Hello, this chapter's written in a different setting. Hope you still enjoy! Thank you to any new or old followers and favoruites and a special thanks to reviewers! Also, this plot has a lot of Latin/Italian in it, as well as a few other cultures. I apologise if this offends anyone or if I get anything wrong. If I do, please review and I will change it.
My translations:
Dux - leader
Dux Prioris - previous leader
Disclaimer - I do not own any Marvel characters although I'm preety sure everyone in this chapter is mine.
Chapter 12 - The Dux
A group of men and women in long red robes and hoods strided through a series of dark stone corridors. At the end of one of them was a thick oak door, which opened into a hall surrounded on every side by rows of seats. Their was a throne fit for a king in the center, currently occupied by a man with thick dark brown hair and tanned skin.
As the group entered, he turned to them, sliding on a red and gold mask that looked distinctly similar to a Chinese dragon which showed off his wealth and power. He chuckled.
"Welcome friends, family, colleagues," he greeted formally, a hint of Italian in his speech.
"What did you want now, Strazio? You know how dangerous it is to meet up like this," one of the woman called out.
"Ah, Maria. You must learn to respect your elders," Strazio tutted.
"You are my cousin, Straz, not an elder," Maria muttered.
The group pulled back their hoods simultaneously, revealing half-masks of several different animals. Maria's was a simple red fox mask.
"Yes, but I am the Dux and you are not. Learn your place," Strazio snapped, becoming angry at his relative.
"Dux Sanguine," a man in a brown bear mask and a posh English accent spoke up, "I am sure that Maria was merely requesting to know your intentions."
"I am well aware, Mr Ainsworth," Strazio growled before coughing and continuing, "The project we started 23 years ago is finally coming to an end, with our experiments being put to their final tests. The... Incident that occurred 16 years ago was an unfortunate problem, but luckily the escaped children said nothing to the media about their time here. Mr Kurosawa, what is there to report on the American government?"
"It has been hard to survey them due to our location, but I have deduced that many secret organizations and government projects have been formed since we began, including one by the name of S.H.I.E.L.D. It stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division," a Japanese man with a light gold lion mask explained.
"Continue to watch them. Find out how much of a threat they are to us, should we carry out our plans soon," the Dux ordered.
Kurosawa nodded frantically and stepped back.
"Straz, are you not worried about the missing children? They would've grown by now but they would not have forgotten," Maria warned.
"If you must know, I have already located them. The water experiment is a marine biologist and the fire experiment is an architect," Strazio snarled in indignation.
"Oh? And why are we doing nothing about them?" Francis Ainsworth enquired.
"Because it is better to manipulate them later than kill them now. Plus, if they told anyone of their powers, those people would become suspicious of them," Strazio justified.
"So when do we attack?" a new, older voice with a thick Italian accent questioned.
The group turned to see a man with thinning grey hair and an ash-coloured owl mask covering the entirety of his face. The red-robed strangers were all silent until Strazio chuckled again.
"Nice seeing you out and about, Papa," he commented.
"Learn some manners, boy!" Antonio Sanguine shouted, waving a thin steel cane at the younger man.
"Dux Prioris Sanguine, it is honour to see you this day," a large man with a thick Russian accent and a tiger mask greeted.
"Thanks you, Kazimir," Sanguine calmed.
"Mr Dimitrova, there is no need for false formalities with my Father," Strazio chuckled.
Antonio growled under his breath but did not speak up.
"Dux, I hate to interrupt but what is the plan?" a French girl wearing a pure white mouse mask.
"Elise Javier, where is your brother?" Kazimir Dimitrova scolded gently.
Elise's skin was pale and her figure seemed timid and weak. It was obvious, even with the mask, that she was ill.
"He... He is on his way, Monsieur, but he is working on a new project," the Javier girl responded weakly.
"Elise, you are not allowed to leave your home without him, you have both been told on more than one occasion," Strazio warned softly.
Everyone had a weak spot for the 18 year-old girl. Despite their constant arguing, the diverse group of billionaires had grown up together and were considerably close. Her brother cared for her most, though. Elliot was very overprotective of his sickly younger sister.
"I'm sorry, Dux," she mumbled.
"Dux! Explain the plan, man!" an Algerian man boomed, his face half-covered by a blue-grey elephant mask.
"Mr Basara, please calm down," Elise pleaded gently.
The man huffed and stepped back. The Dux opened his mouth to speak.
Hope you enjoyed! Again, if anything is wrong or uninentionally offensive, please warn me and I will edit this chapter. If you liked it, please follow and favoruite, if you didn't, politely explain why. Sorry it was so short.