Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Chapter 5– A New Deal
31st July, 2006,
Shield Headquarters, New York
After Ares finished with his speech, the young Agents were soon dismissed, though one of them broke out from the rest to approach him.
"You were amazing back there." Melinda said with a smile, before a contemplative look came over her face. "You know, you should join us in training. Not here, we don't use this gym. Most of the level 3 and above clearance has a separate training room. I could get you permission if you promise to spar with my students."
Needless to say, Harry agreed. While there was nothing wrong with abusing the punching bag for a hour or two, it wasn't doing much for Harry in any of his combat skills. Even his unarmed combat hasn't grown by a single Lvl for the last week. Something he'd like to change as soon as possible.
Soon after, Melinda gave a last wave and along with Coulson, followed after the others.
Only Harry and Ares remained in the gym and he took this chance to observe the man's sword.
[Sword of Ares]
No other information presented itself, baffling Harry a bit. Can he not see a weapon's stats? What a shame. Though he did see his previous wand's stats...so maybe it worked only on the items he owned? He was unsure.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Ares asked, lifting the massive 5 feet sword with one hand.
"It is." Harry admitted. And it was.
The blade glinted in a shade of red and silver, and with strange yet elegant designs carved upon it, the sword looked like a powerful ancient relic.
The sight of a weak old man lifting that monstrous sword was quite comical though, and Harry couldn't be blamed for letting it show on his face.
The Captain caught on quickly.
"Not particularly impressive in comparison, am I?" He had a tiny self-deprecating smile on his face though he didn't look really bothered.
Harry nodded, not bothering to deny something so obvious. "You must get that a lot."
"Oh no." He shook his head. "I used to, decades ago. But not anymore. Not for a long long time."
Harry believed him. He'd never seen Ares in action, but the absolute terror this legend has birthed in Hydra officials was undeniable. No way anyone would mock the looks of a man like this.
"You should've seen me before getting the serum." The man continued. "I was thin as a stick, and even more tiny. A small kid from Brooklyn, wanting to be a hero."
The man laughed, nostalgia clear in his voice.
Harry was becoming more and more uncertain as the talk went on. He'd expected a tense confrontation, perhaps a threat or two...
Instead, here was Ares, just freely giving personal information and potential vulnerabilities.
Was he trying to put Harry at ease? Or perhaps a more subtle type of manipulation? But the man's tone sounded so... geniune. And Ares was never known for this type of manipulations. Then again, it wasn't like he knew the man personally.
"How was the war for you?" Harry asked the quietened man at last, deciding to shelve his more...intrusive questions for later.
"For me? Nostalgic. Surprising, isn't it? I lost the love of my life in that war. And my best friend. Yet my most fondest memories were created in it. But that's not what you meant, was it? No, I know exactly what you want to know."
The Captain dusted away a part of the ruined state before sitting down with a sigh, his sword suddenly started lessening in size, becoming smaller and smaller until Ares pocketed it away.
"My role in the war was quite minor really. I tried to enlist in army, got rejected, tried again, got rejected. Eventually I signed up for project rebirth. The original super soldier project. For the first time in my life, I was selected for something more than being a punching bag. But things happened like they always do and I missed the opportunity. Peggy carter became the world's first super soldier, while I got a nice metal suit curtsey of Howard stark. We fought together in quite a few battles, and eventually in one of the missions, I fell out of a train along with my best pal Bucky barnes."
The name sent a jolt through Harry. Barnes.. Barnes... he knew that name from somewhere...
Oh, the winter Soldier. How could he forget the name of the man who delivered him to Hydra?
Of course not. James barnes, he remembered. The first person that Harry used his 'observe' skill on. Could this Bucky Barnes be his father? A long stretch but an interesting one if proven true.
Harry realised Ares has gone silent for a few seconds, staring outside a window with glazed over eyes.
"We were taken by Hydra." He finally continued, looking down at his hands. "Both of us. Kept in different rooms, away from each other. Tortured, experimented on...you get the point I'm sure. I was a failed experiment really; the serum didn't manage to enhance me as much as it did to Peggy...or even Bucky. Nowhere close actually. But they kept me alive. Rescue came in the form of howling commandos led by Captain Carter...but too late. Bucky's body was never found. The rest...the rest is history."
Again, the silence reigned as Ares closed his eyes in phantom pain.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Harry stated.
"Are you?" The man perked up, glancing at him with a slight smirk.
Harry stared at the man for s few seconds before deciding on truth. "Of course not. I'm being polite."
Instead of taking offence, Ares threw back his head and laughed. "It's so damn refreshing to talk to you. Very few people in this world could say two words to me without kissing my ass."
The man sighed deeply. "I wish I had your composure when I was taken hostage."
Well...he can't really tell him about the Gamer's mind now, can he.
"I think this is why I admire you so much." The man continued. "We both went through similar situations, but you handled it much better than me. Even being as young as you are. I had to wait in chains to be rescued, useless to even save my friend."
He sighed again, eyes finally focusing. "Which is why I have a geniune proposition for you, Harry. You could do a lot of good in this world, should you put your mind to it–"
Harry resisted the urge to scoff. He would think about the world once he was strong enough to break the Winter Soldier in half with his bare hands. Until then, only his life mattered the most.
"But I'm sure you don't care for any of that." Ares finished, and a splash of surprise burst in Harry. "What I propose is simple, a mutual arrangement where we both get what we want. You wish for freedom and security, and I have the means to provide it. In return, you will take a special position in Shield...as a contracted Agent."
It was well in the afternoon when Harry finally arrived in his room again, his mind pondering upon the implications of the deal he'd made with Ares.
The terms of the contract were simple. Harry will stay contracted with Shield for the next year, following specific conditions. Once that one year was up, he was free to act as an independent contractor who could accept or reject any mission Shield assigns him. The only caveat being that he would need to update Shield with his current status each month.
But until that one year, Harry will need to strictly follow the regime assigned to normal Shield Agents. That meant; to eat with them, train with them, fight with them, complete missions with them, and try to mix with them as an actual team.
Harry didn't know why Ares was so insistent on him wasting time doing needless socialising, but he would gladly accept the task for the rewards they were providing.
Not only would he be getting an hourly wage that equalled to a Lvl 5 Shield Agent's, he would also have his own account created under Shield's authority that he could access through their unique credit cards. The money for his services will be directly credited into his account.
And how much money that was? 40 dollars per hour, which converted to 960 per day, and almost 30k per month.
30 grands...was a lot. In all the months that he'd galvanized in the streets of NY, he probably stole less than 20% of that amount. Yet, he still ate more than comfortably, experiencing delicious food in some really fancy restaurants.
Now? Now he didn't even need to spend that much money on food. Apart from an extremely lucrative salary, Shield also provided it's agents with the best free food, luxurious shelter, most advanced medical care, and some other things that were currently useless to him but Kara seemed to appreciate, like security for family and free scholarships for siblings.
And for the next year, Harry could freely enjoy these services himself.
So his plan for now was simple. For the next 1 year, act like a good little Agent that Ares wants him to be. Save all the money from his salary, and all the bonuses he'll receive on missions. By the end of the year he'd have, at the very least, more than 300k in his pocket. And adding all those bonus for a completed mission? Perhaps more than half a million.
Then, and only then, would he be truly able to live on his own, and wouldn't need Shield to babysit him anymore. With that kind of money in his pocket, he'd have no worries about renting some room when he could just buy a whole damned apartment.
But that time was still a year too far from now. He would have to work hard to ensure the security of his future till then.
A good thing then, that he was quite familiar with hard work.
1st Feb, 2007
Milan, Italy
Aleka Amador was called many things in life; some pleasant, some insulting, and some down right infuriating.
'Smart, talented, fearless' was how her former teacher and trainer, Phil Coulson, described her as. 'Hardass, mega-bitch, arrogant, selfish' were few of the less pleasant things most viewed her to be. Of course some of these insults came from racist bastards who didn't like that a black woman was more successful than them.
But others, more truer critiques, were well taken to heart. She knew she wasn't a team player. She knew she didn't trust easily. She knew sometimes her suspicions were misplaced.
Just not this time. This time was different. This time she felt that her suspicions were well-placed. She just couldn't see how her superiors thought that a former Hydra Agent could so easily become one of the 'good guys'. Even if the said Agent was a kid in his pre-teens.
So it really wasn't her fault when her eyes pinned upon the boy critically, regarding her 10 year old teammate with well justified suspicions and contempt.
...And the boy stared right back without a flinch, cold eyes filled with just a bit of curiousity and amusement.
She didn't like his eyes, emerald green orbs shining even in darkness. She didn't like his doll-like perfect face either, looking like God himself had sculpted him a sharp and beautiful face (results of the Super Serum no doubt).
And she decided to let her feelings know in the only way she knew how to. Bluntly. "I don't trust you, Agent Dursley."
She purposely avoided using his actual code name. Hell would freeze over before she used something as stupid as 'Mytique Soldier' for one of her own squad. God knows how high those Hydra bitches were when they called him that.
Her two other teammates (adults, thank God) shifted uncomfortably, not liking her 'rudeness' to a kid no doubt. But neither had the balls to say anything so she didn't care.
The boy tilted his head slightly, utterly unbothered. "I do not trust you either. What's your point?"
She snorted. Atleast he wasn't some silent emo, thank God for small mercies. "Yeah see, you'll have to trust me, kid. I'm the leader in this mission, and I don't want any of you disobeying my orders."
"I do not trust you." The boy stressed again, eyes narrowing slightly. "If I feel like you are purposely putting my life at risk, I shall disobey you. And there is nothing you can do about it."
Aleka suppressed a grimace. It was true enough what he said. She didn't know what his 'special position' was supposed to be in Shield, but she knew she'd have no authority over him in this mission. Which simply made her even more irritated at the situation.
Coulson described the boy as reliable and she trusted her teacher's judgement (having experienced his harsh standards firsthand), but what use was an asset who didn't obey instructions? What use would a kid be in such a sophisticated mission? No matter how trained, no matter his magic tricks, someone who disobeys orders shouldn't be in a team.
She didn't have more time to think up a solution as her comms went off.
"ETA three minutes, Angel." The pilot's voice announced. "Get ready to disembark."
She turned to her teammates, her hands already checking her equipments. "You heard the man, team. Check the chutes, check the weapons, check your hearts for any fear. Cause we've arrived, and failure's not an option."
Her teammates stood up, their eyes grim and ready.
She then turned to the youngest member, hesitating for a second. "Just...don't mess up alright? Lives depend on this."
The boy gave a single nod before strapping on his parachute.
"You know how this works right?" She asked, before dismissing it. "Doesn't matter. Too late to turn back now."
She stood up as well, approaching the opening shuttle as wind bit into her skin, fierce and cold. Her mind was quickly replaying all her instructions and training, nerves a little unsettled as the fact became clear.
This was it. Her first mission without Coulson holding her hands. Her own team on her side, following HER commands (except one but he didn't count). This was all she ever wanted. A chance to prove all her haters wrong. A chance to show that she can lead a team. A chance to roar at the world and reveal how strong a woman can be, especially a black woman.
It wasn't all perfect of course. And one of those imperfections stood beside her, barely coming up to her shoulders but looking the most calm out of all four of them.
"You better not screw this up, kid." She warned over the screaming wind, not sure if her words even reached him.
But then the boy turned to her, and his eyes suddenly went dead as if all the life was sucked out of them.
"I won't." The most emotionless voice answered her, doing more to unnerve her than this mission ever could.
What. The. Fuck.
But she had no time to think more as the plane's lights turned green.
She turned to her team one last time, trying to ignore the creepy boy. "Rock and roll, boys and girls. See you down in two."
She pushed her goggles up, shielding the eyes that were starting to tear.
And then she jumped into the empty night.
[Gamer's Mind: Activated]
Any sense of discomfort vanished the moment Gamer's mind activated, leaving Harry with pure rationality and logic.
While he didn't like being cut off from his emotions nowadays, he couldn't afford to let even the slightest of nerves get to him. Which he definitely would've, had he proceeded with the jump on his own.
While Hydra had trained him extensively in parachuting, this was the first time he was using it in more than practice. Plus the fact that his system never created a skill for it had made him slightly wary.
Thankfully, Gamer's Mind did not allow for such weaknesses, so he performed the jump without any hesitation, diving into the unknown darkness of the night.
The first thing that came into his view was a vision of such astonishing beauty that even his Gamer's mind couldn't help but appreciate it. The world looked like a miniature globe alight with fireflies, some glowing more brightly than others, and he could actually see the slight curvature of earth from so far up above as the minefield of lights turned inwards like a sphere. It didn't last long though as cold harsh wind whipped past him, and the ground came closer and closer every millisecond.
When the time came, he deployed the parachute without trouble, controlling the direction enough to land mere metres away from Amador, quiet and ready.
He dropped the Gamer's Mind as soon as he landed, and a bundle of intensely warm feelings quickly spread through him as he tried his best to memorize the mind-blowing image. He recognised some of his emotions; Happiness, joy, awe, satisfaction. Some he couldn't recognise even now, though they felt similar to a deep sadness. Almost like a sense of loss.
"Everyone whole and steady?" Amador's voice reached him and he quickly regrouped with his team. "No one lost a limb or two?"
She recieved no answers, and neither was she waiting for them, quickly turning around to their objective.
"Drop your chutes here, we'll be coming back later." She announced unnecessarily. Everyone present knew exactly what they were doing. "We have a few miles walk ahead of us, so buckle down."
"Our job's simple. We hit Vanchat's gulag fast and quiet. We sneak in, recover enough evidence to damn him to kingdom come, then come back out. If everything goes according to plan, we won't be firing a single bullet today. So be wary but don't give us away."
With that they started on their long journey on foot, and he found his mind wandering to the last few months, and the progress he'd made in it.
Harry Potter
Age: 10
Race: Wizard
Level: 30
Mana: 460/460
Health: 360/360
Stamina: 357/360
Stats
Strength: 27 (9)
Speed: 28 (9)
Dexterity: 28 (9)
Vitality: 27 (9)
Endurance: 27 (9)
Intelligence: 37 (9)
Wisdom: 36 (9)
Points: 30
4 levels in 6 months, while being quite close to the next level up. Not a bad haul at all, though certainly a bit slower than what he'd first calculated.
In these 6 months, he'd taken exactly 8 missions to date, completing each one of them. Unfortunately, none of them were anywhere near as rewarding as the first system quest or the birthday quest. 700 Xp was the highest amount an individual quest had netted him. This could've been solved by taking numerous missions as they auto-produced quests, but he simply didn't wish to bother.
His very first mission with Shield had proved that not all Quests were as rewarding as he'd imagined them to be.
Quest [A Week of Scouting] completed–
Survive your mission (X)
Complete your mission (X)
Reward: 250 Xp
The mission had taken a full week to complete, and barely gave 250 Xp. It was most likely just created for him by Steve to socialize with others. Why that conclusion? Because not only were Kara and Melinda present, but there was also no risk involved whatsoever. It was treated as a 'holiday' by Melinda, and Kara seemed to agree.
Worse, due to some time constraints, he'd been unable to complete 3 days worth of daily quests, resulting in him recieving less total Xp in a week by doing the mission then had he simply completed the daily quests instead.
After that, he'd been extremely selective with his missions, only taking those that could be completed in a couple of days, and provided more net XP than his daily quests. Unfortunately, these types of missions were few and far between, and the truly dangerous ones were only given to agents of higher authority.
He'd still managed to complete 8 missions though, earning a total of 2950 XP, and over 8000 XP from daily quests, resulting in him leveling up 4 times in 6 months.
He had a feeling this mission would give him another level or two. Considering they'd flown to an entire different country, this might be the most high profile mission Harry had taken to date. And he had great expectations for it.
"We"re here." Amador announced in their comms, and his focus sharpened on her. "Check your gear and get ready. If everything goes according to the plan, we'll be in and out under an hour. Our extraction is set at 1.5 hours from now, so we'll make it quick."
Harry quickly took stock of his person: Two pistols fully loaded, one strapped to his leg, one held in his hands. Two extra magazines, with 7 bullets each, both perfectly fitted inside his upper arm pockets.
"Everyone ready?" The dark-skinned woman asked as they creeped up through the side of a massive prison door. "Then let's get these sons of bitches."
Of course, everything didn't go according to plan.
The signs were all there, stark and clear in Harry's eyes.
The Gulag was supposed to be this Vanchat guy's illegal labour camp, a place where all his captured, forced, coerced, and threatened victims worked tirelessly to their deaths.
But when they reached the prison-like structure, there was no one present save for three guards, who they quickly put down. Even as they sneaked through the gulag's corridors, silently checking every door and window, they found no one and nothing. No people, no papers, nothing to suggest it was even a prison. Even the cells were empty.
That should've been the obvious sign that something was wrong. It wasn't the only sign though, and his eyes pierced through them in an instant.
The guards had been too alert and twitchy. The silence was too loud and jarring. The air was too harsh and heavy.
His intuition and caution were screaming at him one single word: Trap! Trap! Trap!
And he informed his team captain as soon as his feelings strengthened.
He wasn't surprised when he was ignored.
And as they sneaked into the prison's open and spacious ground, he wasn't surprised to see a squad of armed forces waiting for them either...
"Our guest's are here." A scratchy voice called out. "Burn em' up boys!"
...Which is why he was the only person who reacted instantly and remained unscathed when they opened fire, creating a wandless shield to hide behind.
"Take cover!" Amador's scream was drowned out by the sound of heavy firing, just a moment too late for the warning to be any help.
While his shield wobbled under the continuous rounds of fire, he atleast managed to retreat successfully without taking any hits, his speed being simply too fast for the attackers to do more than gape in shock. Others weren't as lucky.
The bullets sheared through one of their teammates, her bulletproof vest doing nothing to stop the rounds from tearing holes into her neck and face. The woman was dead before she hit the ground, and he didn't even know her real name. He just never bothered observing her.
[Gamer's Mind: Activated]
Harry took cover behind a stone structure, ducking behind solid concrete. It was like a combination of wall and gate; Half stone wall that only came to his stomach, above which was an expanded metal mesh like a spider's web. The gaps between the metal proving to be more than enough for him to aim and fire.
With cold brutality, two bullets were fired from his gun in quick succession, both accurately forming a hole in his targets heads. The four remaining ones quickly crouched down with a curse and aimed at him, but he'd already abandoned his previous position so their bullets simply hit metal and concrete.
His meddling provided enough cover fire for his teammates to retreat successfully as they scrambled at his side.
"Fall back! We need to fall back!" Amador screamed, visibly trying to contain her panic. "We've been betrayed. Someone must've leaked the mission's info."
A logical assessment but completely unnecessary for their current situation.
A point that was stressed the next second when another hail of bullets assulted their position. They quickly started running again as bullets pierced through the wall, moving back the corridor they came from.
The gulag was a massive structure, and it's corridors spread throughout the place like a maze, making it extremely confusing to find their way back. His sense of direction and intuition were the only reasons that they weren't simply running circles around the place.
"We have to escape!" Amador shrieked, supporting their other teammate who'd been hit in the thigh. "And contact the headquarters. The higher ups need to know that there's a mole in Shield!"
"We do need to escape." Harry agreed, taking this time to open his status. "But we won't be able to if you don't shut your mouth."
It was time to assign his points finally. He'd always delayed doing so before, and saved them for a more appropriate moment. Getting trapped in an unknown location was as good a moment as any.
He had 30 points to spend, and 7 stats to invest in, so he decided to increase the stats that would help him in surviving the current situation. 5 points went in Str, Spd, Dex, and Vit without hesitation.
He chose not to increase his endurance, because he simply couldn't see himself being pushed to the brim today. 36 points of endurance was too high for him to tire in this fight. It was more likely for his enemies to drop to the ground from fatigue than for him to grow tired.
The last 10 he put in Int, increasing his mana. Wiz was ignored as well, due to how useless it was right now compared to the other stats. It's job was to increase his magic recovery, which while important, wasn't needed currently.
'Status'
Harry Potter
Age: 10
Race: Wizard
Level: 30
Mana: 532/560
Health: 410/410
Stamina: 337/360
Stats
Strength: 32 (9)
Speed: 33 (9)
Dexterity: 33 (9)
Vitality: 32 (9)
Endurance: 27 (9)
Intelligence: 47 (9)
Wisdom: 36 (9)
Points: 0
Perfect.
Unfortunately, he didn't get more time to admire his new stats as the four remaining shooters quickly caught up to them due to their handicapped teammate.
Harry wondered if the time to abandon the group has finally come. He could run 2 to 3 times faster than anyone present here, so escaping wouldn't be a problem should he truly need to. The only reason he was sticking his neck out for his team was due to the Quest. There would no doubt be atleast a couple of bonus objectives to save his team.
He had no time to think through his options as another hail of bullets assulted them. His shield was up in an instant, tanking fire from all four gunners as it covered him and his two teammates.
The pressure was... manageable. A surprising thing, considering how pressed he had been the last time, when those Hydra agents managed to pin him down under heavy fire. Now, 4 shooters were gunning him down, yet his shield managed to hold on steadily. Perhaps it was his extra 8 levels of mana manipulation, or perhaps his current attackers simply didn't have guns on the same calibre as Hydra's...
Whatever the case, he was successfully able to defend himself and his teammates.
But his attackers kept up a steady stream of firing that stopped him from trying anything else with his magic.
While his wandless abilities had undoubtedly grown by a solid margin since the last time, it wasn't to the point where he could divide his attention between shielding and attacking.
Mana Manipulation (Lvl 38)
Atleast, not magically.
After a bit of experimentation, he'd been able to create a magical shield that allows him to counterattack from behind it without any disruption whatsoever. It took just a bit of shift in his intent and what he wanted his magic to do, and he'd been successful.
So while he may not be able to lauch invisible swords at him opponents, he could still shoot them just as well now.
His gun fired 3 times before the chamber emptied, blasting open three new heads. His enemies could do absolutely nothing against his simple combination of shield and gun. Well... nothing except to die.
His teammates broke out of their daze and finally started firing back, quickly putting down the remaining one.
Harry let go of the shield, taking a knee to catch his breath. His magic was...
Mana: 495/560
...still quite full actually.
"Well–" Amador coughed and panted, heaving deep breaths in. "Well done, you guys. But we have to move. Now."
The sound of heavy footsteps was the only reason Harry wasn't caught off guard when another bunch of shooters burst out from behind them, taking everyone else by surprise.
His shield was once again in front of him, but his teammates had spread off to catch a breather and could do nothing as bullets reached them.
Amador could've dived behind his shield's cover but her hesitance to leave their teammate behind cost her her life. The Shield vest protected her from body shots, but 3 well-placed hits took her in the back of her head, and Harry witnessed the woman's fearful and panicked eyes quickly losing their light.
A second later her body stilled completely, lying dead beside their last agent, who was also dead.
Harry would've cursed in anger had Gamer's mind not been present to calm him down.
'There goes my bonus objectives.'
With his shield protecting him completely, he slowly but surely retreated back where he'd come from, not wanting to take a chance against a squad of 7. While he felt confident in ripping them to shreds if their guns were the only thing they were armed with, he couldn't risk getting caught in a grenade or flash should it be in their possession.
His enemies were yelling at each other, though Harry couldn't hear them over the sound of gun fire. Neither did he bother to. As soon as he reached the end of corridor, he let go of the shield and made a break to the left.
Just when he turned though, a stray bullet ricocheted against the metal mesh and hit him in the back.
Harry grunted and stumbled forward, but recovered his balance enough to keep running. It was such a moment of dumb bad luck that he couldn't help but be annoyed even through the Gamer's Mind.
He absently pressed a hand to his back, trying to feel for any wetness. Thankfully the bullet hadn't managed to break the skin, having been blocked by his bulletproof vest.
By the time his assailants managed to reach the same passageway, Harry had already reloaded his gun and was at the opposite end of the corridor.
The sound of gun fire lit up the gulag again, only to be broken by a loud squeak.
"For his legs, ya dumb fuck!" A gravelly voice growled out. "If he dies you fucking die with him!"
The thugs didn't have more time to argue as Harry turned around just enough to take aim and shoot.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
The sound of firing burst forth from his gun rapidly. Even though they were in opposite ends of a very long corridor, his aim proved true and three more of his chasers dropped to the ground, dead.
"Get that lil' shit!"
There were 4 more chasing him now but he moved too fast for them to keep up, rounding a corner to sprint down another passageway.
There were two narrow hallways at the end of the passageway, both leading to opposite directions The only source of light came from a flickering yellow bulb that was as dim as a candle, making the place seem dark and dreary.
He quietly took the right hallway, controlling his movements to make little to no sound. A row of empty cells came into his vision, each casting a silhouette of their metal window bars that had enough gap for moonlight to enter.
At the end of the cells, a wooden door awaited him, standing slightly open. He quickly entered inside, giving a quick look around the room.
It was a small dusty room, with a single tiny window blocked by 4 metal bars. The moonlight that entered lit up the room more brightly than anything in this corner of the gulag.
He quietened his breath and pressed his ears to the door, trying to hear for his chasers.
The familiar sound of clicking shoes soon came closer, before coming to a stop right in front of the divided hallways.
"You two, take left. Hamid, with me." The same gravelly voice from earlier growled out. "Y'all saw what the freak could do, so don't take him lightly."
"Got it, boss." Thug no.2 said.
"Do we rough him up if we catch him or what?" Another, younger, voice asked.
"The little shit killed Khalid." The first voice spat, his growl even more pronounced. "Vanchat will have his boy but only after we've had our fun."
A light laughter ensued before the group split off.
He hadn't anticipated them splitting off, which made his job multiple times easier. An unexpected boon but one he would gladly take.
As the footsteps grew closer, Harry prepared himself, his gun held tightly in his grasp.
Deciding to end this quickly, Harry went full offensive by creating one of his invisible swords while clutching onto the pistol.
The two men came to a stop some ways away from the door, not taking another step forward.
"Spray some fuckin' bullets at the door." The leader growled. "Keep it low at knee."
Harry didn't wait for that to happen, bursting out of the door armed with magic and gun.
His gun shot once, and took the leader in the throat. While even Harry couldn't aim for two things at once, the other one was panicked enough that it gave him more than enough time to launch the invisible sword at his enemy's face.
For a second the man stilled in place, then half of his face slid right off, while the remaining part sprayed red hot blood into the air like a beautiful fountain.
For a moment there was simply a note of echoing silence in the cell room, but it was soon broken by his two remaining assailants questions.
Unfortunately for them, their leader was too dead to answer back, and the only response they got was his bullets.
There was no contest in this of course. In this narrow a corridor, there was no escaping from his accurate shots. And the remaining two died just like the rest; fast and easy.
His enemies dealt with, he stayed still for a moment, eyes closed to hear the world around him.
Silence. Nothing but pure and unadulterated silence.
Sighing, Harry opened his eyes and restarted his journey back to his team leader's body. He doubted there were any enemies remaining, but he remained vigilant all the same.
Amador's body lay just as still as the rest. Her arms were bend in a strange way, putting all of her weight on a broken ring finger.
He knelt beside the woman and searched through her pockets. It didn't take him long to find the cell phone given to her by Shield.
He quickly called the base, and thankfully it connected barely a second later. He'd been fearing a range shortage this deep in the Gulag.
After quickly explaining his situation, Harry plopped back on his butts tiredly, letting go of the Gamer's Mind.
He felt accomplished. He wasn't overly tired right now, and genuinely felt like he could go on for a couple more rounds of action.
The fighting itself had been...stale, for the lack of better term. Never at any point did he feel threatened or pressured. It was reassuring really, knowing that his progress wasn't just some numbers on a status window.
And more importantly, this was only a start.
Smiling, Harry opened his notifications to be greeted by a familiar set of messages.
Quest [Hitting the Gulag] in progress–
Come back alive from your mission (X)
Complete the mission successfully (X)
Protect your team captain (–)
Protect your teammates (–)
Confirm 10 kills (X)
Leave no enemy behind (X)
Rewards:
1500 Xp
1500 Xp
1500 Xp
1500 Xp
[You Leveled Up] Lvl 31
[You Leveled Up] Lvl 32
And as he took in his new level, there was just one thing that resounded in his mind loud and clear, now more real than ever—
This was only the start.
AN: Finally an update! This chapter actually kicked ass. Not in writing necessarily, but in deciding which way I wanted it to proceed.
Originally I had written the chapter where I just skipped directly into his 11th birthday, and just summarised his missions and the things he's done for Shield. But I felt I was rushing it too much, and should show atleast 1 of his missions. Hence this chapter.
Next up will be his departure from Shield and the start of Wizarding world arc.That brings me to some of the reviews who had problems with Harry going to Hogwarts, and I wanted to clear this quickly:
This isn't a fic where Harry reincarnates into Marvel universe. This is a crossover between two different worlds and both of them will be explored equally. Obviously I'll be diverging from HP canon quite a lot to make it more interesting, but Hogwarts will definitely be a big part of Harry's future.
And pls don't say stuff like, 'Oh HP magic is so weak, he should just be a sorcerer and learn from the Ancient one blah blah blah'. I don't care. You might find Hp magic weak, but I don't. For me, magic in HP is, without a doubt, one of the most versatile bullshit I've ever come across. And it will play a massive part in Harry's rise to the top.
Of course, that doesn't mean it will be the only thing he learns, nor would he waste 7 years in Hogwarts. He's a Gamer, so it shouldn't come as a shock for him to get proficient in other obscure branches of energies/powers.
But that's all in the future.
Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, and also on what you'd like to see for Harry in the magical world arc. Btw, I've decided to write the current date and location a scene is set in, so people don't get confused by the timeline.
With all that said, See ya in the next chap!
