• Published 26th May 2018
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Infinity Era - JDPrime22



Avengers: Infinity War / Avengers: Endgame crossover. The culmination has arrived. The Mad Titan has waited so long for this moment. Long live the Infinity Era.

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Chapter 34 – Zephyr One

34

Earth

Zephyr One

In Flight

9:46 p.m.

Deathlok, Lance Hunter, and Bobbi Morse strode into the main bridge of the Zephyr One, seeing several smiles and familiar faces all around. They were led by Director Phil Coulson, who met them on the ground, bringing them into the Zephyr with handshakes and hugs to go around.

For retired and off-duty agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Lance and Bobbi and Michael found comfort among their friends, their fellow agents. Their family. Once again.

Fitz didn’t even let Lance take another step before he rammed him with a back-breaking hug. Hunter nearly lost his breath, chuckling and returning the hug just as well, smacking Fitz’s back. Amadeus Ravenclaw “Lance” Hunter joined S.H.I.E.L.D. during its rise from the ashes, following HYDRA’s secret infiltration of the organization and attack that prompted even Captain America to act. He was a British mercenary turned S.H.I.E.L.D. agent under the command of Phil Coulson during his time with the organization, unlike Bobbi Morse who remained loyal with Robert Gonzales and ordered to infiltrate Phil’s S.H.I.E.L.D. team in search for the Toolbox, a device given to Coulson by Fury in order to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. from the ground up. He and Bobbi didn’t really play well with one another. The fact she was his ex-wife also added to the tension.

That was a past behind them. Bobbi smiled to Lance, who smiled back and turned his gaze over to Simmons, offering her a hug as well. Bobbi strode past Fitz and Simmons occupying her husband and wrapped her arms tightly around Daisy Johnson, the two gripping each other in a warm hug with large smiles on their faces.

Barbara “Bobbi” Morse was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent through and through, staying loyal to the organization during HYDRA’s uprising four years prior. More importantly, she stayed loyal to Robert Gonzales’ S.H.I.E.L.D. team. She was forced to infiltrate Phil’s faction of S.H.I.E.L.D., and after a brief scuffle, the two factions learned to play nice, focusing their efforts together on HYDRA and the Inhumans. During a mission in Russia, she and Lance were both captured and forced to resign from S.H.I.E.L.D., lest the truth of the organization get out to the public. It was before S.H.I.E.L.D. openly returned to defend Earth, before the threat of Aida and the Darkhold, before S.H.I.E.L.D. fell apart once again and was deemed a terrorist group.

Once again.

Mack had an especially tearful reunion with Lance and Bobbi, gripping Morse and almost losing it in her arms. Bobbi managed to calm him down, the big man smiling to the woman who had been by his side since the rise of HYDRA within S.H.I.E.L.D. The two worked together ever since Gonzales ordered them to infiltrate Phil’s team. He was glad to see she was doing fairly well, she and her husband. Lance offered his hugs and greetings to the rest of the team, and joining the couple was the Cyber-Soldier himself, the Guy with the Parts, the Perfect Killing Machine, Michael “Mike” Peterson.

Deathlok.

Mike Peterson was just as normal as anyone else, until he was approached by a mysterious group and given extra-ordinary powers through the Centipede Serum. Through his heroic acts, and even sometimes dangerous, it didn’t take long for S.H.I.E.L.D. to turn a few eyes his way. He eventually joined S.H.I.E.L.D. under the command of Phil Coulson. It wasn’t long, however, before that mysterious group caught back up with him, that mysterious group being the Centipede Project secretly led by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and traitor John Garret. He was transformed into the cybernetic killing machine known as “Deathlok”, forced to work for Garret and his traitorous team against Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D.

Following the death of Garret, Peterson struck out on his own to undo the crimes he had committed as Deathlok, as the monster Garret and HYDRA had made him. The last time he had seen Phil or any of his old team wasn’t too long ago, having closed up the portal to the Fear Dimension within the Lighthouse. He went out to continue his solo missions, eventually being called back, once more, to Phil Coulson’s aid.

For something far bigger than he could have expected.

He offered his hugs and handshakes to his old S.H.I.E.L.D. team, glad to see so many of his old allies still alive after all the hell they had all been through. Peterson’s dark skin was covered by his black suit and armor, the right side of his face scarred and burnt from past tragedies. The left side was completely whole, like nothing ever happened to it. Cybernetic enhancements, including a metal skull, made sure of that.

Bobbi and Hunter stood side by side, chatting up a storm with Fitz, Simmons, Mack, Daisy, and Yo-Yo. Bobbi wore a tight, blue shirt and dark jeans, Lance joining her in the jeans department. He wore a black coat beneath his gray T-shirt, his short, brown hair resting flat against his scalp and his beard nicely trimmed and presentable. Morse’s long, golden hair hung over her shoulders and down her back in wavy curls. They all tried to get caught up with each other’s lives. The duo congratulated Fitz and Simmons on their wedding, rather hoping no one brought up their botched one. Lance asked Fitz how traveling to the future worked out for him. Fitz didn’t really go into the specifics, but he gestured to his friends, his new family being Jemma, and assured him and Bobbi that the mission was a success. Partly. They still didn’t know how the world was quaked and were still trying to prevent that.

“But enough about that,” Leopold said, waving his hand out in front of him, more so to Bobbi and Lance. He asked, “What about you two?”

“Oh, yes!” Jemma exclaimed excitedly, gripping onto Fitz’s arm. “Fitz told us all about how you tried to get remarried! So exciting!”

“Especially taking into account the ninjas?” Bobbi said, crossing her arms and looking to her husband-to-be. Lance shared her expression, slightly crestfallen, but still holding a pinch of humor. She exhaled a weak chuckle, shaking her head. “We’ll try one of these days. Hopefully soon.”

“Hopefully after a little break, huh, sweetheart?” Lance said, smiling to Morse. She offered a glare that could pierce metal at that nickname, but Hunter had already turned away and observed the rest of the Zephyr’s bridge. Faceless S.H.I.E.L.D. agents filled the bridge, tending to the maps, the navigation, and keeping the Zephyr hidden from the outside world and the invasion crippling Earth.

Lance raised a brow. He and Bobbi were greeted by Coulson, met up with Agent Peterson, reunited with Daisy, Mack, Elena, Fitz, Simmons, and… one more. They were missing one. Lance looked about, Morse eventually following his gaze and searching the bridge for the right person. Hunter eventually gave in, turning to Coulson and asking, “So… uh… where’s May at?”

Phil nodded his head to the nearest window. A Quinjet followed close by on the Zephyr’s side. Lance stared out the window of the Zephyr, spotting May in the Quinjet before returning to the conversation. He nodded to that, saying, “Glad to know she’s still got our back.”

Smiling knowingly at that, Coulson said, “I’m sure you three already know what’s happening out there.”

“Alien invasion,” Bobbi answered first, her arms still crossed. “Chitauri. Just like New York six years ago. That much we understand.”

“That,” Lance continued, prompting his finger to the ceiling of the Zephyr, “and the bloody alien world right over our heads.”

“Other than that,” Mike Peterson bumped in, all eyes turning to the cyborg stomping forward behind Bobbi and Lance. “We’re completely blind.”

Appreciating the fact that they were all somewhat on the same page, Coulson began to walk around the bridge, trailing around Daisy, Mack, and Yo-Yo. “Trust me, we’re all in the same boat,” he said, pausing by Fitz and Simmons. “Our first priority isn’t the alien planet, it’s dealing with this invasion, and that entails us getting the Avengers back together.”

Bobbi blinked, her lips separating but not a sound leaving her for nearly five seconds. Until she finally repeated, “The Avengers?”

“Didn’t they break up?” Lance asked. “You know, like the Beatles, or something?”

“After the Accords, yes,” Phil answered with an exasperated sigh, terrible memories arising of him witnessing the events of the scuffle between Captain America and Iron Man. Although not there in the flesh, not being able to do so, Phil still felt the gravity of the whole world fall on his shoulders once the Avengers were disbanded. Once Captain America went off the grid and Iron Man stepped away from the spotlight.

Once the alien ambassadors with them were never heard from again. Probably returned home to their own world, Phil thought.

The idea of magical, talking ponies fighting alongside the likes Captain America and Iron Man filled his mind with possibilities, but Phil focused, kept his attention on his team and the missions ahead. “But Nick Fury made his orders very specific. We need to track down the Avengers, reunite and convince them that there are greater matters at hand, and then take the fight to the Chitauri.”

He sighed at the end of that grand statement, that promise he was sworn to uphold. As the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Phil would see through that the Earth would be protected by any means, from threats foreign, domestic, and even extraterrestrial. A small alien force like Qovas and the Confederacy was nothing compared to the Chitauri and their fleet. They had little numbers, few soldiers, but all willing to follow Coulson through any hell or storm they faced. He looked to them, to Lance and Bobbi, to Mike and Daisy, to Mack and Yo-Yo, and finally to Fitz and Simmons.

“I know we’re not much, but S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded on the idea of being Earth’s last defense. Since our greatest defenders decided to take a vacation away from the fight and each other, it’s our job to take a stand… to be the shield that Earth needs. I know we can’t fight against this army alone, but we got our greatest assets, our closest friends… and our family together one last time… to save the world.”

Hunter’s upper lip curled at that. He slowly crossed his arms. “One last time, eh?”

Phil almost smiled, his brow furrowing. “Too ominous?”

Lance shrugged, slowly shaking his head and staring to Coulson’s feet. “Nah, it was pretty good.”

“I got chills,” Bobbie admitted, smirking to Coulson.

“I couldn’t even if I wanted to,” Deathlok muttered.

Chuckling at all of their responses, Phil turned back to Hunter, who began to rub his beard in thought. “So, you need all of your assets, huh?” he asked, watching Coulson nod. “You come to us… even though we’d all be breaking the law just associating ourselves with S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Phil shook his head. “The law’s not really on our side right now.”

“Neither’s the world,” Daisy groaned, hands resting on her hips.

“When is it ever?”

The heavy voice emerged from the shadows of the Zephyr’s bridge, all heads in the small group spinning accordingly to the corner of the bridge. Resting against it, handling the end of the chain wrapped around his shoulder and chest, the man’s face was obscure, hidden within the darkness. A foreboding chill and unsecure sense of dread struck Bobbi and Lance, the two narrowing their eyes on the man. “Uh, were you there before, mate?” Hunter asked.

“Depends,” the man grumbled, cracking his knuckles. He didn’t even finish the statement, leaving it dangling over the edge, threatening to tip.

Lance slowly nodded. “Right…”

Phil was the only one of the group who didn’t look anywhere near creeped out. He smiled like he always had, offering his hand towards the shadows. “Bobbi, Lance, Michael, I’d like you all to meet Robbie Reyes,” Coulson said. He stepped out of the shadows, coming under the light beneath Coulson and meeting the newcomers’ gazes. All of them.

Bobbi frowned. So did Mike. Lance gulped. Phil just kept on smiling, always hiding something behind it. “Better known as the Ghost Rider,” he finished.

The three stared at Reyes while he stood under the light. All four of them appeared like canines observing each other, searching for some fault, something that made them stand out. “So…” Bobbi began, observing Reyes from top to bottom, “Phil likes to talk about you… the Ghost Rider. What does that even mean?”

“Take a picture, chica, it’ll last longer,” Robbie told her, noticing her eyes trailing his body. She didn’t seem to hold a lick of interest other than on his title, the glare she sent his way evident of that. Robbie sent an even fiercer one her way, saying, “Trust me… you don’t wanna know about the Spirit.”

Lance’s rising unease shifted to aggravation with how Reyes spoke to his wife-to-be. He didn’t say a thing, just glared at him alongside Morse. Mike caught their glares, sighing and taking a step forward. “Why’d they bring you in?” Peterson asked.

“Apparently, I’m actually helpful to some people,” Reyes answered, ignoring Bobbi’s and Hunter’s shifting perspectives, from angry to curious. “Coulson needed someone to locate certain… enhanced individuals. I keep track of a few every now and again, just in case they try to use their powers for the wrong thing. Can’t have that. We’re currently tracking a disturbance in Scotland.”

“So, that’s where we’re headed?” Lance asked, seeing the nod from Reyes. Hunter actually breathed a chuckle at that, twisting his neck back to a friendlier, more familiar face. “Hey, Leo, you ready to head home, mate?”

Fitz replied by offering Lance a smile and his middle finger.

While they laughed amongst themselves, Robbie was elsewhere. He dropped his gaze and crossed his arms, Coulson turning his way. He watched as Reyes breathed heavily, raising his head and muttering, “Speaking of which…”

Almost instantaneously, the entire bridge of Zephyr One erupted into a commotion of flashing lights, blaring sirens on the maps, and S.H.I.E.L.D. reacting appropriately to each one. “Director Coulson, sir! Scanners and news reports show that the Chitauri are still invading the city of Edinburgh!” an agent exclaimed, sitting near several others around the large maps displayed in the center of the bridge.

Coulson and his group reacted instantly, returning to their stations and keeping the Zephyr as calm as possible, reading signatures from their destination, and readying themselves for the possible fight ahead. Daisy joined Phil and Reyes, trailed closely by Morse, Hunter, and Peterson. “Keep us up and out of their line of sight when we reach Scotland,” Coulson said. “We can’t risk the Zephyr much. Tell May to stay close.”

As the agents sitting near the consoles and maps proceeded to follow through with Coulson’s orders. Phil turned his attention back to Reyes, who had kept his eyes closed and arms crossed, almost like he was asleep. Like he was elsewhere at the moment. “What do you got?” he asked.

After several seconds of gazing somewhere they couldn’t see, eyes darting back and forth beneath his eyelids, and whispering words no one else could hear, Robbie shot open his eyes, staring at the map beneath him. “Hack Warehouse 13’s security cameras,” he said, turning to Phil. “Check the footage from earlier tonight.”

“Warehouse 13?” he asked for confirmation. Reyes replied with a nod, Coulson spinning his attention to the agent sitting on his right. “We got a Warehouse 13 in Edinburgh?”

The agent tapped away at the map, zeroing in on Edinburgh, Scotland and searching the database for all warehouses within the city. They had a match almost instantly, the area on the map flashing red. “Yes, sir,” the agent said, looking up at Coulson. “We’re hacking now.”

“Coulson, we got something,” Daisy said, leaned over the computer console directly behind the group. Curious, Phil and Peterson exchanged a look before coming up behind Johnson. Lance and Bobbi joined them, leaving Reyes alone with his own mind somewhere else, staring at the map blindly.

They crowded around the console, the poor agent beneath them trying his best to bring the footage up. They had successfully hacked the security cameras with the Zephyr’s far superior infrastructure, and it displayed to them in the single computer Phil and his team surrounded. It was dark for a moment, the footage showing the time to be at ten at night with not a single disturbance. Chaos erupted shortly, Phil and Daisy leaning in closer. Everyone else followed.

What was shown was what appeared to be a fight between two slimmer figures in abnormal armor against a lone female. They carried with them spears of some kind, alien in design, unlike anything anyone would carry out in Scotland. The woman appeared to be holding off their attacks with a red haze bursting from her fingertips. It was all for naught, the two figures overwhelming and straddling her. The footage zeroed in on them.

There was no volume to indicate what their conversation was, but Phil didn’t care. He saw the blur of the metallic wings fly across the screen, impacting one of the figures and flinging it into the nearest glass window. The agents flinched at that, scooting in closer to the screen. The agent beneath them was practically crushed, forced to lean forward and sighing. She remained silent, though, watching as one of the figures chucked her weapon straight into the darkness, where the camera wasn’t filming.

After several seconds of nothing, the fighting resumed, and out emerged the three saviors.

They came quickly, reacting instantly, defeating the two figures rather easily and saving the poor woman. Bobbi, Lance, Mike, and Daisy watched on in silence, narrowing their gazes on the three figures, trying to catch their faces. When they spun around, the agent froze the footage at just the right second, where all four of their faces were visible. Just to be certain, the agent zoomed in and enhanced the footage, the gasps behind him being indicators that it was clear enough.

Lance Hunter chuckled, hands rising to rest on his hips. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

Bobbi slowly smiled, as did Peterson. But Daisy… remained awestruck. Hardly even breathing. Her heart actually began to quicken just at the sight of them. Even through the poor footage, even with the facial hair trying to conceal his identity, Daisy knew right away it was Captain Steve Rogers standing within that warehouse. And standing alongside him, with a disguise of her own being that of her light blonde hair, the Black Widow—Natasha Romanoff—was right by his side, her sideways glance frozen from the camera footage. The Falcon, Sam Wilson, was with them as well, doing little for his disguise. The fourth one, the woman, looked to be Wanda Maximoff. The Scarlet Witch.

All Avengers. All heroes. Her heroes.

She breathed a shaking gasp, a twitching smile finally appearing on her lips. Turning back, she could hardly contain her excitement as her eyes landed on Coulson. Her smile slowly dissipated, faded away when she saw his expression.

It was almost unreadable, like he didn’t know whether or not to keep his signature grin at the sight of his old friend, Captain America. Daisy expected him to, but saw nothing on his lips, in his eyes, or on his expression. It was frozen. Lost. Completely unknown. Just like how he felt.

“Phil,” Daisy said, her voice almost at a whisper. She broke him out of his stupor, his eyes shifting downwards her way. “Is that…? A-are they…?”

He just nodded.

“Bunker down and keep those eyes peeled, agents. We’re not leaving Edinburgh until we find them,” Director Phil Coulson said aloud, turning his eyes back to the screen, meeting Steve Rogers’ once more. “That’s an order.”

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