Story: The Berbatov Incident
Part One
It was ingenious. Even the Caretaker of the Time Fortress had to admit it. The eleven oval ships glided over the electrical clouds, which revolved around the black wormhole. The vessels were using the natural electro magnetic currents to propel themselves forward. It was risky, but it gave them the advantage of a quicker route to the fortress.
The Caretaker readied the defenses of the fortress. The first line was formed by the Argonauts. They were twelve feet tall. The colossal figures levitated, because they were legless. Their arms were cannons and all were pointed at the white ships.
The second line consisted of the Pit Fighters. They were six foot in height and bulky. Their faces were severe and hard. As for their arms, they were blades.
The Shadow Vipers were the lasts of the defenses. They were quiet predators; stalking from the dark regions of the dimly lit fortress. These monsters were capable of devouring a full-grown man.
The Argonauts fired their cannons at will and it was like the sound of thunder rolling along the sky. Miraculously, the ships passed unscathed through the amber explosions. The ships torpedoed into the Argonauts, knocking the great figures down.
The ships slowed and skidded onto the fortress grounds, until they halted. Doorways appeared on the ships and suddenly soldiers stormed out of them. The Pit Fighters charged into the intruders, swinging their blades furiously.
"Follow me," shouted Ajax, the leader of the soldiers.
He was constructed from Celestial technology and magic like the rest of his soldiers. Ajax led the charge through the Pit Fighters. He parried with the side shield that shot out his left forearm. And he attacked with the blade that slid out of the top of the right hand.
The soldiers showed their tenacity with robust fighting. Eventually, they were within the fortress and in the sights of the coiled Shadow Vipers.
"Their massive sizes will be their undoing," thought Ajax, while he released an energy blast from the blade.
The Shadow Vipers were too heavy to dodge the energy blast; thus they were decimated in the explosion. The soldiers followed their leader's means of attack. Therefore, a crescendo of explosions seized the fortress.
Ajax, guided by his instruments, went to the second level, and he found the Caretaker merging into time via a portal mirror. Ajax cursed, since he was unable to finish off the Caretaker. Therefore, the warrior returned to the battle with the Shadow Vipers and he saw to it that all the creatures were finally vanquished.
After an hour, Ajax returned to the ships to celebrate the victory. But his second in command had bad news.
"His ship is not here," said the second in command.
"What?!" said Ajax.
Indeed he realized that there were only eleven ships.
"How could this have happened?" inquired Ajax in rage.
"There must have been an accident coming out of the vortex," suggested the second in command.
"Then he could be anywhere," conceded Ajax. "Set a perimeter, clean up the mess and stay vigilant. I'm going inside to think about our next move."
"Where could Berbatov be?" he muttered.
Wakanda,
"I can't remember what exactly happened, but my gut feeling is that there was more to the incident," Shuri had admitted to Storm.
As Ororo glided on the thermal wind currents, she thought about the meeting with her sister in law.
"I was correct," thought the Wind Rider, since she had concluded that the report Shuri had submitted did not match up to the facts gathered by an independent inquiry.
Ororo mentally went over the mission, where Shuri responded to a Wakandan aid worker who had discovered a seemingly alien craft. However, a terrorist group was also after the ship and Shuri had to stop them.
Ororo reached for her kimoyo that was on her belt. She dialed her X men friend Jamie Madrox aka Multiple Man. There was still no answer from him. He had called her five hours ago, but got cut off. Since then Ororo had been trying to reach him. From the tone of Madrox's voice it sounded like he was in trouble.
Ororo landed gracefully in the courtyard of her home. Her white eyes turned to a blue hue. She was five foot eleven and slender. Her mutant ability to manipulate elemental energy meant that she sensed a change in the time space continuum upstairs as she entered the house.
"Probably T'Challa teleporting home," she thought.
The Black Panther's sword had twin time space computers that allowed him teleportation and time travel.
"Honey, I'm coming down," said T'Challa over the house's audio system.
"All right," said Ororo. "He must have picked up my scent," she thought, while reflecting on one of T'Challa's hypersenses.
He came down and met her in the living room. T'Challa was six foot and sleek muscled. They kissed and embraced each other. Then they got down to speaking about their respective meetings.
"Shuri has been meditating over the issue. She didn't tell us anything, because she was not sure at the time," said Ororo. "We should do a follow up investigation of this incident."
"I agree," said T'Challa.
"But don't expect Shuri to join. 'A bunch of bad guys have been dealth with, there is nothing more that concerns me in this issue' was what she said to me."
"We don't know the full details," commented a disappointed T'Challa.
"And how did the talk with Enzi go?" inquired Ororo.
"She did complete the God Particle equation and it was the new boy that duped her into doing it."
"Well that is actually surprising. How old his he?"
"Seventeen," answered T'Challa.
"He's just a year older than her," commented Ororo. "There might be more teens that the renegade scientists recruited."
"I told her not to do anything about it and to carry on as normal with him and that we'll handle the situation," said T'Challa. "And you're right that there may be more like him."
"Okay. We'll solve the Berbatov mystery and then deal with Enzi's friend," said Ororo.
"Perfect," said T'Challa.
Afterwards the couple suited up in their respective battle uniforms and they headed in a mini jet to Conjon-a country that was rebuilding itself after a decade long civil war.
Part Two
Conjon, Africa
The Berbatov vessel rested inside a military barracks. The Conjon President Mobassa accompanied T'Challa and Ororo to the site.
The vessel was oval and white. The name Berbatov was written on the right side. The Black Panther and Storm walked around the 12 feet tall ship. Both of them remembered that the vessel had mysteriously appeared in a village that Wakanda had adopted. Sadly, the radiation from the ship killed several of the villagers and Wakandan aid workers.
Ororo began using an aspect of her mutant abilities. She viewed the environment on an elemental level, which revealed bio electrical and currents to her. Soon she discovered a pattern on the surface of the ship.
"I've found something," she said, as she touched the ship.
"What is it?" asked T'Challa, and he went to her side.
"An electrical combination that acts like a lock," she said and squinted. "I can manipulate it. And there is a little bit of magical energy."
T'Challa looked on as square impressions emerged on the area Ororo touched. Eventually the squares fell away and left a door way.
"Seems we are having better luck than Shuri did," remarked Ororo.
"Indeed," said T'Challa.
The light was at a medium level inside of the ship. The couple entered and began searching for more clues. There was a single item in the ship. It was apparently a control panel that faced the left side of the ship. There was no seat.
The control panel had two display monitors and both showed factional lines.
"They are algorithms," stated T'Challa.
"What are they for?" asked Ororo.
T'Challa examined the algorithms in detail and he came to a conclusion.
"They are co-ordinates," he said. "But there is a problem. Factional lines go on until infinite, but this had a cut of point. Right here."
He touched a blue square on the screen. Suddenly the doorway was sealed in the blink of an eye and the ship powered up.
"T'Challa-" said Ororo, then the vessel disappeared.
The Time Fortress,
Three seconds later the vessel arrived on the south side of a fortress. Then the doorway opened again. Storm and the Black Panther exited and they found themselves standing before a bleak metal fortress.
"Where are we?" T'Challa asked his sword, while he demagnetized it from his back.
The two gold panther seals on the both sides of the hilt glowed and then the time space computers responded, "We don't know."
"Well can you at least teleport us back to Earth?" inquired T'Challa.
"We're not sure. There is something odd about the time space configurations," replied the computers.
"T'Challa look," said Ororo and she pointed to another part of the surroundings.
There were eight vortexes adjacent to the fortress. The black holes at the centers swallowed up the sparks of lightening that were born at the ends of the vortexes.
"This is where the ship came from," suggested T'Challa.
"Now we have to find out who the pilot was and what exactly this place is," Ororo said.
"And what happened to Shuri," added T'Challa.
Afterwards the couple explored the fortress. Ororo flew to the highest columns while T'Challa went along the gothic corridors. They used their kimoyoes to communicate with each other.
"There are people here," said T'Challa, sniffing the air.
An energy blast crossed the path of Ororo. "They are hostile," commented the Wind Rider.
Then she poured plasma energy from her hands into the direction the attack emanated from.
Part Three
Ajax had ordered his troops to fall back when T'Challa and Ororo had emerged from the ship. Then he told the soldiers to keep the Black Panther and Storm busy while he checked the ship for Berbatov.
The soldiers formed a circle around T'Challa and Ororo and they launched an attack. Meanwhile, Ajax slipped to the ship and he opened it, but he found nothing.
"Where is he?" pondered a livid Ajax.
Then he headed for the Black Panther and Storm to get answers as to why they were in the ship and where they came from?
Ajax was surprised at the electromagnetic storm that was raging inside of the fortress. Hurricane winds blew through the hallways. His soldiers were caught in tornadoes and they were thrown around like litter.
"How is this possible?" thought Ajax. " I must put a stop to it before the fortress is destroyed."
Ajax activated the magical aspect of his body and he became intangible. Therefore, he raced through the atmospheric onslaught created by Ororo and entered the fortress. To his horror he found his second in command completely frozen in ice. The temperature was so severe that the second in command's processor was inactive.
"No," uttered Ajax.
Mist appeared on the floors and then it rose to blanket all the rooms. Through the haze, Ajax heard the pain in his soldiers' voices and above that was the angered voice of a woman. She was authoritative, bitter and poetic.
"The woman is the cause of all of this," thought Ajax and he sprinted to where the voice was located.
T'Challa intercepted him on the third floor. At first Ajax was unsure of what had happened. He was slipping through the walls when T'Challa's sword slashed him across the left arm- and he had felt.
"But I'm intangible," he protested inwardly.
Ajax stopped and scanned the area with his instruments- they found nothing. The electromagnetic storm added to the inability of the instruments to detect the Black Panther. If Ajax had the presence of mind, he would have looked above him, because that was where T'Challa was. Thus for a moment, Ajax was totally at the mercy of the Black Panther who had stuck his left hand claws in the ceiling. He held the sword across his chest.
Eventually, wisdom told Ajax to look up. T'Challa had anticipated it and he pushed downward, slicing off Ajax's right arm. And then the Black Panther severed Ajax's left leg with an attractive swing of the sword.
Ajax collapsed and he reverted to a tangible mode. In the confusion he lost of sight of T'Challa.
"Where are you?" he muttered.
"Close," said T'Challa in a low voice, but he remained unseen. "Who are you? What is this place?"
"Who are you!" implored Ajax as he searched for his limbs.
"You'll get your body parts back when you answer my questions," stated T'Challa.
"Why should I trust your word?"
"Because you have no other choice," said T'Challa.
"All right. I'm Ajax. I'm here on a mercy mission to restore the builder of this fortress to his rightful place."
"Really. And where is this builder?"
"I don't know. But you came in his ship. We thought it had been lost in the time vortexes," replied Ajax.
"What was his name?" inquired T'Challa.
"Berbatov."
At that point, T'Challa slid the arm and leg to Ajax.
"Fix yourself up," he said.
"By the way, how is it that you got around my intangibility?" probed Ajax.
"I can't tell you all of my secrets," said a staunch T'Challa, and he added. "Hurry up. I may have spared you, but you still have to go through my wife."
Part Four
Ororo listened attentively before she gave her judgment on Ajax's case. He stated that Berbatov had hired him and his soldiers to take back the Time Fortress.
"What was in it for you?" asked Ororo with her arms crossed and hovering above the captive.
"Nothing. We were doing it out of good will," explained Ajax.
"You expect me to believe that?" quizzed Storm.
"What you believe is no concern to me, but I speak the truth. Now release my soldiers from your ice prisons," said a proud Ajax.
"I will not release them, until this issue is settled," said an adamant Ororo.
Meanwhile, T'Challa was leaning against the Berbatov ship with his arms folded. He made eye contact with Storm to show that he agreed with her statement. Then Ororo continued her interrogation of Ajax.
"What exactly are you?" probed Ororo.
"I was created for wars. But I overthrew my makers and have been a freelancer ever since with my soldiers," replied Ajax. "Now, how are we going to resolve this issue? I made a promise to Berbatov and I intend to keep it."
"Describe him," said Ororo.
"He is a glowing humanoid, about your height and very gentle," said Ajax.
Ororo retraced the Berbatov Incident Report that Shuri had prepared and it didn't mention anyone who matched the description.
"Can we really trust him?" Ororo contemplated.
"How did you find the ship?" asked Ajax.
For a moment, Ororo was against divulging he information, but she relented when her instincts told her it was all right.
"It had crashed on Earth," revealed Ororo.
"Then take me to the crash site. Maybe Berbatov might still be there," insisted Ajax.
Storm took a few seconds to reach a decision. "All right," she finally said. "But if you betray us…". She left the rest to Ajax's imagination.
He understood and then he turned to T'Challa.
"I'll need to pilot the ship," said Ajax.
"Of course," said T'Challa as he unfolded his arms.
After five minutes, Ajax was at the controls and scanning the navigation monitors. He pinpointed the exact co-ordinates where the ship had crashed. He told this to his captors.
"It should be safe to go there. The area is still sealed off," stated Ororo.
"Terrific," said Ajax, and then he touched the screen.
Thereafter the door closed and the ship disappeared.
"Tell me something, who discovered the ship?" asked Ajax.
"One of our aid workers," responded Ororo.
"Then I will have to speak with him," said Ajax.
"That will not be possible," said Ororo.
"Why?" asked Ajax.
"Because he is dead," Ororo answered bluntly.
"From what?" Ajax inquired.
"Radiation poisoning, but the autopsy indicated that he should have died a week before when he encountered the ship," explained Ororo. "If your story is true then maybe Berbatov had something to do with it."
"My story is true," iterated Ajax.
"We'll see," said Ororo with finality.
Part Five
As Ororo had predicted the field was still sealed off by the Conjon military. T'Challa hastily used his kimoyo to contact the President, so he could convey their status.
Ajax took the time to observe the strange surroundings. The ground still had the deep impression made when the ship had first skidded onto it. There were ashy trees lying around. Black patches were scattered about the land.
"What happened next?" asked Ajax.
"A disruptive group called Advance Ideas Mechanics tried to take the ship," answered Ororo. "We believe that they were interested in the technology."
"And you stopped this. Was Berbatov in the ship?" inquired Ajax.
"We didn't find him," said Ororo.
"But you must have seen something when you came here," stressed Ajax.
"Actually someone else handled this mission," stated Ororo.
"So I should be speaking with that person," said Ajax.
"She is on another mission right now. We will not be able to reach her until it is finished," said Ororo.
Then an idea came to Storm. "Considering that Berbatov would have used considerable electro magnetic powers to build the fortress then he will have a unique bio magnetic signal."
"Meaning what?" asked Ajax.
"That I can locate him using that signature," said Ororo.
"How long will that take?"
"I'm not sure," said Ororo.
T'Challa completed his conversation with the President. Ororo explained her plan to him.
"Will you need anything to assist?" asked T'Challa.
"Just a quiet environment. I'll use the mountain range. They are not far from here," said Ororo.
"We'll stay put and Ajax here can tell me all about his meeting with Berbatov," said T'Challa.
Part Six
South China Sea,
The Chinook helicopter arrived on the supertanker. The tandem rotor blades slowly died down. Then the doors opened and six creatures emerged. They reported to the commander of the A.I.M cell.
He was a genetically enhanced man. His hair was black and his eyes were like an eagle's- seeing farther than most. He didn't raise his voice very often to the ex Special Forces guards who were his crew.
He introduced himself as Cromwell. "Your mission is to protect this boat's cargo, who you shall eventually meet. You will be greatly compensated for this endeavor," he said. "Now then, any questions?"
The creatures remained silent.
"All right, time to see what you're putting your life on the line for," said Cromwell.
He led them to the laboratory that was within the ship. There he showed them Berbatov. The captive was attached to a parasite that drained his mind of information. The parasite then transmitted the information to the waiting scientists' computers.
Cromwell also pointed out the HYDRA terrorist cell, which also worked on the project. Additionally, Cromwell introduced the seven super human guards that worked for HYDRA.
HYDRA had been brought in at the last minute in the quest for the ship when Shuri was proving too difficult for Cromwell's forces.
Afterwards, Cromwell was given a report that stated that although Berbatov was dying they were extracting data at a rapid rate.
"Terrific," said Cromwell.
It was also Cromwell who had erased Shuri's memory of Berbatov's capture when the creature had left the body of her friend, the aid worker.
Five Hours Later
A meditating Ororo tapped into the magnetic structure of the Earth and scanned it for the level of electro magnetic activity she had felt inside the ship and in the fortress. Eventually, she located the fading presence of Berbatov.
"Finally," she thought as she was a bit fatigued.
She called T'Challa via the kimoyo and he teleported with Ajax immediately to her location, which was a mountain peak.
"I found him, but we don't have time to plan a course of action because his life is fading quickly," said Ororo.
"Then lets get to it," said T'Challa.
Ororo gave the co-ordinates to the sword and the weapon transported them to the super tanker.
Part Seven
The Three appeared on the main deck of the supertanker.
"Berbatov is on the second level," stated Storm.
She promptly burnt through the deck with plasma energy and then flew down. T'Challa and Ajax leapt into the opening.
Meanwhile, Cromwell ordered the evacuation of the ship. Therefore, all the personnel headed to the various teleportation pads in the ship's interior. One of the HYDRA officers asked him about the action.
"We have already obtained the information. There is no need for capture or causalities on our side," Cromwell said calmly.
The officer had to agree with the statement.
"Nevertheless, we will activate the self destruction of the ship," said Cromwell.
In a systematic and efficient manner the respective cells had left the ship by the time Storm, the Black Panther and Ajax came upon Berbatov. Even the parasite had been removed from the creature. Still T'Challa had captured most of the ring leaders' scents and he stored them in his memory.
Ajax lifted Berbatov and rested him on his shoulders.
"Stay close," said T'Challa, "I'm teleporting us back to his ship."
A golden light encompassed the group and they vanished just as the supertanker exploded into an inferno.
When they arrived, Ajax suggested that they head for the Time Fortress. T'Challa and Ororo complied with the request.
Ajax's assumption was correct, for the moment the group emerged in the Time Fortress Berbatov life force showed improvement. He was taken into the centre of the Time Fortress for him to rest. After a minute he began to speak. He thanked Ajax for coming to his rescue and the soldier introduced T'Challa and Ororo. Then Berbatov had a question.
"Where is Shuri?" he asked weakly.
"She isn't here," said T'Challa. "How did you meet her?"
"I inhabited the person I found outside of my ship. He was already gone. Shuri found me. Then those people came," said Berbatov tiredly.
"She knew who you were?" inquired Ororo.
"No. I think she was beginning to suspect though. But I had to reveal myself when the people pursing the ship overwhelmed us. They did something to her. I had to surrender to prevent them from ending her life. Foolishly, I believed that I had the matter in hand until they placed that thing on me and I became powerless," related Berbatov.
T'Challa was angered by the news that someone messed with his sister's mind.
"We will find them," he thought.
Then he noticed the various time portal mirrors that floated around the room.
"Can you look through the portals at that moment in time to see who captured you?" asked T'Challa, returning his focus on the creature.
"Unfortunately, I can't view myself in the time streams," said a disappointed Berbatov.
"Then how about Shuri?" suggested Storm.
"I can try," said Berbatov with some strength in his voice.
He concentrated and that caused a portal mirror to float towards the group. The portal mirror showed Shuri alone with Cromwell and HYDRA agents. They were discussing whether to spare her life or not. In the end, Cromwell decided to leave her and Berbatov's ship. His rationale was that Shuri's death would draw T'Challa and Ororo. But if she lived and had the ship then it would seem that her mission was successful. The HYDRA agents then agreed.
T'Challa used his kimoyo to take pictures of Cromwell and his associates. He asked for Cromwell's present location and it was provided.
"We have to go now," he said.
"What about my soldiers? I need them to protect the fortress," said Ajax to Ororo.
"I'm freeing them now," said the Wind Rider, and her pupils turned to a hot white glow.
Subsequently the frozen soldiers were freed from their prisons because of a heat wave that passed through the fortress.
"You can take the ship as payment for your troubles," said Ajax. "The technology is yours."
"Very well," said Storm. "If you ever need anything feel free to ask."
"We will," said Berbatov wholeheartedly. "And tell Shuri thank you on my behalf."
"Consider it done," said T'Challa.
Thereafter, T'Challa and Ororo departed from the fortress.
Part Eight
Naples, Italy
Ororo could sense that T'Challa was taking the mission personally. She felt the same way too. Shuri and her had a good relationship and understood each other. Thus, taking down Cromwell had become emotionally charged and Ororo wondered whether it would affect her professionalism.
"We should take him alive," she whispered to T'Challa, as they were lying on their stomachs while observing Cromwell's well guarded citadel.
"I agree, but in my heart I want to do much more," admitted T'Challa in a whisper. He removed his hand from the thick brush that had allowed him to view the citadel.
"I'll stop you if it comes to that," said Ororo plainly.
"I'll try not to reach that point," he said and then gently brushed a curl of Ororo's white hair from her face.
Then they kissed. "I love you," they said to each other.
Afterwards they commenced their offensive, which was based on stealth to avoid Cromwell using teleportation to escape. Ororo had ascertained that most of the equipment in the citadel was protected from electro magnetic pulses. Hence if she created one, it would not be effective.
Therefore, T'Challa and Ororo used their mastery of stealth movements to near the citadel.
Deep inside the building, Cromwell was processing the data retrieved from Berbatov's mind and body.
"I was correct in trading the ship for the creature," thought a vain Cromwell and he continued. "This knowledge of time space mechanics is more important than that scrap metal."
Moreover, he saw an opportunity to sell some of the findings, since various world governments and private foundations would be interested.
Occasionally, Cromwell glanced at the security hologram. His six super human guards were outside of his office. What was unique about the guards was that they combined to form another creature.
Meanwhile, T'Challa and Ororo had slipped undetected onto the compound. The Black Panther then came upon Cromwell's scent. Ororo found a ventilation shaft and they entered it. A few minutes later, the couple was inside the citadel. T'Challa decided that a risk should be taken.
"I can estimate Cromwell's location by scent and have the sword teleport us there," he whispered.
"All right," whispered Ororo.
T'Challa did it and the couple were accurately sent into Cromwell's office. The commander jumped out of his seat due to the intrusion. Then he smartly activated the panic switch on his sleeve, which alerted the six guards. Afterwards, he turned to the teleportation platform that was in the corner.
The Black Panther leapt at Cromwell and captured him. Simultaneously the guards entered and Ororo was the first person who they saw. They recognised her as the leader of Wakanda; hence they knew she was a powerful mutant. Therefore, the guards merged with each other, and they transformed into a fifteen feet tall beast that had four arms.
The height of the room couldn't contain the creature, hence the roof collapsed. Storm manipulated a blast of air pressure to deflect the falling debris.
Storm summoned a sphere of plasma energy between her palms and then she fired it at the beast. However, the creature absorbed the blast and it released energy rays from its hands. Ororo quickly flew upward to avoid the hot rays. The creature's nature reminded her of the mutant Bishop who absorbed energy and re directed it.
"That eliminates my lightening attack," thought Ororo. "But this beast still needs to breathe."
The Wind Rider concentrated and she manipulated the air out of the creature's lungs. The rapid expulsion of air caused the beast to become disoriented, eventually the six creatures broke off from each other. Ororo then froze them.
Meanwhile, T'Challa and Cromwell had crashed through the right wall and were in another room. The Black Panther thought that he had the upper hand, until Cromwell shot a bright light from his eyes. It blinded T'Challa. Cromwell used the opportunity to break free from T'Challa's hold. He head butted T'Challa and lashed an elbow into the opponent's jaw.
Then Cromwell generated a light blade from his right hand and he stabbed it into T'Challa's side. The memory of his encounter with Shuri came back at that moment. A.I.M, the HYDRA soldiers and super humans had subdued her, and she was knocked unconscious. After they decided on what to do with her, Cromwell used his control over light waves and via the eyes damaged Shuri's temporary memory. Therefore, seven minutes of her memory were shaved off. Hence she forgot even seeing Berbatov emerge.
"I will not be as merciful to you as I was to your sister," Cromwell gloated.
Something in T'Challa snapped when he heard those words. Ignoring the sharp pain and using super human strength, he hoisted Cromwell vertically above his shoulder, with the man's head facing downward. Then the Black Panther fell backwards to complete the suplex. He heard multiple cracks from Cromwell's body when it landed forcefully on the floor.
T'Challa got to his knees, then going by memory he found Cromwell's neck and the Black Panther applied pressure with his fingers to a vital point. Cromwell became paralysed. Afterwards, T'Challa regained his composure.
He was still blind, but his hearing and smell told him that Ororo was approaching.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
"I can't see. Hopefully it may only be temporary," he replied calmly. As the adrenaline waned he could feel his eyes burning.
"I already called Maria Hill. The S.H.I.E.L.D Hellcarrier should be here shortly," said Storm.
"Then our work here is done. We'll deliver this one directly to Hill," said T'Challa, tapping his boot against Cromwell.
A moment later, the rest of the guards forced their way into the office area. They merely saw the flash of a golden light in the back room. A second later, the heavy engines of the Hellcarrier could be heard. On the outside, dozens of S.H.I.E.L.D troopers stormed the citadel.