"I kept a theory to myself for quite awhile now, but it might be true. Could these Skrulls have found a way to transfer and replicate quirk through some sort of science. Just as I was about to confront him, a poor security guard at an old age entered the room and held a stun gun at the Skrull. It seemed I wasn't the only one tailing them. In a show of violence, the Skrull, still in his human disguise, morphed his arm into a huge scaly amphibious arm and extended it at the old guard with great speed.",
"The Skrull, satisfied with his show of power, spoke to himself. His voice, a sick frail one, spoke with reverence. 'The genome of this planet will fit our resistance with the finest abilities. Those Deviants will rue the day they tried to destroy the capitals of Zorr'Kiri. Our goddess will have her glorious army of super Skrulls from the blood of these humans.', he said in his raspy voice."
"The alarm then went off as red lights blinked rapidly. The old guard had used what was left of his strength to trigger a device linked to the security system on his person. The Skrull in a panic used his new quirk to bust through the walls of the facility. I pushed off the vent I hid in and went to see the old guard to check if he was still conscious. To my shame, the poor old man was dead when I found him dead and slumped to the wall. My grief turned to rage as I vowed to seek this Skrull and kill it with the Ebony Blade. Activating my quirk, Power Randomizer, I parkour down the wreckage of the Skrull's rampage and hope that the random quirk I receive is a decent one. Feeling a sensation through my veins, I needed to know how I was going to land after the long fall, so with all the prayer I could muster to whatever god that could answer I pointed my open hands at the ground."
"Thanked the gods that something did shoot out of my hands. A type of sound base blasts emitted from my palms and slowed down my fall. With my fall broken, I used these sonic blasts to propel myself to follow the Skrull's path. The foul alien noticed that I had caught up with him."
"Damnable cur, leave me alone.", ordered the Skrull angrily. "Not a chance, you green bastard. For killing that man, you will be deheaded.", yelled Black Knight just as mad.
The Skrull stopped and slowly turned to Percy. The Black Knight ceased his approach and brought out his sword.
"I see this fiend take off his DNA mask slowly. He asked if I had known what he was and I confirmed that I had hunted plenty of aliens in the past, but that he was the first of his kind that I had met. This had made him chuckle as morphed both of his arms into muscle bound scaly limbs."
"Then I will be the first and last you will ever witness. What I do is for the preservation of the people of Zorr'Kiri.", proudly proclaimed the Skrull as he readied to kill Percy.
"What is your name, human?" Asked the Skrull in anticipation.
"The Black Knight, what's yours?." Declared Percy with his sword raised.
"Teff'Roba. Prepare for your final battle." Declared back the Skrull now named Teff'Roba.
"Teff'Roba wasn't just a spy and a scientist, but a soldier. He knew how to fight and how to use his new quirk with skill. During our scuffle, he even showed a second ability which was his main quirk. The green skin could release vibrations on objects as long as he keeps in physical contact with it. We both bared sonic base quirks that day."
"The next ten minutes was like battling a hideous Ogre in a shiny dungeon. The floor itself vibrated as if it might collapse from under us. I slashed with fury while emitting my own sonic based quirk through my sword. Thankfully the enchanted metal held strong through the effects as I kept Teff'Roba at the back foot. Turns out healing factors aren't one of their abilities. Feeling the serious gash I gave him, the Skrull cut his losses and transformed most of himself into a huge fish like creature with six arms. He then tried to bash himself through the wall, but the material the facility's interior was made from was tough stuff. He kept at it and I decided to take the chance to prepare my blade for a fatal strike. However, we were interrupted by the most unexpected warrior. The doors were blown open and a towering muscular man stomped in with vast quantities of confidence. I myself couldn't help but be in awe."
"HAVE NO FEAR, I AM HERE.", declared loudly from the bust door, All-Might, the number one hero had arrived.
"I was in shock at his sudden arrival, but I did notice two certain individuals behind him. A scientist of some sort holding onto a young girl in his arms. She appeared to be the age of two at the time and her father looked so distraught at the sight of his facility being trashed. All-Might himself was about to intercept me, but then the Skrull used his sonic vibration quirk and mixed it with his new strength to finally break through several walls. He then bulldozed his way through the halls and rooms until he finally made it outside. I quickly gave chase with sonic blasts as my repulsion to allow me to catch up with him. We were both out of the facility and began our chase over the streets of Los Angeles. As I was about to be close enough to pierce his enlarged spinal column, both me and Teff'Roba were hit by the hardest slap in the world in mid-air. My vision nearly went dark, but I could make out All-Might descending above us after performing one of his attacks. I could see that the Skrull used one of his new six arms to quickly reach for the same odd gun looking device from before. To my horror, he was about to stab All-Might with."
"Several thoughts ran through my head, Teff'Roba could be planning to inject the number one hero into the DNA of another. Forever disfiguring him with a hideous alien mutation. Or more horrifically, the Skrull might take All-Might's power and take it back to his people to mass produce it for their soldiers. Either way, I wouldn't let him have that chance. I threw my sword at the limb and sliced off the hand that held the device. All-Might noticed too late at what happened and was confused when he noticed I had stopped the attack. I used the enchantment of Ebony Blade to call it back and with it the Skrull's hand. As the three of us were about to fall quickly, said Skrull made a move."
"The green skin invader, Teff'Roba, used his sonic quirk to clap a shockwave to escape. I shook off any remaining daze I had from All-Might's attack and took chase after him with my own sonic quirk. The number one hero however followed after me with his hand reaching for my head. I quickly gripped my sword and shoved it into the big guy's palm. He mistakenly gripped it himself and I immediately emitted the sonic vibration into it. This caused a large bloody gash on All-Might's hand and I quickly grabbed him by his costume and did something I doubt he will ever forget."
"Sorry, good man. Nothing personal.", said Black Knight to All-Might as he released a sonic blast that separated the two men away from each other. The number one hero was sent to the streets of the city as the Knight themed vigilante rocketed toward the Skrull.
"With a daring escape from such a strong hero, I used this new found confidence and energy to perform my best sword attack yet. Like a bullet bouncing off strong metal walls, I zig-zagged closer to the Teff'Roba and dissected his legs in mid-air. I then shot at him again and sliced off the two remaining arms on his left side. Bouncing off the building to his right, I then sliced off the arms of his right side. With one final push, I propelled myself at him for the final slice."
"DIE MONSTER.", yelled Black Knight as he horizontally cut the top half of the Skrull's enlarged fish-like head.
"I fell to the street with a sonic blast to break my fall as what was left of the Skrull fell after me. Like all non-human creatures killed by Ebony Blade, his remains were then set ablaze in silver fire. Even the parts that were no longer attached to him. I noticed All-Might about to reach my position and used a smoke bomb to disappear. Within an hour, I finally reached my safehouse and inspected the device Teff'Roba treasured so much. A device that could synthesize DNA and replicate the quirks that belonged to them to be given to others. In my righteous faith in my own beliefs or just plain ignorance as said by Forge many times I do something, I smash the device with my boot and throw it in a dumpster fire. Upon becoming a SHIELD agent, when I explained it to the SWORD and SHIELD tech divisions that I had found something like that before, they were absolutely furious with me. No christmas bonus that first year of being a SWORD alien hunter. But to this day, I will always remember that day of when I faced All-Might for the first time and when I faced the Skrulls for the first time. Since then, I have hunted hundreds of their kind."
… Present Day. SHIELD Helicarrier, Med-bay …
"That day was such an adventure for me. A month later was when SHIELD picked me up and I found myself in that containment cell with you and Castle. Funny, isn't it?", said Black Knight to Trickshot who he believes was still unconscious.
"You understand that I hate your long stupid stories, right?", said a woozy Charles Barton who surprised Percy by his awakened state. The archer then took some of the tubes off and turned his head to the knight.
"HAHAHA, I thought you were never going to wake up. Hope that two day sleep was enough for you to call a vacation.", said a joyful Percy.
"Technically, I need to stay here for another couple of days. Don't expect me to do anything until then. I hope Peggy doesn't expect me to do anything soon.", said Barton with tiredness.
"From what I know, Carter is going to have a very important meeting for all of us tomorrow. As merciful as she is, she accepts that you need the time off and will debrief you herself after our dear Eddie Brock heals your wounds", explained Percy.
"Wait! Eddie's coming to the helicarrier tomorrow. What kind of meeting is this?", asked Barton.
"It all depends on what the Director and the Wakandan King will agree to. For it to meet her conditions, all of us reincarnates minus you and young Logan shall be appearing in person for this.", explained Percy further. After that, the two members called it a day and bid farewell. Barton is left in the med-bay to wonder what the future may hold for them and how it might involve Wakanda and Percy returned to SWORD headquarters in Nevada, relieved that his friend is not in a coma.
… Blue Area of the Moon …
Several glass-like lens constructs that showed the Black Knight and Trickshot in that same med-bay then faded into particles as Uatu and Agamotto were still where they were on the moon. They remained there in the blue area just as they were as the Watcher had started his series of tales of the reincarnates of Marvel multiverse. The Watcher then summoned several more energy glass constructs to observe more of the other reincarnates as Agamotto stepped closer to see the images.
"It doesn't take a genius to know that with this much conflict, all roads lead to an inevitable battle in Wakanda. Aliens and quirk drugs aside, this war for vibranium is looking more costly for both SHIELD and Hydra.", said Agamotto analytically as sees an image of a debriefing room which was hosted by Director Carter and King Obinna.
"It is the most likely future for the isolated nation. Before you is the day when this reality's first Black Panther and the teen Odin Borson finally meet with the rest of their fellow reincarnates. The Wakandan King is now filled with frustration and near desperation to find results from the alliance between his nation and SHIELD. That's when the Director proposes an all for nothing defence counter measure to push back Hydra off the east African territory. For this to be accomplished, they would need to perform another trip to Finland for an espionage mission on the last intact Hydra facility of that country.", explained Uatu as the construct showed the political state of Finland in the midst of its own civil wars. It appears that SHIELD funded rebels are now pushing the Hydra-influenced government forces into a stalemate.
"Other than that what else happened that day? I mean I can pretty much already know what happened just by traveling back to the past and seeing for myself through astral projection. But I much prefer your narrating voice to tell the story.", asked Agamotto with humor and curiosity.
Uatu the Watcher then expanded the next construct and created a viewable reality that showed the events of May 4, 2174.
… May 4, 2174 - Saturday. Director Personal Debriefing Room …
Director Margaret "Peggy" Carter and the Black Panther were discussing the best course of action regarding the growing Hydra occupants on the northern African territories. Most of north Africa has now become hidden settlements for Hydra forces as their agents slowly take positions among the local governments. Soon, they will be able to reach Wakanda in rapid motion as they slowly influence the continent to their cause.
The Wakandan King proclaimed that they would have no choice, but to reveal themselves to the world and remove any trace of Hydra from the continent as whole. Removing politicians and hidden agents by force if they have to. He has even proposed expanding Wakandan territory to cover more ground.
The Director didn't like that one bit. The civil wars in Europe were already a hassle to deal with. The last thing she needed was Africa going through a civil war as well. The Black Panther wasn't wrong though about the severity of the situation. If Hydra continues to be aggressive with their spreading, then the worst case scenario is a full scale world war. The solution was simple and difficult. Remove Hydra from Africa quickly and silently.
SHIELD agents that were stationed in the continent have reported of a developing shift in Hydra activities. It all seems to paint a picture of another assault on Wakanda. The Enforcers had also made landfall in Egypt. Scorpion, Bulleye, Radioactive Man, and Fin Fang Foom are preparing an army with fortune they could still muster to redeem themselves to their employers. A larger deployment keeps the main defense forces of Wakanda busy as the brainwashed influencers and politicians keep the media and surveillance away from the conflict.
With a distraction and the concealment, the Enforcers will enact an attack on a weakened nation. For Director Carter, there were only a few possible conditions to how this inevitable war will play out. But to know for sure they will need to infiltrate the last remaining Hydra base in Finland. As the reports say, a large portion of the attack force heading for Wakanda is made up of brainwashed North Africans. They will be divided into portioned armies led by highly skilled captains and generals from the Finland recruitment facility.
With Trickshot still recovering and Black Knight returning to his duties at SWORD, it seems that the only one available to head to Finland is the Punisher. That man was fine with performing solo missions. It's just the collateral damage she was worried about. That's why she put him in the Thunderbolts, because at least he'll be people who could keep him in check before he unleashed his brand of violent justice. There was a possibility that he might destroy the whole facility without bringing back anything reliable to report. Nevertheless, Frank Castle was the only man she could rely on to keep fighting in Europe.
But he'll still need a partner, that's when the next part of this meeting began. Director Carter spoke into her SHIELD com device and walked into the briefing room where the reincarnates minus Trickshot, young Logan, and young Xavier. At first, Black Panther was surprised to see that the Director was willing to allow SHIELD youths to fight for Wakanda. But then his eyes landed on the young Victor von Doom, flashes of a future memory he inherited from the T'challa of his earth appeared to him. This Latverian, even as a child, was dangerous.
As they situated themselves in the room, the following events went in order. First, the Finland mission was brought up and the Punisher was given the spotlight. The Director had explained to Castle that he'll infiltrate Finland once again and that he was to use any tactic to acquire any valuable information on the next Wakandan assault. He asked if he was allowed his own personal arsenal to which the Director allowed as long as he took a member of the youth department with him. Castle reluctantly agreed to the terms of the mission and chose the young Juggernaut.
Caine Marko smirked at the fact that he'll be the second person on his squad to fight in Europe. It seems Arthur Parks and Simon Williams will have to wait a little longer to fight with the big boys. For the Director, the fact that Frank chose a walking tank like Juggernaut means he's going to go in loud and brutally. Hopefully, the bloodstains will be kept to a minimum. The next discussion for the meeting was the introduction of the young Odin borson.
As ecstatic and grandiose, the Asgardian Prince revealed himself to all with the flair of a championship fighter. Squad Doom and Belova were not impressed and wanted to take his measure if he was the real deal. Future Allfather or not, showing power is better than just pouting it out in self hype. The judgementing then halted when the Black Panther stood from his chair and walked in front of the young Odin. Facing each other, the Wakandan King removed his mask to reveal his face. Upon seeing it, the teen Odin realized who it was. Though he went by Obinna in this world, the Panther the Asgardian knew went by another ancient name many eons ago in his original earth.
"MOSI", cried out the young Odin as he embraced the Wakandan king in a muscular tight hug. Obinna, now known as Mosi, grunted in slight pain but nevertheless smiled at his old friend.
The King and Prince shared a few details of how each had endured their new lives in this world of quirks. As they were nearly enthralled in their memory road, the Director politely reminded them that there is one final matter to discuss. The decision of who will be allowed on the strike force to counter the Enforcers. All stood in attention to be evaluated for the next big mission. The rundown went straight to the point. Fight fire with fire. The Enforcers are the best of Hydra's mercenary contractors. They nearly killed the Thunderbolts and thus it was time for the youth department to rise up to the task.
The Wakandan taskforce was chosen by Carter and Mosi thoroughly. The Thunderbolts were chosen since they've fought with the Black Panther before. Odin Borson shall join this operation as his first mission with SHIELD. The next few to join were rather surprising. Squad Belova minus Arthur Parks. When the red-haired jersey teen heard this, he remained silent, but his scowl showed his annoyance and anger. He knew that he was still being punished for recklessly fighting Stain in broad daylight. Yelena Belova, always being Peggy's little girl, agreed to Living Laser staying behind and gave the notion that Squad Doom should also have a member to remain in Japan. Having two members to stay in Yuuei should allow for Youth department assets to continue to observe Izuku Midoriya's progress.
Director Carter agreed to this and made the decision for Eddie Brock to remain in Japan. This made the young American confused as to why he shouldn't be in the fight for Wakanda. Victor von Doom then made explanations for their strong field medic won't join them. Someone has to stay and keep Midoriya alive if he goes overboard or nearly gets himself killed. Something Doom has full confidence will happen. Also, there was a high chance that close proximity to raw vibranium or any attached technology could cause one of the weaknesses to Eddie's Klyntar biology. Sound, or more basically sonic disruption on a large vibrational implosion. With this declaration from Doom, any defense young Brock could think of had been shut down.
All seemed to be in order for the coming days to commence, but then the Wakandan king ordered for a condition of his to be met before he could agree to any further SHIELD assistance. Victor von Doom must not be allowed on Wakanda. This earned a dead look from the young Latverian, but eyes as usual when he is displeased burned a glowing green. He just didn't want to vocalize his aggression to the Wakandan king. Though, his anger was palpable and it was surprising that he didn't rebuke. He instead agreed to the terms of the king and remained silent for the rest of the meeting. After all was said and done, it came to a close and all disbanded back to their respected positions. After saying their farewells, Mosi asked if he could bring the young Odin to Wakanda to meet his family and the kingdom. Director Carter allowed this since in a few days the volunteers shall arrive to the nation to aid it for Hydra's next assault.
Punisher prepares for his next case in Finland. Prepping his war-van with his personally selected arsenal, he'll be packing a generation 13 cordova semi-automatic handgun as his on-field sidearm. He got it after crashing a drug deal in the south american territory and running over the adult son of a druglord with his war-van. He pried off the ugly engravings and scrubbed off the shit colors, returning it back to its factory parts. A Galil ACE assault rifle as his primary and his trusty M16 with the usual attachments for a spare. For when he wants doors or walls down, he'll bring an MGL grenade launcher. Mechanically engineered into the war-van, the vehicle will enter a mobile anti-tank mode with a self loading cannon.
Before he could join his squad for departure, Eddie Brock went to the med-bay to heal Trickshot of his injuries. After that, Squad Doom and Belova entered their quinjet and flew back to Japan. The two teams have much to prepare for. Caine Marko was eager to join Frank for a mission and the rest except for Doom, Eddie, and Arthur were just eager for this first real serious mission outside Japan. The Nation of Wakanda was about to have a war and their chosen few were fortunate enough to fight by the king's side. The remaining three, however, were displeased by today's outcome. Eddie figured it was the case and took it in stride, though he too wished to take part in the fight. Arthur was being his usual moody self for the fact that he'll never see a real task from SHIELD. He was a guy who could become a literal laser. How the hell does he not have more missions under his belt? But none were more disappointed than Victor von Doom.
The young Latverian was hoping to use his finished armor for the Wakandan war and show its fearsome might on the pitiful Hydra forces. However, it seems not even rebirth can wash away his original sins. To think his attempt at an uprising could be so ingrained into the existence of Wakanda that memories of descendants could be used as warnings against him. Not that he was going to do it again, but it was very inconvenient and annoying that T'challa still held it against him. To hold a grudge that stubbornly that he would allow his memories of Doom's plots to be accessed by any Wakandan reincarnate was just outrageous. Then again, Doom realized that he could have done the same and actually let go of his displeasure to commend the Panther legacy to be so headstrong. Though now, this means that he will have to honor his declaration for victory at the sports festival.
It irked Victor von Doom that he will have to take part in such childish games instead of taking part in a major event in this world's history. The only silver lining here was now he can vent his frustration out on his Japanese peers and the poor fools who thought they were worthy of being in the same school as him. He remembered reading the festival's rule that hero course students were not allowed to use their costumes or special equipment to boost their power. So no armor then, fine. Doom didn't need overkill to completely devastate a bunch of children. It will be the perfect test to see how far he went with his quirk.
Back in the briefing room, Director Carter and her three closest agents. Forge, Jimmy Woo, and Wyatt Wingfoot. The four were discussing a particular weather phenomenon occurring in the base of the Antarctic circle. This has yet to be picked up by any other country or through their surveillance. SHIELD however had satellites that immediately found the disturbance and already there were notifications of ships going missing and aircrafts never returning. It seems that the organization has yet another case on its hands. The discovery of the Savage Lands.
… May 5, 2174 - Sunday. Helsinki, Finland …
"War journal: year 30. Month 5. First week.
Hydra never fails to find new ways to piss me off. This might be their most unnecessarily convoluted scheme yet and I've seen it all. These dirty fascists had built a recruitment facility somewhere in Helsinki. The poor bastards who believed they got nothing else to live for think they can just side with the enemy and call it their new purpose. I'm going to make sure those rookies never make it out of boot camp in the first place."
Just as Frank Castle broodingly writes his thoughts in his war journal, the train he was in shook a little from the abandoned track they were traveling on. He looks to see his fellow passengers. The teenage Caine Marko, ready in his SHIELD youth uniform, observing the crimson gem of Cyttorak. Sitting on the other end of the cart was a Finland resistance captain and his team of ten men. Some of them are young. Some of them are old. The captain himself was somewhere in between.
"Carter's orders are to extract intel on the next Hydra attack on Wakanda. I feel she chose me to see if I could make up for the failed Lionfish mission. I guess instead of risking me to be drowned in the Baltic sea, she would have me buried under the capital itself. 50 feet underground, a place called Ausbeuterbetrieb is where Hydra forces locals and kidnapped tourists into their cruel brand of reeducation. The rebel told me that the name of the place was German for sweatshop. Ain't that ominous."
"Even though Juggernaut is a kid in his first year of high school, he still carries enough muscle power to level half a city. And he's getting stronger every day. The rebel squad that joined us for this were a curious group of guys. They want to know so badly how their corrupt government is always getting stronger soldiers. Well, who am I to deny them the truth of our true enemy. All I can really pray for them is that at least some make it back home. Update Journal after mission."
The train came to a stop at a drop off station where a dozen Hydra troops were waiting to use their guns on the first intruder to come out. To their shock and surprise, a red glow flashed from the windows and the Juggernaut burst from the doors. The bullets bounce harmlessly from his bulletproof skin as he flings his arms to swat away the annoying Hydra soldiers. The Punisher and the rebels followed after him and fired back to clear the room.
Any that Caine doesn't knock out with his strength, Frank ends up putting down with his shots. Each bullet from his rifle finds their mark. After having killed many Hydra soldiers, he is well adept in the vulnerability of Hydra gear and equipment. It doesn't take long for the station to be clean of hostiles. Inspecting the place they were in, the latest shipment this underground facility got was for new plating material for armor to reduce explosive damage.
'Sounds useful.', thought Frank as looks further through the supply documents. Maybe they'll be able to get more out of this mission than just intel.
The rest of the documents say that other than the experimental armor there was also a reeducation procedure occurring to two extracted villains from a prison from the states. To Frank, this implies that Hydra got some cells already in America. Something to deal with later. He then ordered the group that were going to follow a split path procedure. The Punisher with five rebels and the Juggernaut with the other five. Following a planned path by Frank's strategic thinking, the two teams will each hit a key location to either destroy a major element or extract anything locked behind something. All while assuring there was a direct path in between them to allow a fall back plan in case the situation got too hot.
For the next fifteen minutes, they had demolished any enemy force that halted them. Caine planted any Hydra soldier he got his hands on through either the walls or the ceiling. Frank gunned down any he got his sights on. Hell, his rebels didn't even get a chance to fight much as they followed him. They were in awe at how ruthless he was. They heard stories of this vigilante who had slain countless villains back in America. Some of them joked that when they reform their country's government that they should get rid of the quirk restriction laws. Just so that maybe they might have badass vigilantes like the one before them. The Punisher heard this and turned to them with his red glowing pupils staring menacingly at them. It sometimes surprises the local rebels that SHIELD agents are incredibly bilingual.
"If I see a damn copy-cat of me in Europe, I'll come back here and they'll all be dead before the next day comes. Understand?", asked the Punisher with a glare that could make even death feel chills. For the rebels, those red glowing pupils through the blackened raggedy eye-holes of the ski mask with the painted white skull were terrifying. The man might as well be Death itself. They nodded in affirmation to avoid being on his bad side any longer.
The group continued on their way through the underground while keeping up with the rest of their group on the other side. They made it to a room with rows of data boxes and computers. Guess they found their intel. The Punisher got to work and used an advance drive of Doom's design to download everything in the machinery. The rebels positioned themselves at the exits to keep watch of any incoming Hydra troops. With a final ping of a monitor, all of this facility's most precious secrets were in the drive. Ready to be delivered to the Director. Frank pocketed it in his vest and then noticed something else on the screen. Apparently the two reeducated villains were just down the hall to the next room. A small chitter came from the Scorpio Muramasa at his hip. It calls to him to feed it more souls and in return allowing him to gain access to new quirks. The last time he used it was on his last major mission in Italy. As far as he knows, only Venetian Noble's soul is this sword.
With the soul of the Italian Sons agent, he has a quirk that represented the Italian patriotism of the man it belonged to. Frank was never one for Italy. Back in his original Earth, the Italian mob were the first to be hunted by him. Little Italy in New York was a lot more quiet when he was done. This quirk called "Venice Seer" allows one to sense any form of crime on Italian soil. Once a crime has been committed, the user teleports there. Safe to say, most dead Italian criminals received a Punisher jumpscare and then an adamantium bullet to the head. However, it did become tedious trying to manage it along with his mission schedule. To compensate, Director Carter had ordered for a SHIELD Italy base to be stationed in major cities. Agents there will be at their busiest whenever Punisher was needed for something.
This time however the chittering got a little more noticeable. Either it was hungry or it was telling him to go for these souls specifically. Reaching for his SHIELD comm device, he ordered Caine to have him and the rebel load up on the experimental armor to take back to the train. The young Marko asked what he'll be doing as they wait for him on the train. Frank told him to just go back without him and that he'll catch up later with a Nightcrawler pellet. Accepting his orders, the young Juggernaut called the rebel Frank was with to help load the armor on the train.
Now alone, the Punisher walked further through the remaining halls and found the last room. Two chambers of different sizes stand on the other end opposite of Frank's position. Machinery and monitors show that the two villains are still alive and have completed their reeducation. The two villains appear to match the documented missing American prisoners from the letter. Just then the Chambers opened to reveal the two fully awake and with Hydra tactical gear on. The screens then light up to show a shadowy figure with a bright white eye piece. Some kind of monocle, maybe?
"Yerr Punisher, your legend proceeds you. The bodies of my soldiers that you have buried are more than any graveyard could hold.", said the mystery man. Frank analyzes the voice and can only come up with a few names for the German Hydra leader, but the monocle was a dead give away.
"Gonna sick your new toys on me, Strucker? You're just adding more to the body count.", mocked Punisher nonchalantly as he rolled his shoulders.
"It's Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, you filthy American. This isn't a test for them, but for the relic you have around your belt. SHIELD and Wakanda have cost us our relics and we have proof that your people have taken the one in Egypt. Even if there are still nine others to gather, SHIELD has the lead now in this cosmic arms race of the ancient weapons of Leonardo. We know you used it to kill Venetian Noble, that mongrel traitor. Lets see if the deadly Punisher can survive a battle against the first of Hydra's new breed of super soldiers.", proclaimed Strucker as the chambers unhooked the two villains from their restraints.
"The big fish was in the San Francisco prison for ocean violation of the tourist harbors. He threatened to sink them all with his admirable mutant type shark quirk. The other is a scrawny adversary who did little in terms when they were put away by All-Might. But there is a use for his rocket launcher quirk.", explained Strucker as the two villains then inject themselves with a type of quirk boosting drug.
Punisher then unsheathed his sword with his right hand. He then brought out his grenade launcher with his left hand. Under the mask, Frank had a sinister grin on his face. Strucker was going to get his results, but he'll come to learn that the new Hydra super soldier experiment will need better test subjects.
… Topside. Helsinki train maintenance station …
The train car that held the Juggernaut, the rebel, and the experimental armor had reached its stop where two exfils were waiting for them. A quinjet to pick up the SHIELD agents and a pick up truck for the rebels. After the armors were loaded up on the jet for the R group, it had then been a long wait for Frank. Rumbling was then felt and small streams of smoke could be seen erupting from the sewer drain all across Helsinki. A cloud of blue smoke suddenly appeared and Frank came out of it looking like a bloody mess. Ominously enough, some kind of red aura was emitting from his body. It then disappeared once he sheathed his Marumasa. He then walked to Caine as the rebel saw the display he was in.
The Punisher appears with his vest ruined, his shirt and pants were burnt, and his mask was nowhere to be seen. Little streams of blood covered his face and arms. His steps left bloody footprints on the green grass. His guns were also missing and so was his trench coat. Once he reached Caine, he turned to look at him.
"I met Strucker.", said Frank out of the blue. "WHAT", yelled Caine in shock. "I'll explain on the flight back home. Come on.", ordered Frank as he and the young Marko entered the quinjet. The rebels were awarded with a large sum of money and a promise for a larger resupply of weapons. A report will be sent to Director Carter with all latest developments on this day's mission.
… May 6, 2174 - Monday, 5:00 PM. Musutafu, USJ Facility …
"There is no way Frank survived something like that? A regular person couldn't survive being trapped in an underground metal structure with two doped up villains, then have the whole thing blown up with him in it.", doubted Arthur Parks as he and Squad Belova walked inside the USJ facility.
"That's what I heard and saw. Frank reported what he did and Carter believed him, so we got to believe him." proclaimed Caine Marko who opened the entrance door for the whole team.
"Punisher really is a scary guy despite not having a powerful quirk or other powers.", said Simon Williams as he took in the sight of the USJ.
"The report says Castle has obtained two new quirks. A mutation shark quirk and a transformation rocket launcher quirk. Quite the lethal combo for his use.", explained Yelena Belova as she and her squad noticed a gathering at the main plaza from the top of the stairs. The gathering was that of their classmates, Class 1-B. Some were practicing with their quirks and others were talking as they unpacked their training equipment. Squad Belova walked down the steps and half way down Itsuka Kendo noticed them.
"Hey everyone, Yelena and her team are here.", announced Kendo as all looked to Squad Belova approaching them. Kendo and all the girls in the class approached them as well.
"Yelena, I'm glad you actually came here. I didn't think you actually got my message on the class forum. Sorry.", apologized Kendo as she greeted Yelena with a nervous smile.
"It's nothing, Kendo. We aren't as fickle as Doom's team. Your message said that the whole class will be here to train for the Sport Festival. I can only presume you wish for us to train with you.", wondered Yelena to her peer.
"Well, the whole thing is actually Monoma's idea. The way he explained it to me, it just sounded like another grandiose scheme to humiliate Class 1-A. But then we heard from Tetsutetsu what the Shinso guy said the other day to Class 1-A. I really don't care about showing up their class, but if it's true that some of us might get removed from the hero course based on our performance. Then we should train as much as we can to do great in the festival.", explained Kendo with the girls agreeing.
"You guys are from SHIELD. From what Professor Kan has said about the organization, your Youth Department trains more elite younger operatives with the actual adult training. It's no secret that you guys will out perform all of us, but it would be nice if we could learn what makes you guys as tough as you are. So what do you say, wanna help us?", asked Kendo with a friendly smile as she offered a hand to Yelena. The Ukrainian teen took the hand firmly, but spoke a little cover up to avoid any further questioning. Like for the fact that her squad was to fight in Wakanda and are immune from being removed from the hero course.
"Unfortunately, Simon and I have important matters to attend to back in HQ. I can let you borrow Caine and Arthur. The strongest and the fastest of the youth department should help push all of you to your limits.", offered Yelena with a small smile. Kendo returned the smile back.
"At least we got half of you guys, thanks Yelena.", appreciated Kendo as she gave a gesture to Monoma to bring all the boys over.
"On your lead, boss.", said Simon with a thumbs up. "Fine.", sighed Caine and Arthur with reluctance.
"Just be sure to not spoil them, when you give them back. Simon, We're off. Caine. Arthur. Be nice.", said Yelena as she and Simon walked out of the scene. Leaving behind Juggernaut and Living Laser with Class 1-B.
"On your lead, boss.", said Simon with a thumbs up. "Fine.", sighed Caine and Arthur with reluctance.
The two reincarnated teens looked back to their fleeting teammates and turned to the bunch of strangers that they've barely known for less than a month. They all had impressions on their faces that made the two feel awkward. Some looked like they were pissed, so were they pissed? One was a literal glue dispenser and one had no lips. The girls had big bright eyes and one of them looked like she was possessed. What the hell were they supposed to help with? Not looking like a saturday morning cartoon.
"So these are the ones that we'll be training with. I must say we certainly got a bad hand since Class 1-A had time to train with all four of their SHIELD students.", said Monoma in a humorous nonchalant tone. A metaphorical tic mark formed on Caine and Arthur's head. They didn't sign up for sass, that's for damn sure.
"Knoch it off, Monoma. They're here and that's enough.", scolded Kendo slightly.
"I'm just saying. I did a little spying around and I got proof that Class 1-A has gotten really chummy with their four.", said Monoma as he pulled out a phone and revealed a few images. Each being with a member of Squad Doom training with certain classmates.
The first revealed Sabertooth and Izuku Midoriya parkouring in the ruined city section of USJ. The next showed Eddie Brock in his black suit form with Tsuyu Asui in the ruined city as well. The two appeared to be training by playing an intense game of tag as they scale the tallest buildings available. The third image showed Victor von Doom and Iida sprinting together on a track. Iida was putting his throttle into high gear as Doom imbued his legs with his quirk's green energy. If one looks closely, they would see the young Latverian having a small nose bleed.
The final image showed Erik Lesher observing Mina Ashido and Eijiro Kirishima training their dexterity and durability. Mina uses her agility to scale floating metal platforms and destroy metal targets with her acid. Caine actually heard from Erik the other day of that specific training he did with that pink girl. The German teen made sure to test her smarts by using his quirk to change the metals in certain targets based on their resistance to acidity. Kirishima did something creative and wanted to see how many metal platforms he could break as he fell through them. Testing his quirk's hardness against the toughness of certain alloys.
"You know, if you had been spying on a real agent. That would get you 25 years in prison.", said Caine with a stoic voice.
"I'll be sure to not get caught then.", said Monoma without a care as stuffed his phone back in his pocket. He was then chopped at the back of the neck by Kendo.
"Sorry about him, but he's not wrong. That other squad you guys know seem to be really giving them some impressive ways to push their quirks. If you can, think you guys can give some pointers on where to start?", asked Kendo politely as she held Monoma by his collar.
Caine and Arthur looked at each other then to the class. "You first Caine, I'll come up with something later.", said Arthur nonchalantly. "Why do I have to go first?", asked Caine gruffly. "You know why?", answered Arthur with a look that told Caine that he knows about his misadventures with the X-Men from stories told to him by Yelena. The young Marko sighed and stepped up to the class.
"Alright, we're going to start by addressing all our quirks. This is how they thought of ways to train us back in the HQ of the Youth Department. Know your strengths and improve by working with your weaknesses. Simple as that.", declared Caine with authority. He lied about how that was how they were trained. In truth, Punisher just beat them into shape and used grueling regimens to improve teamwork. The method they were using now was actually how the X-men of his original earth had trained. So in Caine's head, he thought 'how would Charley taught them if these were his students?'.
Miraculously, everyone fell in and addressed their quirks. Some were impressive and some were just straight up weird. Caine figured he just worked with each one by putting them in groups to see what works with what. He figured he just tried how they could strengthen the muscles that let their quirks or something that can happen he hoped. He told the class that he will group them up and see how well they can be used in mock restraint training. Usually if a hero doesn't have rope or cuffs on them after a battle, either they knock out the guy or use their quirk to keep them down. For those he wasn't tending to, he told them to either prepare their quirks or to do whatever Arhur would. When a group of students walked to the young Parks, he told everyone that they'll be doing a special manhunt exercise. His group would have to hike to his location with their quirk as their means to move.
Arthur Parks then gleamed and shot his being to the top of the entrance steps. Although they have seen the Jersey teen's quirk at work before during their hero classes, it still puts them in awe at how this American can just turn himself into a literal laser and move at speeds they could never react to. Back to Caine's group of four students, he was tending to Yui Kodai, Juzo Honenuki, Sen Kaibara, and Setsuna Tokage. A quirk that can make things get bigger. A quirk that can turn the surface into swimmable quicksand. And finally, a quirk that can make the user pop into separate pieces. Okay, he thinks he can work with these.
"Alright, first thing to understand is that for this exercise to work, you guys need to pretend that I'm a villain that you need to apprehend. Bad news, you guys don't have cuffs, rope, or chains. So, you got to be creative with how you're going to keep me down with tiring yourselves. Got it?", declared Caine with arms crossed stoically. The boy with no lips, Juzo Honenuki, raised his hand in response, but it just discomforted the muscular and taller teen.
"I'm not a teacher, man. Just say it?", said Caine in slight annoyance. "So is that it? Just restrain you? Doesn't seem that hard, even if you are taller and stronger.", said Juzo in doubt of this training. To defend his point, Caine placed both hands on the floor to his left. Then his fingers cracked the surface and yanked out a large chunk of the earth. A chunk bigger than a bus. The shadow of the large fragment completely covered the four Japanese teens. Both Juzo, Sen, and Setsuna were gobsmacked at the display of strength, even Yui was wide eyed. The teenaged Juggernaut then heaved the large fragment at a mock cliffside on the other side of the USJ, which shattered into falling rocks. The loud sound of its destruction can be heard all across the facility. Even the other groups stopped what they were doing and were shocked at the display of power.
"Everything you saw me do in battle trials and rescue training was just me holding back. I've been told by SHIELD specialists that I'm just going to get stronger as I get older. Hell, I'll be stronger than All-Might. And that's a fact, Juzo.", declared Caine with intimidating authority as stared down the bare-teeth teen who was about to buckle a little like a puppy when it met a bigger dog. Before tensions get high, Setsuna steps up in a way that can work on a strong one like the young Marko.
"Relax, big boy. No one doubts you. But a smile would work on helping to promote the guns you got going on.", said an intrusive Setsuna with her arms resting on Caine's left shoulder. The American teen wasn't amused by her words, but liked how gutsy she was at being this close to walking natural disaster. It was also amusing that her lower half was just still standing there next to Yui as the quiet girl was not disturbed at all by the disembodied pair of legs. As the upper half of Satsuna floated there as she clung to the tall Marko's shoulder, said American male shifted his eyes to look at a cheeky Japanese female who smirked with sharp teeth. He let out a small chuckle with a smirk of his own.
"Hmm, point taken. Alright, the point is you three have to use your quirk in either a group move or a laid out plan. If I catch two of you, then you failed. Even if one is still standing, the squad is still lost. In SHIELD and pro-heroics, both sides value the thought of a good team. Hero teams aren't uncommon, but as we see in the news it's either a strong hero going on their own or a strong enough and a group of sidekicks. But in SHIELD, the team is everything. And that's what I'm going to give you. You want a sneak peak of how my team works, then it starts with you working with the best you got. So first, give me what you got. I'm going to stand still and you give me your best restraint method. If I get out, then try again. You get tired, then you're done.", proclaimed Caine as looked at each of the four in front of him. They each prepared themselves.
"Whenever you're ready, go for it.", said Caine stoically and with his arms crossed. Yui reached into her pockets and clenched her possessions in tight fists. Her eyes held calculations on her expansion quirk and how big she'll be able to make them. Sen got his arms ready and positioned his legs. His eyes held an eagerness, like he was actually excited to test his powers on someone close to pro-hero level. Juzo got to a crouching position as his hands made contact with the surface and he was prepared to take a dive. His eyes held caution and determination. Setsuna broke her body parts into smaller floating parts as she perceived where exactly to strike. Her eyes held excitement, but simmered doubt due to her quirk not being as powerful as the others.
The four Japanese teens jumped into action with quirk serving a different function to keep Caine restrained. In his perspective, it went like this. He immediately noticed a pair of hands blocking his sight by covering his eyes. Soft floating objects then collided with his body and crossed arms, pushing themselves into him to keep him still. A pair of shoes later kicked into the back of his knees in an attempt to make him buckle down to the ground. He remained standing strong.
Next, from the feel of them as they crashed into him, metallic and dense material were thrown his way. He figured it was whatever they picked up from the other Sections of USJ. After the sensation of a giant chunk of rubber hit his head, he guessed it was whatever was in Yui's pockets that were thrown at him. The mess had piled on him, but didn't do enough to make him buckle either.
The next attack came from Sen Kaibara as he did sprint towards Caine and used his drill hand to strike the midsection of the American's body, directly on the stomach. The impact of the attack was loud, but yielded no results. The reincarnated Juggernaut didn't even show any indication that he felt any form of hurt. It was as if he was merely being attacked by a puppy. This did however cause the stomach area of Caine's SHIELD uniform to be torn to shreds to reveal his defined abs. This made the young Marko rather upset for this suit was meant to endure a lot of damage for it for him to wear. Guess Forge didn't use the right material to back up that claim.
Finally, Juzo Honenuki had slapped the ground with both hands and the surface immediately went soft. Within seconds, Caine Marko sank into the muddy surface along with the enlarged objects and Setsuna's separate parts. There were no responses for a solid minute.
"You guys think he gave up?", asked Sen as Juzo and Yui looked at him like he asked the dumbest question yet.
"Hell no, I feel his movements through my parts. He's letting himself sink, but he's positioning himself for something since he uncrossed arm and has spread open.", answered Setsuna as she focused on the spot where Caine used to be.
"Should I try to resurface him? I don't want to be the one who suffocated a SHIELD representative.", said Juzo, concerned as Setsuna felt that Caine hit the metaphorical bottom of the quicksand and was preparing to do something. Before she could alert the others, Marko released a powerful thunder clap and what came next had left them speechless that day. One second, a large bubble of soft surface erupted from the ground. The next second, the bubble popped with a deafening sound with surface sludge and objects scattered across all of the USJ facility. As the chaos settled, there was now a huge hole where the plaza once was as the three of the teens were sent flying to the false lake section. With the water breaking their fall, Setsuna's head floated over to their location.
"Are you guys okay?", asked Setsuna in concern as Yui, Sen, and Juzo showed that they were fine and swam back to the false shore. As they arrived, the green haired girl felt a wet sensation wrapping her parts into a ball. There Caine rose from the large hole with Setsuna's parts, kept in place in a ball of the still soft sludge of the plaza's surface. The four teens were at a loss for words. So this is the power of SHIELD's strongest.
Yui had figured there would be a limit to the American's strength, but none of her objects showed any effect on his stance. Sen felt the trembling in his right hand that used for his drill attack earlier. It actually stings as he moves it. It was like the attack hurt him more than his target. Juzo couldn't believe someone could ever escape being that submerged into his quirk. That was the first time he had someone that deep into the ground and this SHIELD youth just forced all of it off him. Maybe his statement about comparing himself to All-Might had some merit to it after all.
Setsuna felt another sort of way. How was Caine fast enough to collect all of her parts and use the ground sludge so nonchalantly? Whatever training this SHIELD youth had taken, it had given skill that could match that of a pro. Little did any of them know, the young Juggernaut simply recalled his experience of when he had to take those with bizarre powers. His many scuffles with X-men, alongside them or against them. He can adapt to the weird and these teens were barely a pebble of that. He looked at Setsuna who was still observing him from high above. He then chucked his ball of her parts back at her floating head. He didn't throw it hard, only for the sludge to disperse to allow the green haired girl to collect her separate body and reconnect herself.
Caine Marko stepped closer to the drenched four as they faced him with defeated looks. He stared at them with a strong stoic look as they prepared for whatever harsh words he had to say to them with his right as a superior power house. He turned his head around to see the large crater that used to be the other half of the plaza.
"A real mess we made as a class and you guys are just the first ground I got to help train for the festival.", said Caine as he turned back to them with his arms crossed. "Here's what I got to say about how you guys performed on an unarmed opponent.", said Caine as the four Japanese teens prepared for their judgement.
"Setsuna, smart move on covering my eyes. Placing hits to my chokepoints was also a good call. The hold point is to restrain the guys when you got nothing on you. Safe to say your quirk has a good use in that aspect."
"Yui, the enlarged school supplies could easily be dodged, but they had enough wait on them to hold the guy down without crushing them. Even if you can't catch them, it's better to not kill them in the process."
"Sen, what I said Yui should apply to you too, but I understood the point of your attack. Get the wind out of your opponent and knock them out later. If you can't restrain them, then just put them down, but never out."
"Juzo, to put it simply, you had the right call to try to submerge me in your quick sand. It wasn't your fault that I sank quicker than most people, so next time try to make the ground solid just before their necks go in."
The four teens were actually surprised by the positive advice they were given. No scolding. No rude remarks. No insult. They figured that the biggest and baddest of Yelena's squad would also be the coldest. Guess the discipline the American got from SHIELD really held through, even in a Japanese hero high school.
"There was just one flaw, each of you had to know why none of your tactics worked." said Caine as the four focused closer to hear exactly what their flaw was. "None of it would have worked on me", said Caine with a serious glare. He then grabbed the remains of his SHIELD uniform upper shirt area and tore it off, revealing his muscular upper teen body. He then stomped the remaining ground and the surface shook, nearly making the four lose their footing.
"The first ten minutes are over. You can get better on practicing restraint methods on your own time. The last ten minutes are now making your bodies take the full brunt of your own power. I'm going to charge at you. If I catch you, I'm throwing you back in the lake. Either dodge me or deflect me with your quirk, but you're not allowed to leave the plaza circle. For the next ten minutes, try to survive me.", proclaimed Caine challengingly. This successfully intimidated the four Japanese teens in front of him and they prepared their quirks for another round, but this time they're on the defense.
Safe to say, surviving was too generous to describe what Caine had them go through. Powerful muscle charging through so much that they burnt through all their ideas. The best they could do was just to spam everything until they tire. Unfortunately, that was the whole point of Caine's training. To push their limits for the full results later for the festival. When their ten minutes were up, they finally had a chance to catch their breath. Juzo felt the strain in his hands, but he was impressed on how he was able to come up with getaway and sneakaway tactics with quirks. Who knew having a charging bull at you could make you a quicker thinker? Sen thought hands were going to bleed with all the drilling had to keep up just to soften the direct impacts he received from Marko. However, he wasn't going to lie, it felt good to finally go all out with his quirk on somebody who won't bleed from his hits. Not a single scratch on the American's skin. Whatever strength quirk Caine has certainly has impressed Sen with the insane durability. Yui felt the strain throughout her whole body, but it came with results that she's pleasantly surprised with. She could feel it, even if it was from the unpleasant experience of being collided with, her reflexes could reach her quirk activation to a much quicker extent. As if it was now muscle memory or at least the beginning stages of it. Setsuna was much the same way, quicker quirk activation and the addition of far better fluid control on her levitation.
After their time with him was up, the four came out of it with new tricks to help them in the festival. With that, they thanked Caine for his guidance on being more resourceful with their quirks. The tall muscular teen said to them that they can get better whether or not the festival shows their best. A sports event shouldn't decide how far you could go with your power is what he told them. They nodded and appreciated the time he gave them to make them better. They then moved on to head to where Arthur Parks was at. The red haired teen had noticed their group just as he had finished his group. With him, Setsuna, Sen, Yui, and Juzo would have their speed put to the test. Back with Caine, he noticed his next group reach him.
With each group of Class 1-B students getting the intense training from the two SHIELD youth, the time they spent in the USJ facility had brought them together as a class. Learning to rely on each other and themselves. As the day ended and their bus arrived to pick them up, they all chatted about the new moves they came up with Caine and Arthur. The two of which were a predicament they weren't used to. Being liked by people they didn't know. The two sit in the back of the bus, but despite the room it provided it was becoming crowded with most of Class 1-B. Satsuma sat to Caine's right as Ibara sat to Arthur's left. The taller strong American teen just took in the rumblings of the sharp tooth girl, her gossips and teen excitements just white noise to his ears. The leaner red haired American wished he could muster the same amount of focus into his tolerance. Ibara's preaching to her beliefs and the scolding of Arthur's brash behavior. The Jersey teen had to endure all of it with a straight face, even though he was faltering. Turning to his left to see the religious girl, he did admit to one thing. At least there's a pretty face owning those words thrown at him.
The rest of the ride back was filled with questions from the class asking Caine and Arthur about several things. Some personal, some not, and some they had to lie about. Due to it being SHIELD classified information and simply because it would be too unbelievable. They figured that, even in a world where people could just be born with an odd superpower, they would have a hard time believing multiverse theory or reincarnation. Lying was the way to go for the foreseeable future. Until then, Class 1-B have proven to be a bunch of oddballs, but they're good people. With two days left before the sports festival, both them and Class 1-A will need to be ready for the center stage. But for the SHIELD youths, the War for Wakanda has begun