Location: Earth Orbit, S.W.O.R.D. Skywatch Station Time: 06:00 GMT
The sky wasn't the limit anymore.
Henri stood inside the observation deck of S.W.O.R.D.'s Skywatch Station, looking down at the planet. Eyla and Sorin flanked him, both silent. Below them, Earth rotated quietly beneath its shield of blue and white.
But that peace was temporary. The Root Protocol had been confirmed as real. And every major power across the system world was moving.
> System Alert: Event Triggered - Root War Begins Global System Users Active: 8,000+ Admin Direct Intervention: Authorized Countdown to Major Event: 72 Hours
Henri closed the system screen and turned toward Commander Brand of S.W.O.R.D., standing at the helm with her green streaked hair and sharp eyes.
"We want full scan sweeps," Henri said. "Satellites, drones, everything. The Data Core must be on Earth. Somewhere."
Brand arched a brow. "You just dropped a global apocalypse problem on my lap, and now you want my best toys?"
Henri smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You know it beats the alternative."
---
Factions in Motion
Across Earth and beyond, other factions stirred.
SHIELD: Director Hill scrambled helicarriers and black ops teams.
The Avengers: Only fragments of the team were still active post-Endgame, but Black Panther and Spider-Man had both received priority alerts.
Red Masks: Their control grid flickered. Henri's virus had disrupted their remote puppets, but it wouldn't last.
Unknown Players: The system reported unidentified sync users moving in Eastern Europe and Asia. Rogue agents. Possibly Admin-aligned.
> System Sync Report: Henri Voss: Node 3 Active | Tri-Link Mode Enabled Eyla Carter: Node 2 Active | Stealth Master Class Sorin: Node 1 Active | Combat Vanguard Class
But three wasn't enough.
Henri knew that instinctively. If they wanted to stand a chance in this war, they needed allies.
---
The Recruitment Begins
That same day, Henri and his team touched down in Wakanda.
King T'Challa met them personally at the royal landing pad.
"Voss," T'Challa greeted with a slight nod. "You brought serious warnings."
"That's why we're here," Henri replied. "Wakanda has tech and resources we can't match. We need them."
The conversation was short, but clear. Wakanda would provide tech support, vibranium resource allocation, and deploy their stealth fleet for global scans.
Eyla whispered as they walked: "Do you trust him?"
Henri didn't hesitate. "More than most."
---
Admin Strike: London Incident
Just as plans were forming, the first real blow landed.
At 14:00 GMT, London went dark. Complete communications blackout. No power. No system syncs.
Henri's team arrived within two hours.
What they found wasn't just destruction. It was system-level reality warping.
Buildings half-phased out of existence. People frozen mid-step, caught in Admin sync traps.
And standing in the middle of Piccadilly Circus was a figure wrapped in silver-white robes. Masked. Glowing lines of code radiated from their body.
> System Alert: Admin Avatar Detected Name: Overseer-09 Class: System Enforcer Combat Level: Tier V
The masked figure turned toward Henri slowly.
"Henri Voss. You have exceeded sync permissions. Return system fragments immediately."
Henri flexed his gauntlet.
"Come and get them."
---
Boss Battle: Overseer-09
The battle began instantly.
Overseer-09 moved like light. Teleporting between reality frames, striking with solidified admin-code blades.
Henri activated Genesis Overdrive. Eyla boosted her stealth drive, becoming a blur. Sorin took front line, blocking blows with his phase blade.
But Overseer-09 was unlike any Red Mask or corrupted user they'd faced.
Every strike damaged not just armor or weapons—but reality.
Buildings cracked in ways that weren't physical. Sky lines bent.
> System Sync Stability: 72%
Henri grit his teeth. If sync stability hit zero, they wouldn't just lose. They'd be erased.
"Focus on the mask!" Sorin shouted. "That's its core!"
---
Turning Point
After ten minutes of brutal fighting, Henri saw his opening.
He crafted a custom Genesis spear mid-combat, throwing it directly at Overseer-09's face.
The mask cracked.
Light exploded outward, freezing reality in white light for three full seconds.
When the world resumed, Overseer-09 was gone.
> Boss Defeated: Temporary Ejection Confirmed
Henri dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
Eyla supported him. "That was too close."
Sorin simply stared at the cracked air where Overseer-09 had vanished.
"That's the first." Sorin said quietly. "There will be more."
---
Preparing for the Final War
Back at Skywatch Station that night, Henri reviewed their growing war table.
Wakanda: Allied. S.W.O.R.D.: Allied. SHIELD: Partially cooperating. Avengers: Fragmented, uncertain. Red Masks: Enemy. Admins: Primary Enemy.
> System Notice: Global Sync Level Rising. Estimated Timeline to Root Protocol Conflict: 7 Days.
Henri didn't look away from the map as he spoke to Eyla and Sorin beside him.
"We have one week," he said quietly. "One week to either shut it all down... or watch everything reset."
They both nodded.
Together, the team turned toward the final stage.