Disclaimer: Original Characters are of my own design.

Spy Wars

Chapter 1: Raiders of the Lost Tesseract

Location: Tonsberg, Norway

Night

Tonsberg was one of the oldest towns in Norway. It was said that it was the first place on earth that the Gods of Asgard had visited and later resided. Though it was more of a town near the mountains and the ocean and was considered a major fishing village. Though it was more of ordinary, as it was just another quiet night for the sleepy fishing village. The night was cloudy as darkness spread across the dim lights of the town, including the ancient church at the center of it. With only the pale moonlight doing its best to shine through it as best it could. However, the quiet night was interrupted with the sounds of explosions and gunshots from the distance.

One of the townspeople, a young fisherman rushed in a panic to the church, as the explosions were getting closer. He got inside, as he closed the door, locking it up, as he heard footsteps from the stairway close to the door. Walking down was an elderly gentleman, who looked more like a groundskeeper than a priest or monk. As he reached the floor, he asked, "What's going on?"

"Invaders," the young fisherman answered, as he rushed to the stairs to meet with him, "They've come for it."

"They have before, and never found it," the old man assured him.

"Not like this," he told him.

"Let them come," The Keeper replied. "I doubt these people will find it so easily."

However, the conversation was put to a hold, as they heard rumbling outside. It was almost as if a tank was coming towards them, even as the church shook. The two individuals stood there in worry, even as the chandelier above them warpled back and forth from the tremors, and the candles began to shake as well. Even Viking ornament helmets began to shake like cymbals. But as the two looked around in worry, it stopped as did the shaking, as everything returned to normal. But then they heard the sound of footsteps. Heavy footsteps, coming towards the door. And then they stopped.

Before the young man or elderly fellow could make heads or tails of it, the door was suddenly smashed open. The door was flung right at them, as they both backed away, as it smashed through, imbedded into the wall nearly 20 feet from behind them, reaching the altar. The two looked at such a feat of strength, as they looked to the door to see who had done such a feat.

He stomped right in, as lights from outside only made him a silhouette, as he stomped in, allowing the normal light in the place to show himself. He was a tall man around 7-8 feet tall, heavily muscled and hard to make out, as he was wearing a full-body getup. He was covered from head to toe in a black leather ensemble of pants, a duster jacket, gloves, and boots. It was a reminiscent style of former Nazi soldiers. But the odd thing about him was that he was wearing a leather mask that covered his face with only two red lenses for his eyes, and hooked to his body onto his back was a strange backpack of sorts with a tube connecting to his front neck on both sides, as well as under his ribs. Though on the left shoulder, there was an insignia of silver depicting a V with an upside-down triangle of what appeared to be a skull.

Walking behind him was a young lady of eighteen, Asian with pale skin but with Dark Red hair that went down to her lower legs with a bang slightly covering her left eye, of which both were light red. She had an athletic figure but slender as well, with long legs, tight waist, and a C Cup chest. She was wearing from neck to toe a jump suit but with stylized armor to it; it was colored black with the left sleeve red and the right leg red as well, with her right shoulder having a red shoulder guard, with both her black gloves having red thumbs and hand guards, with her boots being both black and red guards too. On her thighs were black and red buckled holsters with her waist having a red and black belt. Around her neck, she also had a pendant of the exact insignia, as well as on her left shoulder.

The girl remarked, "Knock, knock."

The big fellow walked forward, as he passed the two, with every step he took making a small impact tremor, as he stomped towards what appeared to be a mausoleum tomb built on the right side of the church.

The young man called out, "Hey, you can't…!"

But before he could walk towards the man, a red bolt of energy stopped him, as it struck the floor between him and the keeper. The energy came from the young woman, evidenced by her right hand out, looking like she had shot a bolt from it, as she sternly advised, "I suggest you keep from making a fight. We'll just be taking what we want and getting out of here."

Outside

Passing what appeared to be a tank that could hold fifteen men in it was a black modernize Coupe, as it slowly pulled in. its muscle engine roared like a tiger, even as it came to a stop with all four of its headlights beaming forward. The small icon on the grill was the same as the insignia shown on the two individuals. As the car was turned off, its sole occupant opened the driver's door and walked out, as it headed towards the church.

Meanwhile

Inside

But the Keeper stepped forward for a moment to approach, while soldiers in what appeared to be black stormtrooper outfits made their way in. They looked to wear gas masks and gray body armor, like former Nazi storm troopers, but with more modernizations to them, such as Kevlar body armor in some areas, grayish armor on their shoulders, chest, forearms and hands, even on their boots, with their thighs having holsters. Though they all had the same V and Skull insignia on their belt buckles and the left shoulder armor.

The Keeper then complained, "There's nothing here! This is a simple fishing village!"

"Which makes it the perfect place to hide from the world."

The new voice caught everyone's attention, as they turned to look at the floodlight-lit opening that they all came out of. There, standing at the doorway, as they walked in, was the mastermind of this excursion.

He was a young Caucasian man of eighteen, much like the girl, with a slim but small muscle build befitting an athlete in running or swimming. His skin was deathly pale unlike the Asian girl's, with deep black hair with a massive bang hiding the upper right part of his face, and his eye, the only one shown, had his iris shown to be the unnatural color of yellow. He was dressed in a black jumpsuit of sorts but with armor pieces to it. The armor was colored Steel Gray, with pieces on the outside of his chest and on his abs, outer armor on his thighs and forearm guards with hand guards on the back of his hand. His boots were armored with steel gray with black parts on the back o the calves. He also had a black duster that reached to his knees, well more like an overcoat, with steel gray trim on the sleeves which were rolled up to the elbow, on the shoulders, and the collar, but was open on the front, as it seemed to be connected to the suit he was wearing to the gray belt buckled black utility belt. Though on the lapel there was the same insignia, only for him it was more of a medal than an emblem.

He walked right on in, as he walked to the girl, as she humbly saluted, "Janus, sir! We're currently breaking into the tomb, so…"

"It's alright, Blyte. I know of the situation," the man named Janus assured the girl, as he gently put a hand on her left shoulder. Though this action seemed to cause her to blush a little, as well as let a small smile escape her face. Even as he walked towards the Keeper, as he replied, "You know, it's taken me a very long time to locate this place. Or more specifically what you're hiding." He stopped as the two were now a foot apart, as the young man smiled, "I think that earns an appraisal to such hard work."

He walked a little closer to the gentleman, which caused the younger man to rush at him, but Blyte rushed in, and gently got the guy in a cuff hold from behind, as she smirked, "Relax. He's not gonna do anything. Unless the old man makes him."

Once he knew things were good, Janus turned his attention to the Keeper, as he reached forward… only to brush dust and dirt off the man's coat, as he calmly spoke, "I think in some way, you and I are a bit much alike, good sir."

The old man shook his head, as he stated, "I am nothing like you."

Janus didn't take that as an insult as he shrugged, "True, but both you and I agree that what you're hiding here isn't a myth or fairy tale. What other view as merely superstition, you and I both know it as cold-hard fact."

Though the Keeper denied it flat out, "What you seek is merely just a legend…."

"Then why go so far and elaborate just to hide it," Janus quickly interrogated.

A huge grunt was heard, as the two and everyone else looked to see the big fellow rip the door off finally. He turned and set the door to the wall, as he spoke in a guttural deep mighty voice, "THE DOOR IS OPEN, SIR."

"Excellent, Maximus," Janus replied, as he gently pushed the Keeper with him to the inside of the Mausoleum. Inside was a room big enough for eight people to take refuge in, while on the left side was a mural of what appeared to be a mighty tree surrounded by nine spheres, with its roots showing from the bottom, and the spheres connected to it. This was a depiction of Yggrasil, the World Tree that connected the Nine Realms. But in the center was a tomb of what could have been a priest or Viking warrior famous to the town of Tonsberg.

Janus and the Keeper stopped at the tomb, as Janus put his gloved hand on the top of it… and effortlessly pushed the top completely off to the front side. Despite the shock of the Keeper, Janus walked over to the right side of it, as inside was the remains of a Viking Warrior long dead. But in its hand was a small bluish crystal cube no bigger than an Eight Ball. He gently took the cube in his free right hand, holding it up for even his men and the young man outside to see, as he walked towards the Keeper calmly, with only the cube in his hands to bridge the distance between them.

"The Tesseract," Janus proclaimed. "Or more commonly known as the Eye of Odin. Legend has it after Odin plucked his own eye out, it crystalized but still remained powerful. Whoever held it was said to have been given both Power and Insight. As such, it was considered the crown jewel of Odin's Treasure Room. Though other legends stated that the Tesseract was rumored to level mountains, and cause cities and its citizens to disappear without a trace. An army that holds the Tesseract… was rumored to be invincible."

But then huffed, as he easily crushed the cube in his hand, turning it to shards as he dropped the pieces, as he sighed, "Though it's not something one buries. And it's not something that can easily be shattered like that." He then walked into the Keeper's face as his calm demeanor was about to slowly become one of rage, as he spoke to him, "But I think it's close by. Don't you think?"

"I cannot help you with this," the Keeper calmly but defiantly replied.

"Of course not," Janus replied, as he gently signaled the men outside, as they signaled too, even as Janus concluded, "But maybe you could help your village out. Surely you must have friends. Family. Those that won't want to die."

They both heard the whirring of what appeared to be the cannons on top of the tank structure moving into position. The Keeper looked to Janus, who didn't look like he was playing around, but shook his head. Janus was close to losing his top, but then stopped as he looked surprised on something. He turned around to face the mural of the World Tree, as he walked towards it, and stated, "Yggrasil. The World Tree. It connects all the Nine Realms, including Asgard and Midgard."

The Keeper nodded, "Of course."

But then Janus took notice of one of the roots had a serpent wrapped around it. It was a typical depiction of the World Serpent told in legend that was wrapped around the world like a guardian. "Then why is it in here in a tomb," Janus slowly reached to it, as he concluded, "When it should be out there for all to see?" And then gently pushed at the serpent. Suddenly, a compartment popped open, as the Keeper sighed in defeat, as Janus slowly pulled out the box compartment to it.

He turned around as he slowly opened the lid of the box. Once he did, an amazing illumination of light poured out of it, just as bright as the headlights outside. Though it was more of a brilliant sky blue than white like outside. It also gave off a kind of humming sound as well. Due to the shocked expressions of the soldiers, Maximus, and Blyte, they were surprised, though the looks that the fisherman and the Keeper were of defeated shock. But Janus's face was more of a calm accomplished victory, as he smiled, "And Adolf Hitler was having his men digging for trinkets in the Desert during WWII." He then looked to the Keeper as he asked, "I take it you never saw what was in this box? Not even once?"

Regaining his composure, the Keeper replied, "It's not for the eyes of ordinary men."

"On that, I agree," Janus concluded, as he closed the lid, and walked out of there. He looked to Blyte as she threw the kid aside, as he ordered, "The scenario is a simple one for a cover: a bunch of mercenaries ran into town drunk with their high tech arsenal. No unnecessary killings, just make it look like they demolished through the town and out."

"Understood," Blyte nodded, and she and Maximus and the soldiers walked out.

"Fool!" the Keeper called out as Janus was making his way out while the old man attempted to stop him, "You cannot control the power that you hold in your hands! There's a reason why we have tried to hide the Tesseract for centuries! You will burn! And if you don't, the whole world will burn!"

Janus stopped, as he turned around to face the old man, and gently pulled back his bang to reveal to him a gray and black mask covering the upper right side of his face, as he replied, "I already have. And I only intend for half the world to burn." And then strode out of there, as buildings sounded like they were being broken into and demolished.

Not Far

Somewhere far from Tonsberg, a pair of binoculars were looking through witnessing people panicking and running away, as their homes were being demolished. The pair holding the binoculars were dressed up in similar jumpsuits that Janus was wearing. Only instead of the insignia of the V and Skull, on the left chest plate was an insignia of the Earth with an iris and pupil in the center of it.

The first one spoke up, "Get a message to Arthur. We spotted VILE making their move."

Next Chapter: Ordinary Men made Extraordinary Life pt.1