Rise of the Living Monolith

Nine

The hastily organized meeting was in the central pyramid, with head of security Callisto, Horus and Osirus himself. Frankly, Callisto wasn't thrilled about having the boss there, but even she could concede that there wasn't much Jack could do to hurt him. Jack Munroe himself was in handcuffs, sitting across the table from them as he gave his story.

"Wait a minute..." Callisto leaned forward intently as she asked, "they FORCED you to work for them?"

Jack smiled ruefully as he answered, "It's not QUITE that clear cut, but yeah... SHIELD saved my life from a degenerative neural condition, as well as being shot. A condition of my treatment was that I work for them."

Horus looked sympathetic, well aware that a attractive young woman could sway men. "You poor thing," she said.

Osirus scowled, deliberately playing the 'bad cop' as he forcefully demanded, "And how can we trust you, even assuming your story is true? You've already turned your coat once."

"I'm not expecting you to," Jack answered calmly, surprising two of them.

Callisto, on the other hand, was nodding thoughtfully. "We keep you under watch until you prove your loyalty," she said.

"You can even put a ankle monitor or something on me," Jack shrugged.

"Or a choke chain," Callisto said dryly.

"Woof woof," Jack barked doggisly.

Horus had to laugh at that impersonation. Recovering quickly she looked at Osirus and asked, "What do you think, sir?"

Osirus studied Jack a moment. "I know what it is like, being forced to serve against your will," he conceded. "Stay, but remember, we will be watching you."

"Thank you," Jack nodded.

"Horus, call up Sister Joy, she can figure out what to do with him," Osirus nodded.

"Yes sir," the young woman nodded, and in a few minutes Jack was lead off.

"He's a plant," Callisto said flatly once Jack was gone.

"Not necessarily," Horus offered, "have you read his record?"

"Skimmed it," Callisto admitted.

"He was the Bucky of a 1950's Captain America, before both went insane due to a unstable super soldier serum," Osirus mused, "he was revived in modern times and Captain America gave him the Nomad identity. However, he's been screwed around several times by government agencies, including brainwashing."

Horus looked at him in surprise, "How did you...?"

Osirus shrugged, "Know thy enemy."

Callisto grunted thoughtfully. "Could still be a plant," she noted, "but for now, we just keep an eye on him?"

"I agree," Osirus said, "though with his skill set we'll probably have to put him in the army." He nodded to Callisto, "Or security."

"PLEASE no," Callisto visibly shuddered.

Horus snickered at that. "We could pair him with McIntyre," she noted.

"Our own Captain America and Bucky?" Osirus looked both thoughtful and amused. "It might be something to consider."

"Bad, BAD idea," Callisto sighed. Changing the subject she said, "Can I throw Unus off the island, yet?"

"You do realize he's a hero of the recent Sentinel attack?" Horus asked wryly.

"You have GOT to be kidding me," Callisto groaned.

Osirus sighed, "He's parlayed his near death at the Sentinel's hands into a great, heroic victory for Genosha."

"He got STEPPED ON," Callisto sighed, exasperated.

"I think you sometimes underestimate the gullibility of people," Horus noted.

Callisto just growled.

Osirus shrugged a bit tiredly. "The situation is that we need to catch Unus red handed, or his public image will just... shrug it off, pretty much."

"He's a drug dealing scumbag," Callisto ground out.

"But he's a popular drug dealing scumbag," Osirus pointed out.

"All right, all right," Callisto dropped it. She got up with a sigh, "I'll get the watchers for our new Nomad organized..."

"Have fun," Osirus smiled wryly.

"How do you think our American friends will react, assuming his defection is legitimate?" Horus had to ask.

"Not well...," Osirus smirked.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Damn it, I LIKED him," Val cooper ranted as she paced her office in Washington DC.

Jamie Cassidy nodded, the young redhead and secret mutant sympathizer taking notes. "Do you want that in the notes?" she asked.

"No," Val scowled. She shook her head, "How the hell did STARK of all people end up as head of SHIELD?"

"The President confirmed it, ma'am," Jamie offered. Quietly she added, "Most insiders agree it was with the aide and support of Commander Hill as well."

Val grunted softly. Dealing with Tony was going to be a pain, especially with his tendencies to be a skirt chaser. She did not want him pawing her ass.

Jamie's tablet computer pinged, and she tapped the screen. "The photos from the mission are here," she said, "it'll transfer them to your desk top."

"Thanks," Val sighed. "We'll pepper them through the report, including the shots we got of Osirus blasting that Sentinel."

"We are still waiting for reports from Doctor McCoy and the SHIELD agent," Jamie reminded her like a good minion should.

"I'm not expecting one from Hank," Val admitted, "he was there just as the X-Men's representative. And I strongly expect Agent Black with be reporting directly to SHIELD."

"Understood," Jamie agreed.

The phone rang and Val checked it, groaning. "I have to take this," she told Jamie as she picked it up. "Val Cooper, this is a unsecured line," she said by rote.

"How the HELL did you lose Monroe?" the familiar voice snarled.

"Why, hello Henry, good to hear from you," Val sighed as she addressed Henry Gyrich, a fellow government officer and a member of the Commission of Superhuman Affairs, which she was also on.

"Well?" Gyrich demanded, refusing to be diverted.

"I was under the impression he was a willing agent," Val answered calmly before adding, "And I was not the one who mind controlled him and tried to use him to kill superhumans."

Rather stiffly Gyrich answered, "I was under mind control at the time."

"SURE you were," Val said, very aware of his long history of despising superheroes and such. Calmly she added, "Monroe's defection won't hurt, much. He hasn't any classified data, and the serum in his blood is inert."

Gyrich grunted. "What do you think the Genoshians will do with him?" he had to ask.

"Well, my HOPE will be that they decide his defection is fake and lock him up," Val sighed, "but probably they'll put him to work."

Gyrich just hung up on her, and Val sighed as she put the phone back in it's cradle.

Jamie looked at her sympathetically. "Would you like me to get you a coffee or something?" she politely offered.

"What I'd LIKE is a drink, but it's too damn early," Val sighed and got back to work.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"The LIVING MONOLITH is running Genosha?" Cyclops repeated, looking appalled.

"Yes dear, try to keep up," Emma Frost noted to her boyfriend wryly. She addressed Hank, "And you think he's reformed to some extent?"

"SOMEWHAT, yes," Hank nodded a bit tiredly. They had only gotten back to the US that day, and he wanted to sleep in his own bed.

"Sorry," Cyclops smiled slightly, "we just... kind of lost track of him after he was possessed by Apocalypse then died. We thought."

"Hmm," Hank nodded. "Well, he appears alive and well, and arguably more powerful."

"He no longer size changes, but seems to still retain his strength and energy powers," Emma noted from Hank's report.

"Yes, tho I doubt he can attain the former upper levels he had," Hank nodded.

"Should we go after him?" Cyclops had to ask.

"For what?" Hank shrugged. "We could POSSIBLY try him for his pass actions, but..."

"Nor do we have authority over Genosha," Emma said before dryly adding, "tho admittedly that hasn't stopped us before."

Cyclops ignored that. "We'll just have to wait and see," he concluded, "and hope this leopard really has changed his spots."

To be continued...