Hey guys, here's Chapter 2 for this story. Once again I do not own the Max Steel or the Avenger franchises. This is just fanfiction and any OC's I create are my own. Also, I wasn't really sure where Copper Canyon was located, but I read in another Max Steel fanfic that it was located in New Mexico. So, I'm gonna go with New Mexico. Hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoy the show.
Chapter 2: When Urban Legends Become Real
The graveyard shift in the Helicarrier was seen to many agents as "Dead-Men's Hours". Men and women reviewing chucks of data on computer screens for hours on end with only the daylight to offer relief from these duties. Surprisingly, many of the natural disasters or sociopaths bent on world domination tended to operate in the daily hours. This meant that nightly tasks were usually delegated to S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives unfortunate enough to be assigned by their superiors.
Every S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel have to periodically serve some time in this shift to even be considered for the higher risk missions that happened during the twilight hours. No one was excluded from this policy, no matter how inexperienced or skilled the operative was.
One of the main rules that insomniac Director Fury was bound to play by. The commander watched from his vantage point all the employees working relentlessly around the clock, trying once again to refrain from rubbing his eye in frustration or fatigue. He scoped around the bridge to his own projected monitors, haunted from midnight exhaustion. Criminals of the world were starting to get BOLDER, SMARTER. Which meant more hours like these currently spent protecting the world from the next devastation.
Nick Fury looked at fervent requests for aid in Peru for a lethal rock slide, a poisonous mist that suddenly appeared in the corners of China, and the usual conspiracy theorists trying to once again expose their organizations biggest secrets. Every problem approved for aid, investigation, or silenced by the usual threats or blackmail. He sighed and once again looked at his constant companion; a clock and its constant blinking. '4:05', he thought. 'Less than an hour to go. Perhaps I can finally get that nap in that I've been avoiding.'
The Director opened his next report to be analyzed until a new screen suddenly popped up with a red light and the title "EMERGENCY" labeled in menacing black. The Director's eye widened and he immediately took note that all his operatives had been shaken out of the same stupor to be replaced with frantic, business-like appearances.
As Fury was about to bark out orders, his phone rang from his pocket and he bit back a harsh retort. "Status report Agent Coulson", Nick Fury demanded. "We're on a high-level of alert Commander. Our under-sea explorers just discovered something deep in the Pacific Ocean. Took the dive team five hours just to bring it back and dissected for analysis. Possible leads right now relate it back it a ship of alien origin."
"God help us all", The Director sighed, remembering the Chitauri invasion a year and a half ago. "Is it of Chitauri origin?", Fury said abruptly. "Negative. Our scientists are already working on it and the technology is far more advanced than our last extraterrestrial invaders. A new alien species is highly likely at this point." Fury digested the information in his mind and quickly went over contingency plans.
"I want you and Agent Hill to that base now. I'll be there in four hours. Need to tie up some loose ends and get things organized. Hold off all electronic frequencies until I say so. We don't want any surprise visits from unwanted guests. Fury, out". The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D hung up and took one last look from his post to the peaceful night sky outside the Helicarrier windows.
'So much for midnight hours', he thought and ordered the quickest jet to fly him to their sea base.
The ride to the S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost was uneventful. The pilot of the jet nervously prepared to land with jittery hands and graciously stumbled informing the Director of their final destination. Nick Fury briskly walked off the jet to be promptly greeted by Coulson and Hill in their usual fashions. After security clearances and one claustrophobic elevator ride two thousand feet below the ocean's surface later, Director Fury finally arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s underwater outpost station.
The base being classified as colossal was an understatement; the outpost could probably hold twenty five football courts or fifteen event stadiums. From the top level view of the underwater headquarters, one could see agents running to and fro like midday in crowded New York or an overcrowded Subway station. The Director and his operatives quickly went from floor to floor until the final level of the base was reached.
"How long has the alien craft been lodged beneath the sea floor?" Fury asked. "Not long. Our analysts believe it was under for about six months", Hill replied. "The ship was pretty wrecked from the inside out, but it can still be classified as pretty new." Another agent swiftly opened the massive doors to the examination bay and Fury had to internally stop from freezing by the sheer mass of the vessel.
The hue was a chilling blue-gray while what was left of the exterior was covered in jagged holes and dents. The surface was smooth, yet rough from the black glyphs covering the ship. While most of the mass focused on the top part of the ship, the head's top and sides were curved in a more diamond shape. The bottom was constructed in a similar form, with a more serpent-like tail for the end and deeply curved sides. It looked like an extraterrestrial craft that had seen better days.
However, from the weapons obtained from the vessel weapon's vault, it wasn't here for a 'friendly' visit.
"What kind of technology are we dealing with here?", Director Fury questioned. "After investigating the craft, it appears to be something that we've seen before, but have just considered to be a myth or urban legend." Coulson instantly handed Fury a thick file with red tape around it and titled 'Urban Legend'. "Do you remember the supposed 'Ultralink' investigations?"
Director Fury raised an eyebrow and unconsciously reflected back to the details in his head about that report. He was a much younger man back then, and was approached by a frantic agent with a detailed account of a suspected alien invasion that happened in the far corner of New Mexico (Once again, I'm not sure where Copper Canyon is, but it makes sense it would be there.)The "attack" was apparently by a race of aliens known as "Ultralinks" who wanted to conquer Earth for their planet-controlling leader.
After evaluating the situation, an extensive investigation was made and the report was soon classified as an "Urban Legend". There was no substantial proof of this implied alien invasion or what allegedly stopped the conquering menaces from reaching their goal. So, the Director dropped the case and moved on to more pressing concerns. As for the agent, he angrily protested the decision and chastised the Director for dismissing his claims. He was later ungraciously dismissed from the agency two months later for trying to steal S.H.I.E.L.D. resources in order to discover more about the invaders.
Humiliated and black-balled from all other spy agencies, the ex-operative mysteriously disappeared one day. S.H.I.E.L.D was never able to find out where he had disappeared to, so the entire findings of the case were sealed away and moved to the myths section of the Agency's headquarters. The apparent "Ultralink Invasion" was then recounted by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents humorously and told to new recruits in order to scare them into acting in a more professional manner. Even Nick Fury in the past had almost cracked a smirk remembering the nut case ex-agent trying to tell him how he was supposed to run his organization. But now, there were no laughs, smiles, or tales of supposed legends.
Nick Fury was mad. No, scratch that. He was FURIOUS. And a furious Nick Fury was truly something to be terrified of.
Nick Fury closed his eye, counted to ten, glanced at the craft once more, and then quickly left the room in a heated blur. Coulson and Hill immediately trailed behind one angry S.H.I.E.L.D. Director and looked to each other in silent confirmation. They followed him into his private office in the base and watched as he sat down and dumped the contents of the file on his metallic desk with vengeance.
"Coulson…," Fury said with a hiss and looked to the Agent with fire in his eyes. Coulson gave his full attention to the Director and tried not to show his hand from slightly shaking. "Contact the Avengers. Pull Widow and Hawkeye from their mission in Quebec and get them to headquarters NOW! I don't care how you do it or what back channels you have to go through, but every Avenger needs to be at the Helicarrier A.S.A.P."
Agent Coulson nodded in confirmation and quickly sped walked from the luxurious office.
"Agent Hill, I'm giving you the mission of tracking the Ex-Agent who investigated this report down and also bringing him to headquarters. We need all the information we can get, and the only person who had precise experience went missing twenty years ago. Once Coulson is done bringing all the Avengers back to headquarters, he'll help you locate him. But we need him found. Sooner, rather than later." "Yes, sir," Agent Hill replied, and left the room with a speed to rival that of Coulson.
There was a new mystery to solve. And mysteries were always uncovered by S.H.I.E.L.D., one way or another. Especially when one Nick Fury hated mysteries.
