After some plot re-configuring and trimming out unneccessary plot threads or details, I've cut the story shorter by about ten chapters. We've got 14 chapters to go before we move on to the next installment of the Acolytes of Chaos Saga. The remainder of the story is going to be primarily focused on Sora and the Avengers, with snippets of what's going on in Coalition space and a three chapter spread for Maleficent's invasion of Radiant Garden.


Chapter 28: Cold Fury:

The Kiln – Conference Room:

Much more serious circumstances than the last time we met in this room, Loki remarked to himself as he surveyed the faces of the other members of Maleficent's inner circle for signs of a reaction. It was extremely unlikely that any of them would ever allow their thoughts on the loss of not one but two Infinity Stones in the Battle of Knowhere to show so plainly on their faces, but even the most microscopic crack in a single mask could provide him with vital information to help unbalance the Hellfire Club. After their defeat at Knowhere, Maleficent had kept the Kiln on lockdown while she vented her frustration and pondered their next move.

Although the inner circle were all nominally on equal footing with each other, Loki was well aware that in practice it was Maleficent's empire to command as she saw fit, and the rest of them were merely her advisors and subordinates. Although that may not be the case much longer, he mused as he turned to regard one of the never additions to the Club. It was obvious to everyone that Malekith had his own agenda that was incompatible with Maleficents, and anyone with more than half a brain knew that each was preparing their own gambits to have the other eliminated. It was sad, really. According to Hades, in the final days of the conflict between the fledgling Coalition and Xehanort's Organization, the Hellfire Club operated like a well-oiled machine.

But now, the once feared cabal of the wicked and the power hungry had been split down the middle. Battle lines were being drawn, and it was obvious to everyone currently living in what used to be an interstellar prison who had chosen which side. Hades, Cruella, Hamsterviel, and Hook remained loyal to Maleficent, while Demona and Seymour sided with Malekith. Nebula only worked for the highest bidder, and Sephiroth's offspring had no loyalty towards anyone save each other. If Malekith's actions in San Fransokyo and Agrabah were any indication, the Hellfire Club was on the brink of tearing itself apart. All it needed was someone to press the right buttons at exactly the right moments and the two sides would tear into each other like a pack of starving wolves.

"We need to alter our tactics," Maleficent began, snapping the prince of Asgard out of his thoughts. "We have lost not merely the Infinity Stone we hoped to claim, but the one we already possessed as well. With the armies provided to us by HYDRA, Dr. Hamsterviel, and the Dark Elves, I believe the time for discretion and hiding has passed. It's time to step out of the shadows and take what is rightfully ours by force! No more scurrying about in the background like rats through a wall. It's time to start building our empire on the blood and bones of our vanquished foes. We will not simply wait to steal the Stones back at a moment when our enemy's guards are down. Instead, we will lower their guard ourselves. We will invade Radiant Garden, take back the Tesseract, raze their precious city and take the castle as the seat of our new empire!"

Amidst the cheering and discussion of the logistics of the coming invasion, the gears of Loki's mind whirled. He needed to get a message to his contact in Coalition Intelligence somehow and warn him that this attack was coming. He may not be able to totally prevent the loss of life the battle was sure to incur, but he could at least lower the casualties. All he had to do was figure out a way to keep Malekith's armada away from Radiant Garden or else it would be a slaughter. When the meeting concluded, Maleficent called out to him before he could leave the room.

"I have a different task for you, Loki," she told him. "Malekith would sooner destroy the entire world rather than leave the castle intact for us to rule. To that end, he'll be your chauffeur for the assignment. I know this may be hard for you, but I need you to return to the remnants of Thanos' lair and gauge whether the remains of the Chitauri can be added to our armies. Aand while you are there, I want you to set up a base for us there. While I wish to retake the Hollow Bastion as my throne, I'm also a pragmatist. I'm well aware that there is a possibility of failure, and should this invasion fail, the pathetic Coalition will trace our movements back here. So I'm sending you off to scout out a potential fall back point in the event that the Kiln is attacked. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly, old friend," Loki answered. He bowed to the self-proclaimed "Empress of Darkness" and returned to his quarters. Although outwardly stoic and calm, inside, he was fighting to keep his relief from showing on his face. This was better than he could have hoped. While he was uncomfortable about facing the Chitauri again, keeping the Nathalis and the rest of the Dark Elf fleet away from Radiant Garden would be well worth the wait. A pity that half the Dark Elves were being sent to Earth to help HYDRA test the world's defenses, but he was confident that his brother and the armies of Asgard would be more than capable of handling them on the home turf.


The Lanes Between – U.W.S. Anguis:

The Command cabins aboard the Anguis, High Praetor Aurilam reflected, were hardly the worst place he'd ever slept. While not as glamorous as the Legion's flagship, the Ava, the Anguis was still one of the most powerful and well-equipped vessel in the Legion's navy, second only to the Vulpeus. It's Spartan living quarters were reminiscent of the private bedrooms in the Castle That Never Was, but unlike that hollow castle full of half-dead abominations, the cabins aboard the Anguis and other vessels like it in the Legion's small but powerful star-fleet radiated warmth in spite of the lack of superfluous decorations. The High Praetor was snapped out of his contemplation by the chime signaling that his call had gone through. With the speed of a cheetah, he quickly got on his knees and bowed.

"Madame N.I.," he began. "Forgive me for my failure. One of the Lost ones escaped our custody. I underestimated her, thinking that her skills had atrophied after years of disuse. I was wrong, and I accept full responsibility for the consequences of my foolishness…"

"The Lost ones are only a secondary priority, High Praetor," N.I. interrupted. "Our first priority is The Endgame. We need the Infinity Stones or else nothing else matters."

"Of course, my lady," the former Graceful Assassin replied. "I'm merely concerned with the fact that she could expose us if given sufficient provocation."

"She will not unless we continue to pursue her, Aurilam," N.I. commented. "She has been content to keep our secrets as long as we have left her alone. We can execute her later. Right now, I have a new assignment for you. Take two Cohorts and retrieve the Mind Stone. Warden Lerena will take another group to retrieve the Tesseract." Aurilam looked up in shock.

"But Madame N.I.," he protested in shock. "Both worlds are heavily guarded around the clock. Even if we have the element of surprise on our side, getting out without any casualties will be next to impossible. We lost enough Legionnaires to that crime-riddled hollow skull. I refuse to sacrifice more of our people's lives as cannon fodder."

"I understand your reservations, High Praetor," the supreme commander of the Legion remarked. "Which is why a distraction has already been planned to ensure that your teams get in and out without sustaining casualties." Aurilam nodded his head in understanding before bidding his commanding officer farewell and signing off from the call. When the image of Madame N.I. fizzled out from the screen, he smiled as he stood up and made his way to the mission briefing room. He had to plan this carefully in order to ensure that casualties were kept at zero. He had some research to do, but he understood what his superior was planning. And with the distraction she had planned, this could actually work.


Earth – New Avengers Compound; Kitchen:

Breakfast in Avengers HQ was always an interesting experience. Whether it was Tony attempting to turn the toaster into a robot and inadvertently blowing it up, or the one day where Odin had secretly let the now-reformed Loki out for some exercise and he ended up winning the team's forgiveness through his incredible coffee making skills, there was always something happening in the vicinity of the kitchen in the mornings. But what consistently dragged every team member out of bed in the morning, without fail, was the first breakfast with a new teammate or other resident of the building. Even the team members who lived elsewhere spent the night whenever someone new joined the team.

The roster of the Avengers had changed over the years, with new additions joining and veteran members retiring every three years or so. After the capture of HYDRA leader Wolfgang Von Strucker back in 2015, Hawkeye and the Hulk retired from the team. Clint got a job closer to his family's homestead, while Bruce ended up becoming a teaching assistant at MIT. Tony had long since retired, while Kim and Ron had gradually settled down to start a family together. But despite not being active members, they never hesitated to put their gear back on and jump into the ring when their friends needed them. This particular morning, they had been prepared to sit down and welcome Sora into the fold, only to find him passed out on the couch.

After Tony told them that the kid hadn't fallen asleep until almost three A.M. they decided to let him sleep and have the obligatory life story sharing at lunch whenever the guy woke up. Around one in the afternoon, Sora finally stirred, and Tony dragged him into the kitchen for brunch and sat him down around the large communal table. Most of the team had already eaten, but everybody liked sitting down together whenever there was a new recruit for who they were as a person. Everyone usually had their own spots selected after years of habit and routine, but Tony and Stitch surprised everyone by breaking the mold and sitting on either side of the newcomer.

"So, Sora," Steve began. Although the Avengers didn't have an official team leader, most of the Avengers considered Steve the de facto leader of the group, and so he was always the first one to extend a hand of welcome to the new guys. "We didn't really get a chance for us to get to know you last night. Why don't you tell us about yourself? Where're you from?" Sora was nervous about how the rest of the Avengers viewed him at first, but once he had something to focus on, his anxiety melted away as he started telling the Avengers all about the Destiny Islands and his life there. As he talked about the major events of his life that had happened on the islands, the conversation diverted towards how he'd gotten his Keyblade, which in turn lead to telling the story of his adventures and the fight against both Maleficent and Xehanort.

"Damn this kid's a badass," Tony commented when Sora finished telling the story of his first adventure. "You were what, fourteen? And you 1, killed a dragon; 2, fought the Legions of Hell with no reward, 3, earned the respect and admiration of a sentient mystic weapon that was supposed to be passed on to your best friend until he went off the deep end, and 4, were perfectly willing to kill yourself in order to save the girl of your dreams. Can I just say, Holy shit!" Most of the Avengers were all expressing similar sentiments, although not nearly as profanity filled as Tony. After everyone took a break to get snacks and use the bathroom, Sora continued the story and told the Avengers about his forgotten sojourn into Castle Oblivion.

Natasha and Bucky got haunted looks on their face when they heard how Organization XIII had tried to use him as a weapon by manipulating his memories, but were otherwise silent. From there, Sora told the tale of his second journey, followed by his Mark of Mastery exam. Occaisionally, he had to go off on a tangent to explain different aspects of life in what was now Coalition territory, or to add in backstory on the life of Roxas and Xion, and Terra, Aqua, and Ven's struggles against Xehanort. Adding in the story of Xehanort's final defeat and the explanation of the recent conflict with the Hellfire Club that ended with him being stranded on Earth, it was time for dinner by the time Sora finished his tale.

Reactions were varied throughout the Avengers and their significant others. Rhodey, Sam, Bruce, Betty, Pepper, Jane, Hope, and Scott were all concerned about the fact that he'd only been a teenager when he'd gone through all that chaos and conflict. Natasha, Bucky, Clint, and the Maximov twins were impressed that he'd gone through all that and still managed to maintain his youthful cheerfulness and optimism. Tony, Kim, Ron, T'Challa, and Thor were in awe of Sora's achievements, particular how he'd become a Keyblade Master in all but name by the age of fifteen with absolutely no formal training. Steve, however, looked pensive.

"Hey Sora," Captain America began. "Have you ever heard of a man named Joshua Sweet?" Everyone looked at the super soldier in confusion at why he was asking.

"Yeah," the Keyblade Master replied, an edge of curiosity in his voice. "Kairi mentioned him to me one time after we beat Xehanort. He was a doctor on one of those Tethered world fragments she and Riku went to. Part of some expedition for some guy named Whitmore to find a lost civilization. Why do you ask?"

"Wait a minute," Tony interrupted. "Whitmore… Preston Whitmore! The guy was the primary financial backer for Project Rebirth, right?"

"I knew him," Steve answered. "Whitmore and the expedition crew. He talked about her and Riku a bit. He and the other crew members of Whitmore Industries' expedition to Atlantis formed a secret society for people from eras both Tethered and non-Tethered who knew about the Keyblade and its history."

"And how pray tell did you happen to know all of that, O Captain, my Captain?" Iron Man retorted sarcastically. But despite his flippant demeanor, there was a fire of curiosity in his eyes as his mind began connecting the dots to figure out what his teammate was about to say. With the entire team, plus Sora staring at him waiting for an answer, Steve took a deep breath before responding.

"Because I'm part of it," he said calmly.


That's right, people! Steve is secretly a member of S.A.C.K. If you've read my interquels you'll have already started to suspect this, but I'm sure you'll all enjoy definitive confirmation. Next chapter is going to be the Avengers reacting to the S.A.C.K. and seeing just how many people around them know about the Keyblade and the associated lore. The comments about Tony blowing up the toaster and Loki's coffee making skills are a reference to the gloriously amazing Harry Potter/Avengers fanfiction crossover Child of the Storm by Nimbus Llewelyn, finally completed early this month at 80 chapters and now starting on the sequel.