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Phase 2: Razor wings

=IS=

Part 5

=IS=

Tony Stark's private plane

en route to Tacoma

Well, deceiving people using as much truth as practical was a storied Sith tradition.

"Romanoff, while exploring those caves, did you note a snazzy gem-encrusted cube near one of the bunks?" I asked. "I don't know how it made its way to a cave in Afghanistan or on Earth. It contained a memory engram, a legacy of sorts meant to guide and help train descendants or apprentices, so to speak. I don't know if it was damaged or intentionally altered. Yinsen found it among some junk left over in the cell. He gave it to me to keep me distracted, thinking it was a kind of Rubik's cube made for royalty or something in that vein. It had enough gems and looked fancy enough to believe it so. I was toying with it while recovering from Yinsen operating on me to save my life. I accidentally activated it. Instead of doing its original purpose and acting as a training tool and adviser to raise a legacy, it dumped all its content in my head. That was unpleasant."

"How do you know that, Mr. Stark? Are you theorizing?" Romanoff asked.

"I know what it was supposed to do because I have the memories of the man who built it. It wasn't supposed to work the way it did. This is why I theorize it was a malfunction or someone modified it between the time it was built and ended in that cave. That is how I now remember having extensive combat training and experience, even if my body isn't quite up to putting it to best use."

"The training being?" Ward asked curiously.

"Equivalent of special forces direct action and shock trooper tactics." While true, that was more recreation using my influence to get into Imperial military training courses to get away from standard Sith bullshit briefly.

The same was partially true when I spent some time playing Bounty Hunter as a cover.

The Agents exchanged glances. I could feel worry and apprehension coming from them.

"I'll point out that if I were an alien impostor, I would not be revealing anything to you. If that were the case, I wouldn't care for a daughter of Tony Stark, who I wouldn't be in the first place. Hannah wouldn't be worth breaking my cover if that were the case." I made my case.

"That certainly sounds plausible." May stared at me, unblinking. "I certainly wouldn't break cover in his shoes. Especially not because a kid I just learned about and never even met."

"May, you're not exactly a shining example of humanity. None of us are." Ward chuckled. "So, alien's memories?"

"From what I recall, it's a big universe out there."

"That's why you weren't surprised when I mentioned the Skrull and Kree, or aliens in general, for that matter." Ward nodded to himself. "Do you know of them?"

"Only what you told me. The cube and the man who made it weren't from anywhere near our neighborhood, thus why it shouldn't have been here in the first place."

"How can you be sure of that?" Romanoff asked.

"I remember crossing the galaxy multiple times, and it looked nothing like the Milky Way. Hell, from my new memories, I don't recall anything like the Milky Way was nearby. For all I know, the damn thing wasn't from our dimension or something. That would make as much sense as the engram ending on Earth in a different galaxy. More sense even." I shrugged. "But that's not relevant now."

I was taking a risk, true. However, some of what and who I was now, would inevitably leak soon, at least to SHIELD, who already knew or suspected I wasn't exactly normal. The perception of honesty could help in that regard. I would offer incentives too.

"Getting to the nearest galaxy would have taken thousands of years at least and an incredible investment of resources. I see no reason why someone would want that engram brought along. If people would have either used it or destroyed it."

"You sound certain of that," May noted.

"The fellow whose memories I got didn't spend his whole life as a grunt running around shooting people." I shrugged.

"He got promoted," Ward suggested.

"And with that came mandatory higher education, especially for those with aspirations to command capital ships. He was much less happy studying engineering courses than I am. I would kill for access to some of the universities that bastard found tedious." I shook my head with a distant look. The things I could do with even more theoretical and practical knowledge!

"You believe you have access to advanced alien technology." Romanoff stared at me, trying to read me. "No, you have the know-how, the theories that make it work."

"Some of them. I certainly don't have a university's worth of databases crammed in my head. But what I recall and my incredible genius?" I smiled. I didn't even have to lie about my intentions in that regard. "Given time and resources, I will give us the stars themselves!" I declared grandly.

"That's the Tony Stark whose profile I had to study." Romanoff groaned.

"So you don't want power armor when I have it ready or proper stealth generators if I can replicate the tech? I'm sure some of your colleagues would appreciate such gifts for field testing. Then again, unless we get my daughter safe and sound, it's all a moot point."

"Blackmail, Mr. Stark?" Ward raised an eyebrow.

"Consider it an incentive not to fuck up." I left them to ponder my words, pulled out my phone, and then dialed my AI.

"What do you have for me, Jarvis?"

"I tracked the kidnapper's van origin to a large underground parking lot. I'm in the process of hacking cameras and trying to track their destination still. It was heading toward a warehouse zone on Tacoma's outskirts, with sparse camera coverage. Satellite image allowed me to narrow a practical search area until the next satellite is in position in two minutes, Sir."

"They'll likely swap vehicles. Possibly in one of the warehouses, then potentially torch the van they used to cover their tracks. They'll use timed charges to burn it down if they're smart. Otherwise, the fire can draw attention to the swapping point while they're close to it. Jarvis, keep an eye on the whole district if you have to. They might change to another van, possibly SUVs or cars with tinted glass. If you lose contact, keep footage from all cameras in the region. Once we have the location of the van they used, you should be able to narrow down search areas even if you can't track them for certain."

"You've done this before," May commented. "Counter-terrorism?"

"I've been on both sides of the fence, or that's what I remember. The Intelligence Services relied on army and navy special forces to track terrorists or direct covert action on hostile worlds. Surveillance and AI support to process all the data can be invaluable."

"Huh, you aren't bullshiting us," May noted

"I certainly couldn't be bothered to even think about basic military training, much less special forces. I was too busy drinking my life away and getting laid. At least there might be something good to show for it if we don't fuck up."

"That engram or whatever changed you, didn't it, Mr. Stark?" Ward asked curiously.

"Those additional memories gave me a new perspective on life. I remember a galaxy-wide war, Agent. Worlds burning, and species g

oing extinct just because they were in the way. You confirmed we aren't alone in our corner of the galaxy. I don't want to see Earth burn as well. I might be able to do something about it if we get enough time to develop technology and build up industries."

It was interesting observing the Agents through the Force. Their emotions were all over the place, even if, on the surface, they had their variants of polite interest. Worry, apprehension, and curiosity made for a fascinating mix to taste. They were all on edge too, but not overly hostile.

"Sir, I've got them!" Jarvis happily announced. "The van just entered a warehouse on the edge of Tacoma. I'm accessing all available cameras in the area. The satellite will be in position momentarily. I should be able to track all vehicles leaving the area, Sir."

"Good work, Jarvis. I owe you one."

"Damn, that's useful. Your AI is at least as good as a team of analysts and support staff." Ward whistled.

"Jarvis is awesome." I cracked Tony's Number One smile.

=IS=

Part 6

=IS=

Seattle-Tacoma International airport

Seattle, Washington State

By the time we landed, Jarvis had proved he was invaluable.

The bastards were canny enough to avoid cameras when they left the warehouse. That did nothing to hide them from a

n SI satellite. Jarvis managed to get overhead just in time. He proceeded to track two SUVs to a potential few locations in the forests of Washington state near Tacoma. They never got past a large junction with a gas station and cameras leading towards the highway that led out of state. Maps and satellite imaging showed that there was no good way to get out of the forests in the area if the dead-men-walking tried to drive away from the main roads.

Instead, there were various vacation compounds and private villas in the forests. It was an excellent place to lay low or to draw out someone you wanted dead. The only downside was a lack of good extraction options, barring underground tunnels or air transport.

Conveniently enough, two of the properties in the area had barns large enough to stash a small helicopter inside. Flying low and without a transponder, it would be possible to avoid civilian radars altogether. Most military radars were set up to track hostile targets trying to enter the continental US. The internal coverage away from major military bases was sparse.

There were AWACS for that if needed, after all.

Three SUVs with darkened windows waited for us, with two more cars parked nearby. A few police cruisers formed a perimeter around the other vehicles.

The Agents descended first and went to talk with their buddies. I gather that they were a hastily mobilized SHIELD strike team with vehicles and equipment brought from the nearby storage facility. The others were the lawyers Pepper contacted: Joan Hale and Barnard Trent from one of the larger legal firms in the Seattle area. A criminal lawyer and a specialist in divorces and custody cases, respectively.

Despite their other distractions, SI's Legal Department got those two recommended and vetted fast. They got a contract ready to sign so the local lawyers would be bound to protect my interests. While not precisely ordinary, we got the contracts signed and stamped on the airfield. Then I quickly explained the gist of the issue. Trent got on his phone, calling contacts to smooth things over as far as Hannah was concerned. Hale began pestering me about doing the same thing and letting the LEOs and Federal Agents handle the issue.

Needless to say, I disregarded her advice, which didn't make the blond woman happy. She was even less comfortable when I got on board one of the SUVs, and we left the airfield, leaving her behind.

"Mr. Stark, I'm Agent Bork Rumlow," The man riding shotgun turned around and introduced himself. "I want to apologize for our failure and thank you for the warning. If it weren't for it, I would likely be dead." He nodded at his left hand, which was in a sling.

"I watched a recording of what happened. You didn't have many good options while offering distant protection, and those bastards knew where you were." I noted.

"They did," Rumlow growled. "Two fire teams came straight at us before we knew what was happening. If it weren't for your warning, Mr. Stark, we wouldn't have been able to react at all." He grimaced. "What passes for good news is that thanks to your AI, we know where they

are. We've got a drone on the way to give us eyes in the air. By the time we get there, it would be night, and that should give us a chance to sneak close to the compound they've barricaded themselves in." He turned forward and opened the glove compartment to take out a portable communications device and offered it to me.

It was one of the types SI developed for the US and allied special forces.

We spent the journey to the area looking over the official plans of the compound, satellite images, and live feed from a Predator drone. It got in position ten minutes before we had to leave the main road going out of Tacoma in the desired direction.

According to the plans, we were looking at a typical forest retreat out of the city. Thermal imaging told us another story. Whatever this was before, now it was a reinforced compound with cells in the basement. There was a slight warm form in one of them, with a guard sitting on a chair near it. One hostile vanished in the barn.

It was shielded. On thermal, it appeared cool and empty. That was almost certainly a well-camouflaged hangar. Five more hostiles were moving or resting in the large reinforced house.

"The guard near the kid is going to be an issue. If it wasn't for him, we might be able to storm the place loud and fast. A few flashbangs and breaching charges would give us an advantage." Ward offered over the comms.

Ward went to the car in the back when we left the airfield. May went in the front, leaving Romanoff stuck with me in the back of the center SUV. They were likely going to give the rest of the SHIELD agents heads up as far as I was concerned.

"If I can get close enough, I can either take him out or incapacitate the sentry for long enough so the rest of you can storm the building." I looked at the drone image. "I'll need someone to cover me while we go to the back of the building, close to the basement and Hannah's cell."

Romanoff looked up from the tablet in her hands.

"You don't need a line of sight for telekinesis?"

"Depending on the circumstances, I might not need it." If I knew where my target was and could sense them through the Force, I could affect them. Not having other distractions, like people trying to kill me, would help.

"If you can do it, Mr. Stark, this sounds like a plan." Romanoff tapped the table she held with a finger. "Mr. Stark, you will neutralize the sentry, then we breach the compound and cut off the rest of the targets from access to the basement. Then we can neutralize or capture them at our leisure. Ward, you will take out the one in the barn if he's still there. The STRIKE team will take point, secure the way into the basement, and then cover the primary objective. May and I will neutralize the threats in the building."

It was a decent and simple plan. I liked it.

=SI=

We stopped at the edge of the woods, just off the main road. The SHIELD STRIKE team got kitted out even before it met us at the airfield. The rest of us had to gear up from what they had in the SUVs' trunks, which was nothing to scoff at. Soft body armor suits, vests with ceramic inserts, SMGs, pistols, and shotguns. Cases with grenades – fragmentation, smoke, incendiary, flashbangs. Enough ammo to wage a battle or two.

I got a vest, SMG, and sidearm, with ammo and a couple of grenades of each type, just in case. The agents did the same, though May and Romanoff quickly discarded most of their clothes for form-fitting Kevlar suits, belts, and harnesses to carry their equipment. The drivers moved the SUVs out of sight, and we headed toward the target.

A few hours slog through the forest followed while the drone circled high above. Romanoff and May took point and found a few well-concealed cameras as we approached the compound. That would complicate things, though it wasn't much of a surprise.

Rumlow, despite his injury, and one of the fully kitted out SHIELD agents were with me. At the same time, we circled the compound, hopefully avoiding any hidden cameras. The rest prepared to storm the place as soon as we gave them the signal.

Needless to say, the cameras were on a closed circuit, ensuring that remotely hacking them was out of the question. Instead of slowly and quietly sneaking to the back of the compound, we were going to do it fast.

I nodded at Rumlow, who cracked his comm twice, then clicked off the safety of his silenced pistol.

Ten seconds. I took a few deep breaths and submerged myself in the Force. I dashed forward, using the Force to look for traps and enemies' life force. Halfway through the open field behind the compound, I could sense multiple signatures. I could feel a brief surprise, then a rippling sense of danger. I ignored it and shifted my focus down. There they were – two signatures, one larger to my left and a smaller one, in the corner to the right.

My target stirred from his sitting position and surged to his feet. I didn't bother sparing my reserves. I used everything I had to grab him in a solid telekinetic hold and slam him headfirst into the ceiling. The sudden drain of everything I had drove me to my knees, and I slammed painfully into the side of the building.

"Sentry down," I rasped.

I could hear shouts and not-so-quiet retorts of suppressed weapons. A sharp crack shook the building—a breaching charge. The STRIKE team had to be inside now.

The Force eagerly flowed into me, revitalizing me. The STRIKE agent with us helped me get off my knees, and we rapidly circled the building, moving low. We got around to see Ward jogging away from the hangar. He

too was moving low to make himself a smaller target.

At that point, the plan went to hell.

"STRIKE One, Raven, You've got two unknown SUVs rapidly heading your way. ETA five minutes." The female voice of the drone operator cracked in my earpiece.

Flashbangs cracked loudly and lit up the compound. Quiet rapid fire crackled all over the place.

We stacked up at the blasted open door, and Ward nodded at us. He pointed at himself, then left, before signing at us towards the right and center.

"The Primary is secure. Holding position." An unfamiliar voice announced over the comm.

A surge of relief washed over me, and I gave Ward a thumbs up. Moments later, we stormed inside. The STRIKE Agent was on point due to his better armor and helmet. Ward went after him, twisting left, and I went right, with Rumlow covering my back.

We found Romanoff and one of the STRIKE Agents in a large kitchen. They used a tall fridge and a counter in the center of the room for what little cover they could offer. They were busy exchanging shots with at least two targets barricaded behind a piece of furniture with its back reinforced by metal. Whatever it was, it had been near the door, ready to be shoved to block most of it and offer decent cover.

At a glance, the bastards barricaded there had full body armor, which wasn't ideal. We all had silenced weapons and subsonic rounds. That armor could tank at least some of those. I got a demonstration of that fact when one of the enemies leaned to send a suppressive burst our way. He got nailed by Romanoff and the other Agent to no visible effect. I went low, sliding over the tiled floor, then west past the Black Widow and looked for the nearest knives.

There was a wooden knife stand on the counter above my head. I used the Force to pull it towards me and grabbed a wide butcher's knife.

Romanoff reloaded and used the brief pause to raise an eyebrow at me. I nodded at her and waited for the next burst of suppressing fire from the enemies. Just as one of them partially exposed his arms to fire, I used telekinesis to pull him over his cover. I threw the knife at him and shoved the weapon with the Force. Pieces of shattered dishes and glass struck the far side of the kitchen, causing more noise than the firefight. My knife flew true and slammed into the neck of my target, nearly decapitating him.

Rumlow nodded at us from the kitchen door. He had holstered his pistol and had a frag grenade ready.

"Suppressing fire!" Romanoff and I barked at the same time and opened fire.

Rumlow threw the grenade, and we returned behind the dubious cover the counter provided. A loud explosion shook the compound. I focused on the Force and looked around. There were no more signatures in the next room. I could sense at least four downstairs. That had to be the part of the STRIKE team that went after Hannah.

"Right flank is secure," I announced.

More flashbangs cracked loudly, and suddenly oppressive silence fell upon the compound.

"Strike One, Raven. The SUVs are two minutes out."

=SI=

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