
They didn’t catch the end of that conversation, and Matt forced himself to turn away. James Rhodes left them to rest for the time being while he exited the bunker and began his scouting mission. He left them to wait and wonder, breathe in the world around them and try make sense of it all. It wasn’t easy. Nothing ever was. Murdock sighed and sat down on the concrete floor. Daisy sat next to him. Frank settled himself against the wall on Murdock’s empty right, standing tall in his suit of armor and leaning against the concrete.
“This is definitely out of my level of expertise,” Daisy sighed. She noticed as the room seemed to clear, surviving men and woman casting them a waning glance before they returned to their lives.
Frank especially saw that, shaking his head. “This shit is messed up.”
Matt experienced far worse than any of them. He turned back to the conversation in the War Room, heard every word shared between the remaining heads of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the human race. They still hardly trusted them, and Matt could not blame them. He just prayed they would trust them enough.
And then they would lead S.H.I.E.L.D. in an all-out assault against the Ultron Empire.
Daredevil sighed, the back of his head pressed against the cold, concrete wall. He said, “Steve and the others probably have it so easy right now.”
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but what about sunset shimmer, are they going to find her?
A noble Kree warrior hero? Wonder where this timeline version of Marvel is and for that matter where is our Danvers?
Almost think both of them could just plow right through that flying fortress.
Guess we'll see next time!
John Connor and Kyle Reese then appears! Heh-heh! Great chapter!
Of course Fury is still alive in this timeline. He's just too damn stubborn to die.
This pretty much confirms this timeline takes place after "A Beautiful New Age" but on a diverted route where Ultron killed the Avengers and succeeded his goal on wiping out all the population of Equs and almost all of Earth afterward. So we know when this timeline takes place. The question I would like to know is how and what exactly happened that allowed Ultron to win when he should've been beaten and destroyed in the original timeline.
9867522
I think you forgot to close your quotes . Has for the transponder , well , it either got destroyed before Fury could use it , or Ultron captured it or he did use it and it didn't work or she got killed (which is possible) . Or , last posibility , she'll come later in the story.
Damn , that "killed all of Equus" hurts quite a lot ... And since he DID went to Equus , it means that he found Typhoon (don't ask me his real name , I forgot it) and is probably super buffed right now , which alos means that it's gonna be EVEN HARDER to beat him !
Gosh that timeline is fucked up , I pity them...
And I hope that this bloody robot gets to die a second time . Well , first time technically but you get me .
For making me somewhat emotional , you get Kudos , good job !
Cool analysis of the movie
Always like these videos
9867577
Thank you
No sign of Sunset or Carol. Hopefully they’ll find each other before Ultron does.
Speaking of Carol, I’m wondering how Fury would react seeing Captain Marvel again after all these years?
Come to think of it, how come this timeline’s Fury didn’t use his pager to contact this timeline’s Danvers? I know she said “for emergencies only”, but I’m pretty sure that a robot apocalypse qualifies.
9867613
That’s a good question.
Oh boy, now things are really getting both out of hand and intense!I only hope this time line is fixed or ‘avenged’!!
Really Nick?
It's probably good that Tony isn't here to see this.
I wonder what happened to Wakanda. That place was probably had the best chance at defending themselves. So I’m sure there’s some people still alive there.
So now we know this takes place after the first story. Doubt every being in equestria was killed. There had to been a few who teleported away or something.
Thanks again for the entertainment, my friend!
Godspeed, Avengers! A rescate!
Random joke. Super-random one
derpicdn.net/img/view/2019/8/6/2110456.png
That's about being stuck in this miserable human world with no magic or h-
Wait-wait, hold the lever with that one... Sorry I got some small, Pym particle-sized dirt lodged between my ear, I'm gonna take off. I'm sorry my dear but can you like, repeat that sentence you just blew out?
Grrrgh. Like I said, that's what about being stuck in this miserable human world-
derpicdn.net/img/view/2019/7/31/2106015.png
Right, right stop, right there. On that subject of what you could call "miserable human worlds". Here's an interesting bit I'm gonna lash out at you that's gonna blow your scaly siren brain. On that subject, how is it possible that a world, which I got smoozed in by the way, like how is a world populated with green rage monsters, sorcerers draped in cloaks and drawing power from some dimensions, radioactive prepubescent web-slingers, sentient androids, genocidal robots, world-wide clandestine terroristic organizations, high-tech protection agencies, surreptitious civilizations made of Vibranium, six cosmic rocks of infinite energy, a super-mad Titan trying to claim them to wipe out life, a bunch of space-faring morons, Thunder Gods from mystical realms and magic hammers, super soldiers and above all, genius-playboy-billionaires in high-tech suits of armour, in any way, be considered "miserable human worlds with no magic", or if you love to have an extension, considering those things I scrolled on paper, as in "miserable human worlds with no fantastical or downright uncanny forces-slash-powers of any kind", yeah, the kind that trumps, everything that you say? Come on, girl, I'll be waiting for your answer.
(Gosh, talking like Tony feels good)
9867516 Pretty soon. ;)
9867522 Oh, we’ll find out soon enough where Marvel is...
9867548 Thank!
9867568 Matt may have already jinxed it...
9867581 His name is Set but yeah, Ultron is juiced in this timeline. More than just a vibranium cocktail.
9867613 We’ll find out the whole Captain Marvel situation in the next few chapters.
9867866 Guess we’ll find out!!!
9867960 Probably for the best.
9868009 I’d say Wakanda for quite some time. Maybe they’re still alive. Who knows?
9868614 Thank you for reading!
9868796 Thought that was Sunset talking for a second.
9869030
No sweat!
Theory: part of the reason they're in another time in the future is because they're also going to be gathering...something which will allow for the restoration of the elements of harmony as well.
9868796
Good one man!😂🤣
9869030
You think we can have an Ultron/Thanos hybrid fusion?
Or maybe this is an Ultron Sigma!
Like this
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/villains/images/9/99/Ultron_Sigma.png/revision/latest?cb=20181007053706
Didn't think there could be more great trailer tributes for this saga
So, the resistance is the surviving remnants of SHIELD. I see that Fury and Maria have kept their snarky attitude even here, but at least they are willing to lend a hand to save the timeline everyone else is from. Still though, getting confirmation that Ultron destroyed Equus in this timeline sucks.
Oh yeah, What If…? basically showed what he would be like with it, and that was before he got the rest of the Infinity Stones.