And now we come to the sole reason the S.W.O.R.D arc was introduced.
DISCLAIMER: I own Borderline. The universe this takes place in belongs to Persiana13, and everything else belongs to Marvel.
Chapter 7: Counter-strike
Angelica burst into her team's base, panting madly. She fell to her knees out of exhaustion, having exerted herself quite a bit in her attempt to reach the base as quickly as possible.
"Angelica, what happened?" Moon Knight asked. "Where is Toxin?"
"They…took him," Angelica panted.
"Who took him?" Remy asked.
"S.W.O.R.D," Borderline interjected, standing up and turning to the group.
"S.W.O.R.D?" Dr. Connors repeated. "What's that?"
"Sentient World Observation and Response Department," Borderline answered. "S.H.I.E.L.D division that Osborn kept around. Deals with alien-related threats."
"Figures," Remy shook his head.
"After the White Martians, Black Lanterns, and Skrulls invaded, removing such an organization would greatly damage Osborn's credibility," Moon Knight nodded.
"Recently found out about a new movement," Borderline continued. "Henry Gyrich took over as S.W.O.R.D head. Started kidnapping earth-bound aliens with the goal of permanently sending them off-world."
"Even aliens who have done good for this planet?" Dr. Connors asked.
"Exactly," Borderline snarled, showing bitterness once again as he lowered his sunglasses. "Gyrich is indiscriminately snatching aliens solely out of ludicrous xenophobia."
"We have to get Toxin back," Angelica said, "and free any and all other aliens Gyrich captured."
"Agreed, chere, but just how do we do that?" Remy asked.
"I know how," Borderline said with what seemed to be a slight smirk.
The next day, a S.W.O.R.D trooper escorted a surprisingly familiar long-haired boy through the halls of the S.W.O.R.D station. The boy was dressed in casual wear, namely a simple white shirt and jeans.
"You sure you want an internship here?" the trooper asked.
"Positive," the boy replied. "I want to do what's right for my country."
"You'll certainly do that here," said Gyrich, approaching the trooper and the boy. "So, you're the new intern. What's your name?"
"Robert Syruncle," the boy answered.
"We've done a background check already, Robert, so don't worry about that," Gyrich said. "What's your ideal job here?"
"Guard," Robert replied. "I want to make sure the aliens don't escape."
"What a coincidence," Gyrich said. "We need some new guards, seeing as most of S.W.O.R.D's troops are off capturing the aliens. Go to cell block D and stand guard outside the cells to start your job off right."
"Okay, sir," Robert said, leaving soon after.
Robert did indeed begin by strolling down a hallway lined with cells. Each cell contained a different alien, some slightly grotesque but others relatively close to human in appearance. Gyrich had told him that his job was to guard these aliens in order to prevent their escape.
This, in truth, was not Robert's intention.
As Robert went down the hall, he began to wordlessly hit the release buttons on each of the cells, deactivating their protective force-fields and freeing the prisoners. Eventually, he had released every last prisoner in the single hall, though there still were more to be had.
"Who are you?" asked one of the aliens, a girl with glowing rainbow-like skin.
"A guy who wants Osborn and his flunkies to go down," Robert said in a familiar tone of voice. "Find and free the other prisoners."
"Got it!" replied the girl, known by the name Karolina Dean.
After Karolina and most of the other aliens evacuated, Gyrich and several S.W.O.R.D troopers barged in. After taking a moment to pull up his dropped jaw, Gyrich flew into a rage.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Gyrich screamed.
"That I was doing what I came here to do," Robert said with a glare, and after clicking a button on his watch, a flickering and fading image revealed a familiar person.
Borderline.
"Who are you?" Gyrich demanded. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?"
"Borderline," replied the boy. "I just freed lots of aliens from a paranoid racist."
"I WAS PROTECTING MY COUNTRY!" Gyrich bellowed. "If people would actually listen to me, then all those invasions would never have happened!"
"Really?" Borderline said with more than a hint of skepticism. "Violating basic rights equals safety?"
"What are you talking about?" Gyrich snapped. "I was protecting both my country and the world!"
"From something that was willing to help it," Borderline added.
"Have to admit, the kid's got a point," said a green-haired woman who had been freed earlier.
"Shut it, Brand!" Gyrich yelled. "You're not in charge anymore, I am!"
"She should be," Borderline said, looking to the woman. "Abigail Brand uses her brain. You don't. You have no right to lead S.W.O.R.D."
"I have more right than she does!" Gyrich yelled.
"Racist," Borderline said simply.
"I AM NOT-!" Gyrich attempted to counter, but an incredibly large piece of the ceiling fell onto him. While grievously injured and in dire need of medical attention, Gyrich was not yet dead, though he was finally unconscious.
"Seem racist to me, yes?" said the newcomer, an enormously large robot with a green body, numerous weapons mounted on its back, and a skull-like head with red horns.
"Funny," Borderline said. "Don't know who that is…I know who every superhuman or alien on Earth is…"
A small purple dragon-like alien by the name of Lockheed landed on Brand's shoulder, speaking into her ear an alien language.
"I think I know who that is," Brand said. "He tried to nab my annoying half-brother once."
"That's my job, yes?" said the robot. "I am a personal recovery specialist."
"Bounty hunter?" Borderline asked.
The robot's response was to aim at Borderline a large gun that apparently replaced its right hand.
"Personal recovery specialist, yes?" the robot corrected with a slightly angered tone of voice.
"Who are you here for, Death's Head?" Brand asked. "Knowing him, my half-brother is farther from here than you can imagine."
"True," Death's Head replied, looming over the two. "I am here for potential payments, yes? Helps to get ahead of the game, eh?"
The eccentric robot prepared to blast both Borderline and Brand.
"Don't get in my way," Death's Head warned, "or your fleshy juices will be everywhere but inside you, yes?"