01: They Are Here


Even before he stepped inside the compound, Agent Twilight could tell the whole thing reeked of America's involvement. Only an American would be arrogant enough to send a distress signal to a secret agent of another country, belonging to a completely different intelligence organization and ask them to drop everything and come help them salvage one of their own botched operations.

There was also the fact that the field operative was able to hack into his secure feed, which was no small feat, as he was one of the best spies in the business, but he quickly understood it had less to do with the agent's hacking skills and more to do with access to state of the art espionage equipment. Although WISE did provide its best agents with proper equipment to carry out the mission and over the years they had made a plethora of technological advancements and come up with several uncanny gadgets, having set up a Q Branch of their own to match their British counterpart, but unfortunately, though he loathed to admit it, they were still no match for the likes of SHIELD.

"Who are you wearing tonight?"

Red hair. Skin tight black outfit. Dual pistols leveled at his upper torso. A playful smirk on her lips, a teasing touch to her voice. But they didn't belie the flash of danger evident in her eyes, that wouldn't hesitate even for a second to pull the trigger and put him down like a dog, if he didn't give the correct response to the security question.

He raised both his hands to show her that he was currently unarmed.

"Ethan Hunt from IMF." He replied.

High level field operatives and special agents from all across the globe who had the opportunity of working with Agent Twilight knew that he never disclosed his real identity to anyone. In fact, in the world of espionage and counter intelligence, the true identity of the Westalis super spy was one of the best well kept secrets. There were even rumors in the spy community that sometimes, Agent Twilight, who was widely acknowledged as a master of disguise, would complete a number of missions while under the guise of other secret agents like James Bond and Jason Bourne.

Although there was a time when being a spy meant going on solo missions and dealing with dangerous situations alone with no backup, no team, no support system in place to help you out when you are in over your head, an argument can be made that those days were left long behind in the past. Even Agent Twilight who was known to be a lone wolf, having built his reputation on successfully completing missions without ever needing a partner, had to be a part of joint operations and collaborate with foreign agents from time to time. Even then he never showed his real face and came up with these ridiculous aliases like 'Twain Foney' and 'Ronald Spoofy' while working undercover. Agents swore that was Twilight showing he had a sense of humour, but like always they couldn't really be sure of anything about the illusive spy.

But there was one thing everyone who had worked with him knew for certain. Whenever you worked with him, the first thing out of your mouth should be the security question – 'Who are you wearing tonight?'

According to CBS News, Joan Rivers was the first person to ask this question back in 1991 and it had quickly become THE question celebrities and starlets were asked when they walked the red carpet. But spies and assassins might as well live in a separate universe, far removed from the world of fashion, fame and star power. But it didn't stop Agent Natasha Romanoff from coming up with the idea of asking security questions, owing to the fact that he was the one who had a secret identity and never showed his face, but for the sake of the mission, the others had to be sure that they were dealing with him and not someone else pretending to be Twilight.

It seemed almost fitting in an absurd way. In the intelligence community he was no less than a celebrity and he wore disguises like they were designer clothing.

In the end, he relented and it became a norm. If you wanted to make sure you were really talking to Agent Twilight, ask him - 'Who are you wearing tonight?' If it was really him, he would respond back with the name and the organization of the field operative he was impersonating at the given moment.

The younger agents thought it was impressive and cool, but the older agents, the veterans of the field knew a power move when they saw one. The spy from Westalis was telling them he knew their every secret, the secret identities of their agents, the name of their shadow organizations and yet none of them made a move to eliminate the threat.

They respected him.

Feared him.

After all, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Agent Twilight was a dangerous man and his survival and dedication to the mission ensured peace and stability prevailed between Ostania and Westalis and to a certain extent the whole of Europe and the entire world in general.

"Please ignore the mess." Agent Black Widow remarked. She holstered her weapons and spoke in a conversational tone. "The dead guys were a little trigger happy. And you know what they say about us Americans. Shoot first, ask questions later."

"Last I remember, you were Russian, Romanoff." Twilight remarked offhandedly. He was busy inspecting the dead bodies. As typical of a botched American operation, there were quite a few. Almost all of them died of bullet wounds. Interesting. "It's just like Budapest all over again."

"You and I remember Budapest very differently." Black Widow responded.

It was the correct response to the security question.

But something didn't add up.

"What can you tell me about your targets?"

Black Widow crossed her arms. "That's classified."

Agent Twilight nodded. He walked towards the first dead body. It was of a woman with blonde hair. "Carrie Mathison. CIA." He was wearing gloves, but he didn't feel the need to disturb the body. He knew he wouldn't find anything significant. After all, he wasn't the first to arrive on the scene of crime. "She was the agent who figured out Nicholas Brody, a prisoner of war had been turned by Al-Qaeda. She played an instrumental role in neutralizing the threat of Abu Nazir and prevented numerous attacks from being carried out by multiple terrorist organizations." He kept his voice level, but there was a sharp glint in his eyes. And he didn't bother to hide the note of suspicion from his voice. "Now why would SHIELD send one of their agents to kill an American operative?"

"Maybe SHIELD suspected her of working with the enemy." Black Widow stated while walking towards the body of the other slain woman. "Meet Elizabeth Jennings. On the surface, she and her husband were a perfectly normal couple living the average, middle-class life. But they were really posing as Americans and completing missions while being undercover. She's a KGB Agent. Her real name is Nadezhda Borisovna Popova."

Agent Twilight nodded along. "Which finally leads us to your final victim."

It was another woman, but she was clearly the oldest as her short blonde hair had almost completely turned white. But there was something else different about her. Unlike the other women, who were all dressed in civilian clothing, this veteran agent wore a black suit, white shirt, black tie, and black trousers.

Working on a hunch, he reached forward and started to check the pockets of her suit. Agent Twilight's eyes widened, then narrowed. He caught just a hint of movement. Down on his haunches, he leaned forward in a way which blocked the view from the back. Agent Black Widow had no idea what he was doing right now.

"Hey, what are you -" She started to ask, but he silenced her with a finger.

After a minute or two of silence, Twilight got back up on his feet, and he did the decent thing of shutting the eyes close of the older agent who had given her life in the line of duty. When he turned around and faced Black Widow, he had something in his hand.

"You done playing with the dead bodies?" Black Widow asked. "That's bad karma, you know."

"She wasn't dead yet." Twilight replied coolly, pocketing the pair of dark sunglasses he had retrieved from the agent's suit. "I have to say Widow, I am disappointed. I expect this from Barton, not you."

In response, she simply shrugged. "What can I say? I had a bad day at the office. You never had one of those?"

"…" Agent Twilight gave her a steely eyed look.

Black Widow raised an eyebrow and dared him to say otherwise. The WISE agent didn't take the bait. Instead he went back to discuss the more pressing matter at hand. "Before drawing her last breath, she was able to leave a dying message."

Black Widow's eyes widened. "What did she say?"

"Contact MIB. The Skrulls are here." Agent Twilight repeated the words of the dying woman, his voice betraying no emotion. "Does that mean anything to you?"

Black Widow shook her head. "I have no idea."

Agent Twilight nodded his head. "I think you are lying, Natasha."

The two of them had reached an impasse. Now it was only a matter of time, waiting for the other to break, because something had to give, someone had to blink first.

Neither had to wait for long.

It happened in the very next minute.

Black Widow was fast. But Agent Twilight was faster. The SHIELD agent took out her pistol and started firing, but the spy from Westalis had already disappeared in a thick cloud of smoke.

"What the hell?" Black Widow tried to cover her mouth, stop herself from inhaling the smoke and not cough a lung out while she waved through the smoke, searching for a clearer shot of the enemy. But it was no use. Twilight couldn't be found anywhere. "Where did you get access to a military grade smoke grenade?"

"Smoke pellets actually." Twilight's voice wafted through the smoke. "It's the latest invention from Q branch."

Natasha focused on the voice and fired two successive shots to her left, but instead of hearing a sharp cry of pain, she heard the first bullet ping against a metal surface and the second lodge itself against the stone wall.

"You have terrible aim." Agent Twilight's voice mocked her. "The Black Widow I know was a much better shot."

"What are you talking about?" The agent from SHIELD said. "I am Natasha Romanoff. I am Agent Black Widow."

"No, you are not." There was a steely edge to his voice. "You are an imposter."

She was backing away, waving her firearm, firing at every other direction, coughing, sputtering, and then her back hit something solid. And it wasn't the brick wall. In the very next instant, she felt the familiar sensation of having the barrel of a gun pressed to the side of her head.

"Drop your weapon." Came his cold voice through the mist. "I won't ask again."

Immediately she gave up and surrendered, knowing it was futile to resist and dropped the pistol to the ground with a clatter without needing to be told twice. But she didn't give up yet.

"Twilight, let me explain-"

"Save it." Twilight cut her off. "I know you are not Agent Black Widow."

"You know how insane that sounds." She protested. "Who else could I be?"

"You are talking to a spy who is a master of disguise." Agent Twilight replied. "For the moment, I am treating you as an unknown assassin who has killed three special agents."

"Twilight, don't me naïve." The female agent said. "You know the business we are in, how things work around here. I was just following orders. You would do the same. And let's not forget, my name is Natasha Romanoff. I am Agent Black Widow." There was a certain hard edge to her voice. "I have got blood on my ledger."

By now most of the smoke had cleared and she could see the rest of the room, and if she risked turning around, she might be able to look him in the eye and make him see sense. But it wasn't without a risk. One false move and he won't hesitate to pull the trigger.

"You are good." Agent Twilight remarked. "I doubt even Barton would have trouble realizing you are not the real Natasha."

"I am the real Natasha -"

He cut her off again. "The Black Widow I know could take on an army. She wouldn't ask for my help to take care of three special agents. You picked the right disguise, the right face, the right uniform, but none of your targets were killed by her signature weapon – The Widow's Bite. Now granted, she doesn't use those weapons while she's working undercover, but since you are wearing her SHIELD uniform and not a low cut dress, I take it this was not one of those missions. And last but not least, the real Black Widow would have come up with ten different ways to disarm me by now. She wouldn't be standing here like an rank amateur, listening to me lecture her, while I had a loaded gun pressed to her head. Now answer the question: Where's Natasha Romanoff?"

"I am Natasha Romanoff!" The woman replied indignantly.

He had a sick feeling in the bottom of his stomach. What if she was dead and this imposter had taken her place? No. You are a professional. You are Agent Twilight. Get your head in the game.

"Turn around. Slowly." He quickly added.

The red haired woman turned around, but she had a sly smile on her face. He didn't like it. That particular expression brought back certain memories. And just for a second, he was lost and she capitalized on his mistake and took full advantage of his minor lapse in judgment.

The sound of a zipper being pulled down could be heard in the silence, the sight of her unblemished white skin, the valley of her exposed breasts, a lacy black bra peeking out, teasing him with the promise of a forgotten night, and then there was the look in her eyes.

He couldn't help but falter.

"Let me show you who I am." Natasha smiled. Her voice was husky, sultry, seductive. It was the voice he remembered from his dreams. But it had been real. They had been real. Once. Almost a life time ago. "Because I know who you are already."

She was not wearing any panties.

"That's a shame." He replied smoothly, steadying his grip on the gun. "Because I have no clue who you are."

She thought she was being clever, having figured him out, standing there in all her naked glory, turning around and bending over, trying to distract him by sticking out her ass in the air, thinking he wasn't paying attention to her as she picked up her pistol from the ground. Granted, he was a little bit distracted. But she never got the chance to pull the trigger.

"Let me jog your memory." The imposter replied.

It was a clean shot.

He was known to be efficient. A bullet to the head put her out of her misery. But then he was left with a dead body which didn't seem entirely human. After all, what kind of human had green skin and pointed-back ears?

For once, Agent Twilight didn't have all the answers.


Author's Note: Welcome to "Ikebukuro Gaiden: The Skrull Invasion."

This is gonna be a reboot/reimagining of the events of "Secret Invasion", but with the characters from 'SPY x FAMILY' in the lead.

Where does it take place in the time-line?

Well, this happens "Pre-Operation Strix", so Agent Twilight hasn't taken on the identity of 'Loid Forger' yet. But don't worry, Anya Forger will still be in the story. Just trust me.

What about the MCU time-line?

Well, this takes place before the Chitauri Invasion. In fact, The Skrull Invasion takes place first. So SHIELD exists, but the Avengers are not a thing yet.

Also, Nick Fury didn't strike a deal with Talos and he doesn't know about the Skrulls.

The only ones who knows about the Skrulls at the moment are the 'Men in Black'.

Okay. I think that's enough information for now. As you can tell, this will be a very different story. And it will be a multi-crossover, so expect a lot of famous spy characters from other fandoms to show up.

Now it's time for a poll –


Poll#1: Which Spy Characters Should Show Up In This Fic?

Option 1: James Bond.

Option 2: Jason Bourne.

Option 3: Ethan Hunt – Mission Impossible.

Option 4: Jack Ryan.

Option 5: Agent Jay and Agent Kay – Men in Black.

Option 6: Jack Bauer – 24.

Option 7: Sterling Archer – Archer.

Option 8: Solid Snake – Metal Gear.

Option 9: Sam Fisher – Splinter Cell.

Option 10: Spy Characters From The Review.


Please pick accordingly.


Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.

Leave lots and lots of reviews, follow and fave.

Won't betray your dreams.