Most of the locals had no idea what lay beneath their quiet city—a sprawling alien metropolis hidden deep underground.
The X-Men's stealth jet touched down on the outskirts, beyond the reach of wandering eyes.
Ethan stepped out first, followed by Emma and Katie. This time, he'd left the Red Devil behind.
While teleportation was convenient, the devilish appearance brought more problems than solutions—random street screams, cops showing up, maybe even a few cultists chasing after him.
They made their way to the designated meeting point where Jiaying's team was already waiting.
She hadn't brought many either—just Calvin, Gordon, Daisy, and another Inhuman who seemed to stick close to her.
If Ethan remembers correctly, then that Inhuman is named Lincoln and have an ability to generate static electricity.
Ethan glanced at Daisy. "Didn't expect you to bring her. She doesn't have powers yet, right? This place might be too dangerous."
"We know," Calvin answered, stepping forward. "But it's necessary. You're familiar with the formula I created to trigger the X gene. The Inhumans have something similar—awakening through Terrigen mist.
Problem is, our version isn't pure. The side effects? Unpredictable. Dangerous. I'd rather bring her here and protect her during a proper awakening than risk it anywhere else."
"Exactly," Jiaying added, her voice steady. "Daisy will be the first Inhuman in years to awaken inside the Holy Land. It's important—for all of us."
"I'll try not to slow anyone down," Daisy said, smiling awkwardly but clearly happy to be by her parents' side.
It was the kind of happiness that made Ethan pause for a moment.
Seeing their conviction, Ethan didn't argue.
Together, the group moved through the city and arrived at a centuries-old temple, right where the map had pointed them.
"We're supposed to search the area for old tunnels, right?" Daisy asked, scanning the surroundings.
"Or... we take a shortcut," Katie smirked.
Without another word, she phased into the ground.
Ten seconds later, she reappeared with a grin. "Yep. Giant underground city beneath us."
The team formed a chain, and Katie pulled them all down with her ability.
They descended into the ruins.
"This place is massive," said John, lighting several fireballs and hurling them into the air.
The flames hovered, casting light across the cavern.
On the stone walls around them were glowing runes.
Though Ethan didn't recognize the language, the mural-style drawings clearly depicted humans bowing before something—or someone.
"You understand any of this?" Ethan asked, noticing Jiaying studying the symbols closely.
"Just ceremonial stuff. Praise to the so-called 'gods'. The real answers will be deeper inside," she replied, eyes narrowing.
"Alright, John—dial it back a little on the fire. We don't know how well-ventilated this place is. Let's not burn up all the oxygen before we find the good stuff," Ethan said.
"Check this out!" Bobby called from a few feet away.
He had brushed off some of the dust to reveal strange patterns etched into the stone floor.
Unlike the murals, these glowed faintly and pulsed like circuitry.
"Don't touch it!" Jiaying snapped. Bobby froze, yanking his hand back.
"This place is sacred to the Inhumans," she warned. "You touch the wrong thing, and it might kill you."
Ethan stepped forward, backing her up. "Listen to her. Kree tech isn't like Earth's. Best we don't poke around unless we know exactly what we're doing."
"This place is so dull. You can't see anything, can't touch anything—ugh, let's just get to the center already... Wait—what the hell?!" John shouted, spinning around.
From the shadows, a man in camo suddenly appeared and tackled John, hurling him across the room.
Just as he moved in to attack again, ice locked around his feet.
"Got him!" Bobby shouted.
The stranger struggled, cracking the ice, but Bobby wasn't about to let up.
The frost thickened fast until the man was completely frozen in place.
Ethan stepped closer, scanning the frozen man. 'His outfit looks like those soldiers we ran into at that Hydra base. But... how'd they find this place? They didn't have the obelisk.'
"Guys, more incoming!" John warned.
Figures emerged from the shadows—silent, armed, and twitchy.
They raised their weapons.
Da-da-da-da!
Gunfire erupted.
Seconds later, all of them were down.
Ethan strode toward the bodies, eyes narrowing. "They look human... mostly. But their eyes—completely lifeless. And these markings..."
He knelt down, brushing dirt from one of the attackers' arms.
Blue crystal lines shimmered faintly along the skin—glowing, rune-like.
"They match the patterns Bobby found underground," he muttered.
Katie gasped as she watched a bullet wound on one attacker close itself. "They're healing. Like... fast."
Tiny metallic threads, almost like silver-blue nanotech, snaked through the wound, pulling the skin back together.
"Looks like some kind of nanobots," Emma murmured thoughtfully.
"I say we torch 'em before they get up again," John said, already conjuring a fireball.
"Wait!" Jiaying stepped forward, holding up the obelisk.
It glowed faintly—and like flipping a switch, the strange soldiers froze in place, then stood calmly before her.
"Are there more of you?" she asked.
Several of them nodded.
Jiaying gave a satisfied smirk. "Good. Take us to them."
··················
"Emergency call—this is Baxley, trying to reach Director Whitehall. Again. What the hell is going on?!" Baxley slammed his communicator, frustrated.
"Boss! Those infected freaks are on our tail again!" a soldier shouted, scrambling up the hallway.
Baxley looked toward the rear. "Those things? They were my men—just hours ago. Now look at them. Monsters."
He opened fire without hesitation, then tossed two grenades and motioned his squad to fall back.
He didn't stop to watch them explode. He knew how resilient these things were.
"Watch your skin—don't touch the rune lines on the floor, and for god's sake don't touch anyone infected!" he barked as they moved.
The blue-lined creatures were already rising again.
Baxley muttered under his breath. "We're screwed. Our gear's standard issue and they've got freakin' hacks."
"We need an exit. Fast. If not, we blow a hole through the wall."
He turned a corner, searching for a spot to set charges—
—and slammed into Ethan.
"Surprise, motherfucker—!" Ethan grinned, grabbed Baxley by the collar, and slammed him hard into the floor.
"There are enemies, fire now!" Ethan called out, eyes narrowing. Even though the man didn't look like one of the infected, anyone sneaking around here wasn't likely to be a friend.
Before the enemy squad could even raise their weapons, a blur of metal tore through them. Colossus—his full body armored in steel—charged with brutal speed, knocking them aside like bowling pins.
"Mutants. You're Inhumans," Baxey muttered, his voice dark as he stared in disbelief.
"Close," Ethan said, kneeling beside him and grabbing his jaw.
With a twist, there was a harsh pop—his jaw dislocated in an instant.
"That's for trying to bite the suicide pill. Not today."
The man winced but couldn't scream.
Emma Frost walked up, arms crossed, eyeing Baxley with a smirk. "He's not the type to die for the cause. Not many Hydra officers are. Just loud cowards in expensive boots."
"Hydra? I think you've got the wrong idea," Baxley groaned, trying to keep his cool. "We're just mercenaries. Hired help, nothing more."
But when he spotted Jiaying behind Ethan, his entire demeanor cracked.
He froze, staring in horror.
"You… no, you're supposed to be dead. Whitehall—he harvested your organs, drained your blood. I watched the tapes. There's no way you're alive."
His voice trembled, and every word revealed more than he meant to.
Calvin's expression darkened.
He stepped forward and grabbed Baxley by the collar, lifting him like a ragdoll.
Rage twisted his features. "You remember what you did to her? What Whitehall did? That was my wife. You animals tore her apart and left her to die."
His voice cracked with fury. "I should rip you apart piece by piece. Make you feel everything she felt."
"Calvin. Let him go," Jiaying said, her voice icy but firm.
Calvin froze mid-motion, then reluctantly dropped Baxey to the floor.
Without warning, Jiaying pulled out a pistol and shot Baxey in the leg.
"You'll talk. Where's Whitehall? Or the next one won't be so polite."
Baxey screamed, gripping his leg, blood pooling around his boot. "He's not here! He wouldn't come in until the site's secure. That's how he works. Always behind the curtain."
"So he's waiting outside?" she pressed.
"No! He's not nearby. He's monitoring from afar. Whitehall never gets his hands dirty unless he's sure there's no risk."
Jiaying's face twisted in disgust. "Coward. Then I guess you'll take his place."
She raised her weapon again, face unreadable, but her hand trembled.
"What do you think I should do with you, Baxley? Tear off your arms and legs, leave you crawling through the dirt? Or maybe gut you like you did to me? Let you feel every second of it?"
She was seconds away from pulling the trigger when Ethan stepped in, placing a hand on her arm.
"Hold up," he said calmly. "We can't kill him. Not yet. He's the first Hydra officer we've caught alive at this level. We need intel. Don't throw that away."
Jiaying hesitated, breathing heavy. Her grip on the gun loosened—but her eyes still burned with vengeance.
Baxley whimpered, slumped on the floor between them, his fate hanging by a thread.