Genosha
Insight Helicarrier 01
"Director on deck!"
Minutes after the launch, which was a complete success, Trent boarded the 01 helicarrier, which was to hover and patrol around the Americas. 02 was to patrol Europe, while 03 was to patrol around Africa and the Middle East.
The great thing about the helicarriers was that they never needed to dock for fueling. Unlike the first helicarrier, there were six quinjets specifically designed to refuel the carriers in midflight. That time made up could have been the difference between them stopping a terrorist cell, and a school being blown up. That was enough for him.
He strode quickly through the sleek metal halls in the lower deck en route to his new office. By his side were his Deputy Director and Agents Coulson and Johnson. Johnson handed him a video file. On it showed a pair of mutant terrorists, known to be members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, standing at either side of a pair of women who were kneeling on the floor. The two women were dressed in business suits and ripped lab coats.
Trent sighed heavily. "When did we intercept this?"
"Thirty minutes ago. Those two hostages are Oscorp geneticists that were working on a cure for mutations. They were taken from their Miami, FL office around 10 PM, two days ago," Johnson answered.
He pursed his lips. If it was Magneto's people, then they were more than likely being held in Genosha. "Alright. This is our first challenge in the Insight era. Hill, I want the exact locations of these bastards in fifteen minutes."
"Yes sir." Hill marched to the main deck where there were computer terminals already linked to the targeting satellites launched from the Lemurian Star, a mobile satellite launch platform stationed in the Indian Ocean.
"Sir, I'm sure that if Magneto is involved, the X-Men are already on it. Maybe we should collaborate with them," Coulson suggested.
Trent sighed. He really wished, maybe just once, Coulson would leave the capes where they were. "No. This is what I was talking about. If Xavier sends his goon squad after his old friend, nothing will happen. Yeah, the people will be saved, but there won't be a message sent that you can't do this and think that you have impunity."
Coulson grimaced, but said nothing.
That's what I thought, fanboy. "Now, then, make sure the cannons are fired up and ready when Hill locates them."
"Yes sir," he said promptly before striding quickly to the main deck.
Trent continued on his way to his office, if only so he could warm the chair before watching the helicarrier blow a pair of terrorists away who would actually dare kidnap a pair of doctors just doing their jobs. Now, whether that job was legal or not remained to be seen. "Johnson, look into Oscorp's genetics department and see if their 'mutant cure' is on the up and up."
"Yes sir."
As Johnson hurried off, Trent entered his office and closed the door behind him. As soon as he sat down, his phone rang. It was a encrypted number. "This is Director Trent."
"I see that the launch was successful. Congratulations," said the person on the other end.
"Thank you. We have a bit of a situation, so if I could call you back later –"
"No. I won't be long. Just know that next month, I'll be coming to join you. I trust that everything will be in place?"
That surprised Trent. He sat up straighter in his seat, as if the person could see him. "Yes. Yes it will. I'll see you soon." The phone hung up abruptly. A goodbye would have been nice.
He sighed and looked up to find Hill standing in his doorway. "They're in a prison located on the west coast of the island, first of two levels. Guns are locked on the four guards on their cell block, as well as the two mutants responsible for their kidnapping."
"Their names?"
"St. John Allerdyce, aka Pyro, and Motimar Toynbee, aka Toad."
Trent nodded slowly. Pyro and Toad. "Alright. How close is 03 from its station?"
"Two hours."
Two hours' distance was nothing to the quinjets docked on the helicarriers. What he was worried about was the hostages being killed before they could get to them. "Have 03 launch a quinjet full of agents for Genosha. When it's within range, have the cannons fire on Toad and Pyro, while firing on the agents will go through the hole opened up and use the distraction to extract the two hostages and get the hell out quickly."
Hill nodded and hurried to relay his instructions to the right people.
He pressed a button on the left side of his desk. "Are the anti-mutant power dampeners operational on all three carriers?"
=Yes sir. Should I have 03 activate theirs?=
"Yes. Thank you."
There was going to be retribution. If there was anything he knew about Magneto, which wasn't a lot, it was that he defended his people with a vigor and passion that he hadn't seen in a long time.
There was going to be retribution, and they were going to be ready.
Twenty-Five Minutes Later
The delay was to allow the cloaked quinjet the time to get into position. Invisible to the island's impressive sensors, the jet managed to land within thirty feet of the prison, further hidden by the heavy wooded area behind the facility.
Hill gave the word and the high precision long range cannons fired a dozen times. The two blips confirmed to be Toad and Pyro blinked off within seconds. At that moment, the cannons fired on the opposite end of the prison, away from the cell the hostages were being held in. Doing it that way attracted attention away from where the SHIELD team would be entering.
Entrance and extraction took one minute. Security was thin, so they had no trouble getting past the guards and breaking the two women out.
By the time Genoshan officials knew what was happening, the jet was gone and headed back to its assigned helicarrier. It would be days before Magneto would figure out that it was a SHIELD operation; by the time he did, they would be ready.
"Sir?" Daisy Johnson entered the office, holding a file in her hand. She swept her short bangs further up her forehead and dropped it on his desk. "Turns out that the mutant cure project that Oscorp is running is a secret agenda. Not recognized or even known by the government."
That was great. Just perfect. He pulled a form from his desk and quickly filled it out and signed it. "Head to New York and confiscate everything they have. Serums, research, data, experiments results, everything. Wait, how far along were they?"
"Testing phase," she said grimly.
Knowing that nutcase Osborn, they were testing on mutants. There was their legal leverage. "Osborn knows that if he was testing on mutants, he's in hot water with the UN. Let him know that we know, and he likely won't resist." He handed her the form.
"Likely?"
"He is crazy. If he does resist, arrest him on suspicion of violating human rights."
"Yes sir."
As she left, Trent leaned back and steepled his fingers together. In truth, he couldn't give even one crap about mutants. This was to make sure that the one sure fire way to keep them down was in their hands and not in those of some lunatic. Provided, of course, that it worked.
Osborn was crazy, but he wasn't stupid, so of course it worked.
If Magneto was angry about losing two hostages and two of his terrorist cell, let him come. They would be ready.