Chapter 58: I don't think I copied that

"After we break, and everyone gets some lunch- you all will gather at the Quinjet that's on standby. From there, J'onn and Rick will pilot. I'm sure Bruce and John will be close to the cockpit as well… Barry, Officer, Phill, you all will make up the rest of the strike team."

"What about Clint? And Bishop?" Phill asked.

"And hey, and what about Private Stewart? I know he's injured, but he could still use some experience… He could run point in the Quinjet." I tried to argue.

… If there was any relevance to my dreams, I had to try and argue against Private Stewart staying at the base…

"Barton, and Bishop, are going to be the backup team… should things go south. They will be on the ready nearby, but they will not be moving with the rest of the main team… And, Private Stewart is in no condition to be apart of this mission- in any role! The man's got a crushed ankle, for Eru's sake? What good's he goin' to do out in the field?"

"We don't know how severe it is, sir," I continued, "He hasn't even had an X-ray on it!"

"Enough, Officer! He's not going!"

… There was nothing else I could do to try and argue for this cause… Private Stewart wasn't going… General Fury then continued,

"So as I was saying- we're setting a trap. The building is your standard, state of the art, high tech research and development facility. It has multiple stories, and even more access points… Y'all will land at the edge of the wooded section of the facility's campus. From there, you will all take your positions…

J'onn will impersonate a janitor, mopping the front lobby. Bruce and John will cover things from the buildings security center. Officer, and Phill, you two will pose as janitors, as well. You two will walk the halls looking for anything out of the ordinary… and Barry, you will be stationed on the roof. You can get anywhere from there in a second. Rick will run the communications point from the Quinjet…

When the Marauders show up, Rick will call in for backup- and y'all will take down the enemy, and protect everything in the lab!"

"Simple enough!" John pounded his hand onto the table, "Right, mates!

"I still don't like it," Bruce admitted, "But we can handle this first."

"You still don't like what?" General Fury pried, "Let's hear it, Bruce!"

"Something's off… But I can't yet say what it is… Like I said, we can handle the Marauders first. Maybe they will have some answers?"

"Maybe they will, Bruce… Or maybe your just getting paranoid! Now, everybody go get some lunch… It's getting closer to game time!"

We all left the central control, and went to the cafeteria for lunch. It was a light pasta dish, and some soup. We all made sure to get our fill, but not too much- being as we were so close to the mission. Everyone ate slowly, and didn't talk much… I think we were all just focusing on the mission at hand… "getting into our zones", so to speak...

Eventually, the time came, and we all left for the Quinjet. I had hoped to see Private Stewart again, to try and offer him some sort of warning, but he was already in the medical unit getting his X-ray. The strike team took our positions on the Quinjet, and we made our way for the PalmerPym Tech facility.

The ride was quick, and soon we were landing on the campus. Sol was still out, but the business day was coming to an end. The building looked like it was was mostly empty by this point…

We exited the Quinjet, and made our way inside. Once there, Phill and I changed into some spare janitorial uniforms, and J'onn took the form of an elderly male janitor. Everyone then took their positions- and Phill and I started making our "rounds".

…

"What's this?" I asked myself.

I had been checking rooms, and walking the halls, for well over an hour by now. The janitor keys had actually gotten me into every room that I had come across… Even the secure ones! Although, half the things that I had saw- I had no idea what they even were… But this in this room - on a computer screen - I saw something I did know what it was…

I walked over, closer to the monitor, to make sure I was seeing what I thought that I was seeing… an AI code? J.A.R.V.I.S.? So it was what I was thinking... However, this code was more advanced than anything I had ever seen before… Far more advanced.

The computer appeared to be running a simulation? I didn't want to stop the simulation, so I didn't mess with the computer. But I did start rummaging around in the desk, and the filing cabinets, that were also in the room. Drawer by drawer, I searched for anything about this code that I could find. Even just the projects name…

When I had first realized what the computer monitor was displaying… My mind immediately thought of one thing… The "Ultron Protocol"

... It couldn't be though, right? To my knowledge, at this point- there's not even a Reed Richards in this timeline to help complete the project?...

… And then it hit me- There maybe wasn't a Reed from this timeline… But there was one that was now in this timeline… I kept looking through the files on this room...

"Batman, come in. This is The Martian. I see two figures approaching the front doors. Be on alert."

"I see them, Martian... Flash, do you copy?"

"Copy, Batman. I see them… But I think that was some bad pasta at lunch… Why does one look like a giant rock? And the other looks like it has a green tail?"

"What!? I don't think I copied that," Phill said into his communications device, "Like a lizard, tail?"

"Actually, Phill," The Martian confirm, "It does appear that one of the figures is some sort of reptilian hominoid… and the other large figure does appear to be made of stone? Batman, what's your order?"

"Hold your position, everyone... Officer, Phill, do you see anything from your positions?"

"Nothing," I said. I then hurried out of the lab to look out of the window at the end of the hallway.

"Nothing here, sir," Phill started to say, "... Hey wait! I think I saw something… Hey! Hey, you! Stop moving!"

"Phill, hold your position!" The Batman ordered, "Constantine is on his way! Do not engage!"

"I said don't move!" Phill continued. He had left his communications line open so that everyone could hear,

"Last chance, buddy! Turn around, slowly!... Are you- Are you wearing a fishbowl? What's that?... Hey! Hey, who are you!"

"Phill, get out of there!" I called into my communications device.

"Hey! What's that your holding!?..."

BUZZ! ZAP! BANG!... STATIC SCREECHING OF PHILL'S COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE...

"Phill!" I screamed!

"Constantine, Officer, get back to the lobby!" The Batman ordered, "We've been set up! Flash, get in here!... Rick!... Rick, do you copy?... Rick!?"

… There was no reply from the Quinjet…

"Everyone, rendezvous in the lobby, now!" The Batman then ordered, "We need to get out of here!"

"But, what about, Phill! I'm not leaving him again! I'll find him, and we'll meet everyone there!"

"Officer, I'm ordering-" CLICK

… I then turned off my communications device… I got you, Phill!...

I quickly made my way up several flights of stairs. Phill was located a few floors below the roof, but still a few floors above where I was located. When I finally got to the floor he was on, I pushed open the door to the main hallway, and I rushed inside! The first thing that I noticed was that all of the lights were off? The power was out...

Clearing down the hallway - at a cautious, but efficient pace - the only light that I had was from both the windows, and from my standard issue flashlight. As I moved through the hallway- there were no sounds on this floor… Just silence… Until eventually I heard,

"Hello, Officer. It's so nice to see you again!"

… Speaking of "Evil" Reed…

"Reed! What are you doing here? Where's Phill!?"

"Now, now, Officer… You know that Phill's not, yet, dead! But look, my friends are also still alive!" Reed began laughing maniacally, "Here, meet Mysterio… He's the magician of my little gang! And that there," he pointed over behind me, "That man is, The Wizard! Those two took care of Phill Coulson for me… Sadly, I couldn't be the one to do it myself!"

"No!" I yelled! "I'll send you all straight to Apocalypse!"

… I then charged towards Reed!... That is, until some sort of force field surrounded me- and then lifted me into the air!

"Not so fast, Officer," The Wizard taunted, as he held out some sort of staff… That must have been what he was using to stop me… Reed then continued to taunt me, "Yes, Officer… You still haven't seen what Lizard, and The Thing, are about to do to the poor Martian in the lobby…"

"I'll kill you, Reed! I swear to Eru!" I prophesied to Reed.

"Eru won't help you, Officer… He has no say on Arda, anymore! He hasn't in a long time! You chose to follow the wrong god, Officer… Nothing can save you, or your friends, now!"

…Just then, a flash of red lightning burst down the hallway! Doors flew open, and papers began scattering, and flying up into the storm! Before one could blink an eye- Reed, the Wizard, and Mysterio were all knocked out- and laid onto the ground!... The Wizard's device was damaged when it was dropped, and it released its hold on me- sending me tumbling to the ground…

"Flash! Perfect timing! We need to find Phill!"

"You get down to the lobby, Officer!" The Flash said, "I'll find Phill!"

"But, Bar-"

"Just go, Officer!"

… I did as The Flash said, and I ran down to the lobby… I turned my communications device back on, on the way…

"Batman, come in! It's Reed! He said he's with his 'gang'? He named a Mysterio, The Wizard, a Lizard, and a Thing?... Batman, do you copy!? Constantine? Martian?"

… I finally reached the bottom of the stairwell, and I kicked open the doors leading into the lobby… Batman and Constantine were busy engaging with The Lizard, while The Martian had his hands full with The Thing!

I started firing my weapon towards The Lizard, "Batman, Constantine! They got Phill! The Flash is looking for him! It's Reed! We have to get out of here!"

"Fall back everyone! We need to get outside!" The Batman ordered.

… Just then, The Flash arrived to the lobby… with Phill! Phill looked badly injured… But he still looked to be alive!

"Flash! You found Phill! I knew it! Come on, we have to get out of here!"

… A green fog then began to engulf both Phill, and The Flash… Within the same green fog, The Flash's red suit began to slowly give way to one of green, and gold… A fishbowl helmet?...

From behind the fog appeared Reed, and the Wizard. They both walked up to each side of Mysterio. Then, within an instant, a blue light emitted from the air around them all... And then they were gone… In their place, an explosion began demolishing the PalmerPym Tech facility!

The Lizard, and The Thing had both runoff in the explosion…

"Phill!" I yelled into the fire.

"Come on, Officer… It was an illusion… Let's go!" The Flash had then ran over to me, and he had started to try and break me from my rage induced paralysis, "That wasn't me! I I just got down from the roof! Something had hit me with a bad jolt of electricity… And it took me out for a while back there… I'm so sorry! I should have been here! But we need to get moving!"

… "...Took me out for a while back there…"... Excuse me?

We all ran back to the Quinjet! Rick was nowhere to be found?

"What? Wheres Rick?" The Flash asked.

"I don't know!" The Batman yelled in frustration, "Add him to the list of MIA's from this set up! General Fury was either given bad information… Or he's got many more questions that I'm going to want to ask him!"

… We all then took our seats, and with The Martian piloting the Quinjet, we departed back to base...

I didn't mention what else I had found… But no one else talked on the trip back to base, either… I was anxious to get back to the base…

… So far- my dream had seemed to be coming true…