DATE: FEBRUARY 14 2015, SHIELD SECRET BASE 1-15, CANADA 18H15M
In a secret location in Canada, a small three-story building lurks in the snow and trees. Around, some uniformed men circle building with their guns in readiness, looking for a sign that someone might try to enter the perimeter. Despite their attention, they do not notice, in a tree, a man, dressed like a medieval knight, his black armor hiding in the foliage.
"Are you sure you intend to do this?" A mechanized voice said through the transmitter on the helmet "I calculate at least 23 other ways to remove the target without causing commotion by the authorities."
Upon hearing this, the man in black armor takes a moment to re-evaluate his course of action. For the last 15 years he has built a reputation as one of the most dangerous criminals in the world, achieving a margin of success of almost 100%. In all his forays, he acted quickly and brutally, giving his opponents no time to realize what was happening until they were unconscious or soaked in their own blood.
Today, however, he is about to do something he has never done before, attacking a SHIELD outpost in Canada alone.
"Unfortunately, there is no other way, 12." he said, shaking his head "I not only must show to director Santiago and his agents how much dangerous I really am, but also prove to our target and his followers that they should fear and respect The Black Knight."
He takes the pieces in his bag and assembles the weapon he will use. He then realizes that he is being watched, and looks to the reader.
"I know what you're thinking. What kind of madman tries to break into a military base with about 40 well-trained people armed only with a sword, a shield, and my little friend here." He shows his rocket launcher now ready to shoot. "You probably did not recognize me, but I'm Blur, in my human form. Despite being in a body that emulates a human's abilities, I still have millennia of experience in combat. Due to the Tournament rules, I can not raise an army on my own, so as a loophole to this rule, I'm about to free a terrorist, and in the process, I'll end up having his henchmen as bonuses. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few dozen people to kill."
He then fires his single rocket into the quinjet positioned next to the only exit from the outpost. The guards assume a defensive position and prepare to shoot at the first sign of movement. At this point, everyone inside the building begins to prepare a defense for the imminent invasion.
The Black Knight jumped from the tree and started toward the three guards, not even bothered to wear his shield; his armor, although light, was made with a special alloy, so that he would only have to bother with the Agents' "big guns". Brandishing his sword, in one fell swoop, he was capable to disarm them all, and, with a few more cuts, the three were lying on the ground, the snow beginning to turn red.
The door to the building was made of reinforced steel, but his black blade cut it like it was made of rotten wood. As soon as he entered, he encountered a few more agents. They could not see, but he had a sick smile beneath his helmet.
In less than 20 minutes, he had already managed to clear his way to his goal, a room in which were the last survivors of the slaughter: a team of four doctors, a nurse and an armed agent. Seeing that the attacker was carrying a crate, the agent thought he had a chance to shoot him. Before the agent could look, he was out of both hands, now resting on the floor, along with his rifle.
"I'm sorry for that, but like the others, you've put yourself in a fighting position, and that's the same as signing your death sentence as you cross my path." The Black Knight then turned his gaze to the doctors. "You have two choices: you can leave here, peacefully, and survive, or you can try to do something foolish and end up like the agents who tried to stop me from coming in here."
"What do you intend to achieve with this?" The one who looked like the team leader asked. "The man behind that door is on the verge of death, if you try to remove him, he surely die."
"Do not worry about it, Doctor." His voice was soft now. "I know what I'm doing, and you should worry about your lives, because if had the chance, the man you were dealing with would not spare you. Now, if you will excuse me, I believe I have a meeting with your patient before the reinforcements from the nearest base arrive here."
Although insecure, the doctors started to leave, carrying the man without hands as they tried to stop the bleeding.
"Do not think I'm a nice guy." He speaks again to the reader. "Do not get me wrong, I'm the 'villain,' but I'm also a warrior, and a warrior does not use his sword to kill someone who can not fight for his life."
Again, a reinforced door was on his way, and again, was not able to stop him from moving forward. Upon entering, he can, in short, see the one he were looking for. Tied to a bed, and with several medical devices attached to his body, was what one would hardly say was a healthy and living man only 4 days ago. His body looked like an inkblot, ranging from shades of black, purple, and yellow. Part of his face was under a mask to breathe, his eyes were open, but they showed no signs of having pupils.
"So, you were the cause of so much commotion." The humam simulacrum said, without moving. "In the last few days, there was not a sound other than the voices of the agents trying to interrogate me and the unbearable silence. How many are you?"
"Actually, it's just me."
This seemed to amuse the deformed man, who, despite the pain, found the strength to laugh.
"So if you're alone, I suppose you're a mercenary from another agency, just to exchange my interrogators for others, or to make sure that I really died."
"Not really. I am the Black Knight, almost as wanted as you. I saw a chance to meet you, and I took advantage."
"What kind of information do you think you'll get from me, to take such a risk?"
"I have no interest in information, I am here to propose a partnership that can be beneficial for both."
"I do not think you realize the gravity of my situation." He did not seem to be irritated by the audacity of his visitor. In fact, this whole situation was a welcome relief from all the pain he had felt since the incident. "I am between life and death, and even if I survive, I do not think I would be able to fight again."
"I've been watching you closely over the past few years, and I guarantee I know what's going on." He started to open the crate he had picked up in another room. "I was anxious to meet the famous Baron Zemo."
Once again, Zemo was, at great cost, laughing at his visitor. With his reputation, people would normally run for their lives when they saw him, but this man seemed sure he was talking to a celebrity, not a dangerous killer.
"Helmut Zemo, the 13th Baron Zemo." The Black Knight seemed willing to prove how much he knew his possible ally. "Following the example of your father, Heinrich, you are an expert swordsman and combatant, and, of course, a genius, capable of handling the Adhesive X, your 'Family secret'."
"At least it was like that. In a stroke of luck, Santiago and his Ultimates were able not only to thwart my plans, but they also made me fall into a boiling barrel of my own Adhesive X, leaving me in the present situation. By now, they must have begun reverse engineering the formula to use it against Hydra."
"Well, I think I might have managed to make a fright in Santiago for you."
"What are you talking about?" Zemo was interested in the sudden change of subject. "What did you do to him?"
"With him in person, nothing, but knowing that you were SHIELD's number one priority at the time, I created a little distraction to get him to focus on Manhattan while I came here to free you."
"You get more interesting every moment, my friend. What was your big distraction?"
"Even for your mighty Hydra, it's hard to get certain information about the SHIELD agents, but nothing is impossible to me. I found out where he lives, and using some connections, I had Tombstone's thugs and Hellfire Club henchmen kidnap his daughter and one of Mr. Loud's children."
With this, Zemo no longer cared about the pain, just laughed, madly, to know that the causer of his suffering was suffering from one of the worst ways anyone could suffer.
"So, while he runs like a dog behind his tail, you come here and release me from my cell. I would like to see his face as he finds the corpses of the kids."
"Actually..." The once confident Black Knight now seemed a bit uncomfortable. "I had to make it sound like something that Tombstone would do, so I instructed the henchmen to kidnap them and then ask for their boss's release as ransom, but this only after being at sea."
"A little disappointing, but still fun. It is humanity's greatest weakness, the people we care about. But I think it's time we talk about business. If I'm not mistaken, did you have a proposal?"
The Black Knight allowed himself a smile. He finally had Zemo's full attention. If he do this well, he would have a champion that would allow him plenty of resources in his fight against Mark.
"Basically, I have built a strong structure to achieve world domination. Believe it or not, I have no interest in ruling this world, I just want to be in the war that will cause it to fall. To the other associates, I leave it to you all to decide how to divide it, however you choose."
"And what use would I have in this organization?" Zemo was not sure why, but something about the way he spoke made him want to accept the proposal. "Obviously, you want the Hydra for support, but at the moment I am not in a position to regain control, which, at this point, was taken by one of my lieutenants."
"I have resources that go beyond anything your scientists might have offered you, plus one of the greatest minds in the world working for me. I can easily give you back your health, and if you agrees to be part of our organization, I'm only going to ask you to let my scientist work in the labs of your castle."
"So, in short, you offer me my health back in exchange for the Hydra, the home of my ancestors and my servitude?"
"Not exactly. I will not be your boss, I will be your leader. As in the time of King Arthur, we will assemble in a round table, in which all will be equal. Each will contribute its share, and together, we will achieve our goals."
"You seem to be really entering the character, 'Black Knight'. If you are calling people like me, what makes you think that in the eventuality that we work together and succeed, we will not turn against each other?"
"As I said, I'm interested in the war, not in the spoils. When we are done, if you want to fight for control, it will be your choice, and I will not take sides."
"Considering my options, I think there is not much to do. I'm in."
"I am happy to know. I hope you do not mind, but your healing may hurt a little."
A strange sensation ran through Zemo's body. What could he possibly mean by that? He could not really be thinking of healing him in this very place, could he?
With some care, the Black Knight removed part of the armor that covered his left thigh, and from a concealed pocket he took an object that looked like a small mirror, and pointed it at Zemo.
"This is the Siege Perilous, a gift given to me by an extraterrestrial entity, which uses its powers to grant a new chance in life to those who submit to it." He did not need to tell he was the entity itself, he just had to make clear what would happen. "Using the power contained in this relic, you will be as powerful as you was days ago."
He then released the relic, which floated in the air, and increased in size, until it became wide as a door. An intense glow was radiating from the portal. Still perplexed by what was happening, Zemo showed no resistance when the Black Knight carried him and threw him into the mysterious portal.
After a moment, it was possible to see the silhouette of a man coming toward the exit. As he approached, the impression of seeing a man of athletic physicist approaching became ever sharper. Although he entered as a person's remains, he was now in full shape, wearing a purple costume, a mask with a golden headband covering his face and hiding his eyes.
When leaving, Helmut Zemo had been reborn, and was ready to restart his crusade for conquest. He felt better than he had ever felt, a incredible vitality was taking hold of his body.
" I see you're satisfied with the results." The Black Knight took him out of his self-admiration, and handed him the contents of the crate he carried. "The idiots did not even bother to send your weapons elsewhere, and I think you should want what is yours."
Zemo immediately attached his weapons to the new suit the portal had given him. A belt with several pockets, a holster for his disintegrating gun, and, of course, his adamantium sword. A thought occurred to him as he saw his savior bending down to pick up his relic, which was now again compacted. He could kill him and take the relic, and use his power to perfect the Hydra. However, when he was about to lift his blade, his body did not seem to want to move, as if something prevented him from doing what he wanted.
"Oh, one more thing." The Knight talked to Zemo without even needing to look at him as he stood up. "Although the Siege Perilous does not force you to follow my orders, it prevents you from using the gifts you have acquired against me. In your case, as you received a new body, the attempt to kill me will result in instant paralysis."
"That sounds very wise of you." Zemo began to regain his mobility, and held his sword, noticing a familiar sound. "From what I hear, it seems the reinforcement has come. So, will we fight against all of them, or do you have any card up your sleeve?"
It was possible to distinguish the euphoria of Zemo in his voice. He certainly wanted to test drive his new physical condition, but his partner had already planned this part.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we do not have to fight them." He put his index finger on the side of the helmet, and turned the communication channel back on. "Black Knight for 12, we're ready, focus on my current location."
In the next instant, both were enveloped in light, and, in the next instant, they were materialized elsewhere. Zemo was amazed to see that he was in a place that looked like a sci-fi tale, and as he looked at the nearest window, he had a complete view of the planet.
"This is Omni Sight, my eyes and ears over all the world." Feeling comfortable in his headquarters, the seemingly exhausted knight removed his helmet, revealing his face. "To normal people, it's just a satellite for my fake company, but it's actually an observatory with a powerful device of teleportation."
"I understand. So that's how you found Santiago's family. Are the other members here? I wonder what I got into."
"Well, the motive of asking for your castle as a temporary base involves the fact that this place serves as a transport terminal, not as a base itself."
"Well, and the others, when shall I meet they?"
"Very soon, you can be sure. They're busy with a few things, one, even, paying attention to our little distraction, to make sure it lasted long enough to delay SHIELD's reaction. With you and the AI that controls the station, we are in 5, but I already put 12 to look for possible candidates."
He then picked up a small communication device and handed it to Zemo, so he could put it under his mask later.
" Well, welcome to the Masters of Evil. Hope you survive the experience."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Finally, the villains make their debut.
For those who do not know, Siege Perilous is an artifact that was used in the X-Men pages. An alien gave them as a reward, and said they could use it if they got tired of superhero life.
