Chapter 9: Early Intel & The Avengers Initiative's Shadow
Life as a burgeoning Guild Master was less about dramatic confrontations and more about managing a highly unusual remote team. Adam, now back in a slightly nicer, though still discreet, safe house in New York, spent his days glued to a series of encrypted laptops, constantly sifting through reports from his growing Guild. His GP balance was still in the negative, a constant, irritating reminder of the cost of doing business.
Jeremy, bless his loyal heart, was proving invaluable. His reports from within SHIELD were a goldmine.
[Jeremy Report – Mission 'Clean Sweep' Update]:SHIELD seems to be expanding operations rapidly. Lots of new recruits, new facilities being green-lit. Code names like 'Project Insight' are popping up, but details are locked down. Heard whispers about a 'super-soldier' program revival, but it's all classified. Also, they're definitely tracking something big. Global threats, talking about 'unforeseen events' and 'response protocols'. Feels… aggressive. Will keep eyes open for anything related to 'Avengers Initiative'.
Adam nodded, reading the digital report. "Good, Jeremy. Keep digging on the Avengers Initiative. That's the big one." He knew the Avengers Initiative was Fury's attempt to unite extraordinary individuals, but he also knew its hidden Hydra tentacles.
Then there were Yelena's reports from Eastern Europe, stark and chilling.
[Yelena Report – Mission 'Widow's Shadow' Update]:Found an old Red Room safe house. Cleaned out, but left traces. Chemical residues indicate some kind of mind-altering substance used on agents. Discovered a hidden data cache – fragmented files about 'Project Winter Soldier' and 'Serpent Society' – Hydra-affiliated. Also, strange energy readings in a remote mountain region in Sokovia. Locals call it 'The Castle'. Looks like a former Hydra research facility.
Adam's blood ran cold. The Castle. That was the one. Hydra's secret base, where Baron Strucker would eventually experiment on Wanda and Pietro. "Yelena, excellent work. Prioritize that Sokovia lead. But be extremely careful. Do NOT engage directly without my explicit orders. Just intel. Confirm the location, any active personnel, and what they're doing." He emphasized discretion and safety. He was trying to prevent a tragedy, not accelerate it.
And then there was Darcy. She was a revelation. Her snarky exterior hid a formidable analytical mind.
[Darcy Report – Mission 'Digital Dust-Up' Update]:Okay, so, found some weird stuff. SHIELD's external comms are a mess. Lots of encrypted traffic flowing through unsecure channels, but it's being masked by higher-level encryption. Like a bad firewall over a bad router. I'm seeing odd energy signatures being tracked globally – like, really odd. Not natural. Not from known tech. And a few, very brief, very faint energy spikes that seem to originate from… somewhere in New York. Too faint to pinpoint, but they're there. Also, a disturbing amount of traffic about 'Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.' and something called 'The Tesseract' being tested by a Dr. Selvig. He seems… stressed.
Adam's eyes widened. "Pegasus Project. Tesseract. Selvig. This is it. Loki. He's coming." The faint energy spikes in New York could be anything, but his meta-knowledge screamed 'Tesseract activation'. The timelines were aligning.
His GP balance, however, was still negative. He was hemorrhaging points by buying skill books for his members to get them up to speed. He needed a major injection of GP. He checked the Guild Master Store. It refreshed every two days.
[Guild Master Store – New Item: Information Packet: Loki's Invasion of New York (Details on Key Locations, Target Priorities, Civilian Evacuation Routes) – 100 GP]
Adam stared at the astronomical cost. "One hundred GP?! You have got to be kidding me! This thing is going to break me before the aliens even get here!" But the information was invaluable. It was precise, actionable intel for the coming catastrophe. It would save lives. It would allow his small Guild to make a decisive impact.
He checked his members' GP balances. Wanda and Pietro were slowly accumulating GP from scavenging, enough for a few more potions. Jeremy had a decent chunk, saving up. Yelena was already raking in points from her intel, her loyalty going up steadily.
He couldn't wait for them to generate enough. He had to convert something big himself. He scoured his memory for anything valuable he could salvage or sell from his past life – but he had nothing. He was effectively broke in this new system.
Adam decided to try something risky. He pulled up his personal Attribute Screen. Could he convert his own knowledge? His meta-knowledge of the MCU timeline?
He mentally probed the Guild System.
[Convert Foreknowledge (MCU Timeline) to Guild Points? (High Value Conversion, irreversible)]
[Warning: Converting foreknowledge will result in permanent loss of specific event details. General awareness of character arcs and major threats will remain, but precise dates, locations, and dialogue details will be randomized/obscured.]
[Estimated GP Gain (partial conversion): 50-200 GP (Variable based on specificity)]
Adam paled. Losing specific details? That was terrifying. His foreknowledge was his greatest asset. But he couldn't afford the information packet otherwise. And he needed it. He absolutely needed it to properly deploy his team for Loki's invasion. He'd just have to be incredibly careful with what he converted. He could sacrifice the precise sequence of a minor plot point to save a major one.
He decided to gamble. He would convert just enough to get the Loki info packet, and hopefully, not lose anything too critical. He'd just have to trust his gut, and his general knowledge.
"Alright, system," Adam muttered, staring at the tempting 'Information Packet: Loki's Invasion' in his store. "Let's do this. Just enough to cover the tab, and no more. I need that map."