Marvel
Iron Age
In the early days of the Iron age, S.H.E.L.D was over taken. Nick Fury and other high ranking agents were killed. Their executions demonstrated publicly to demoralize the worlds armed forces. To show them that even the mighty Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage and Logistics Directorate couldn't over come the Iron army. With their helicarriers destroyed and their bases compromised, agents were hunted until every last one was killed. Or so it was thought.
General Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D had a plan. Using a derivative of the Infinity formula that granted him his prolonged life span he infused the formula into a few hundred selected agents during the darkest days of the war. Now these agents wait, gather information, protect who they can and wage a secret war on Ferrum Tech. They are...
S.H.I.E.L.D
Ferrum Tech research base,
Northern Canada:
A small team of S.H.I.E.L.D agents are on a snatch and grab mission. The Director has received information on a package that could change the way they fought this war. Not taking it lightly, the Director sent one of her best teams to acquire the package.
"You ready, Magneto?" Joked a younger agent.
"Oh, don't even call me that, John!" The other agent replied. The agent took off her helmet, revealing long white hair. "Besides I've got more power than that old man ever had. You remember how he went out? Wouldn't have been me."
"That's enough, both of you!" Said an older agent. He was a rough and hard looking soldier. Appearing to wear every battle on his face.
"Yes, Commander Holland." Both agents quickly replied.
Commander Holland turned to the pilot of their transport. "How are we doing Doc?"
Doc, was an older man. A recruit from the slums of Old L.A. He and his family were moved to the Triskellion when S.H.I.E.L.D did a sweep for volunteers. Doc was first in line. The only one to sign up that day. "We are over the facility, stealth systems are engaged. Not gonna matter once we open the hatch."
"And the rest of the team?"
Doc cocked his head back and smiled. "Just wait'n for us to get loud."
"John, Elizabeth? You ready?"
"As I'll ever be, Doc." Elizabeth replied cheerfully. She put on her helmet and took a deep breath. "Orders, Commander?"
"Give them hell. We'll catch up."
The hatch crawled open, the three soldiers walking toward the back. A dull blue aura enveloped Elizabeth. A five hundred feet below she could hear the clatter of metal boots as Ferrum soldiers continued their patrols. Their armor's systems at this very moment were picking them up and no time to prepare was needed. "See you on the other side, John." she said darkly.
She flung herself out of the transport head first, her aura intensifying. "She never ceases to amaze." Holland whispered.
"She is something else." John says, handing the Commander a rifle.
Weapons ready, both soldiers stepped out of the hatch. Elizabeth had made their location more than common knowledge by now. She'd already took several by surprise. Using her power over magnetism, she created a directional electromagnetic pulse strong enough to shut down the facilities systems for at least a little while. And more importantly, the Iron men were defenseless.
Rapidly dropping into the battle below, Holland pressed a button on the collar of his uniform. John did the same. A force bubble enclosed the both of them. Holland fired on the first Ferrum soldier he saw. The burst ripping four holes into the soldier. "Enemy engaged!"
When they hit the ground the bubble dissipated. They landed in the court yard of the facility. In that short time Elizabeth had already ravaged several of the Iron men and tore a large hole into the front of the base. The building trembled from the battle that must be going on inside.
"All right kicken ass!" Shouted John as he engaged five of the Iron men. He got in real close, close enough for hand to hand combat. With their suits disabled they were clumsy and the armors weight slowed them down. John in a ruthless display of accuracy took each of the iron soldiers out with one shot each.
"Ha, Bulls-eye wins again!" He gloated, loading another clip.
Commander Holland sighed. "Show off."
The two agents made their way into the facility, were they caught up with Elizabeth. She'd demolished the lobby and several labs in the back. Ferrum soldiers lay dead, crushed in their own armor. They made there way deeper into the base, passing by terrified staff members and unarmored Ferrum security. Their target was below the main labs. Under the base.
A single service elevator was the only way down. It was risky, but Commander Holland was known to take such risks. "If our asset informed us correctly then it should be down here."
"Don't you think it's weird so many iron men are here to play security guard? Why is this place so important?" Elizabeth said.
Holland had thought the same while entering the elevator. "Better question, why isn't it better guarded?" No sooner had he said the elevator shaft violently shook. A loud crash could be heard above them, the line holding the elevator could be heard snapping.
Holland looked in, Elizabeths direction she was already at work. Her aura surrounded them all as she launched the elevator forward. Crashing through a wall and knocking them all out of the elevator. Holland picked himself off the floor, he was unhurt. "Everyone alright."
"No." Elizabeth grunted, limping towards Holland with John by her side. "Thanks for asking."
The room they were in now was cold, surrounded by debris and was eerily quiet. There was an empty lab ahead of them, the inside was in ruins. Most likely due to the disturbance that caused there elevator to collapse. A kind of smoke or fog emanated from the lab and began to fill the room. "Doc, what the hell is going on up there?" Holland called, over his radio.
"None of you move a muscle!" A harsh metallic voice barked, before he could be an answer. An outline in the fog revealed two figures in front of them.
Iron men, stealth variant. Holland thought. He dropped his rifle and then looked back at, John. He nodded and did the same. The iron men promptly appeared before the team, their repulsors aimed at the team.
"It was only a matter of time before we'd caught up to you relics."
There was a slight sound behind one of the iron men. Like a knife or sword being unsheathed. Only, Commander Holland noticed. His asset was coming into play. "Time? I'd say you just ran out of that, friend."
Sparks flew as metal cut through metal, the iron man in front of the Commander being decapitated. The other iron man whipped around to fire a replusor blast. Holland drew his side arm and fired three shots into the side of the iron man. Doubling him forward.
"Nice of you to show up, agent Ngumi." The light behind the iron man flickered and bent. A young woman stood behind their enemy, wearing the same black and gray combat armor he wore. Her sword in hand and ready to be plunged into the back of the Ferrum soldier's neck.
"Some one has to do the recon in this outfit." She thrust her blade into the iron man and violently ripped it out with out as much as a flinch. "The explosion was... Boris. He decided two thousand pounds of plastic explosive was justified."
Holland shook his head. "That sounds right. Do we have an alternate escape? Or is, Elizabeth tearing us through a mile of debris?"
Ngumi sheathed her blade on her back. "Yeah, through the back is an emergency tram, to a location outside the facility. Colonel Danvers, has a secondary team on distraction for use."
The look on Ngumi's face was cold and detached. Her eyes were gray and steely. But they contained a look that wasn't normal compared to her usual icy demeanor. It was a look of worry. "Did you know what Carol sent use here for?" Her tone was accusatory.
"I only know that we came to get a package. That it could change the war." Holland answered.
Ngumi's face furrowed into a frown. "Look for yourself."
Knowing nothing usually gets to, Ngumi who he could always count on to do the work he needed he did exactly that. Shooting her a glare that seemed to say don't give me orders. Thelab itself was even colder, to the point were Holland's fingers became numb. He looked straight ahead. Surrounded by debris and the bodies of scientists that, Ngumi had no doubt dispatched was the package.
"Oh my god." Holland muttered. Encased in a sarcophagus like casing lay a battle scared and ominous suit of armor. It was scorched, broken, and had the signs of being involved in a titanic battle. Though the wearer was absent it still had a sense of menace that had, Commander Holland on edge.
"This belonged to, Apocalypse."
The Triskelion, Director Danvers' office,
several hours later:
The Triskelion was a top secret S.H.I.E.L.D base that was created by, Nick Fury in secret during the beginnings of the Ferrum company's campaign. Miles under the rocky mountains, it serves as the North American S.H.I.E.L.D branches head quarters and a refuge for those displaced by the war. It is here were new agents are trained and new ways are devised to combat the Iron menace. But with less than a thousand agents active and an ever increasing need to replace the damaged and often dated equipment, S.H.I.E.L.D has been fighting a losing a battle for nearly two hundred years.
Reliant on infrequent supply drops (that may or may not be compromised) from New Latveria or what the few scientists and engineers they do have, most opt to leave the Triskelion and chose to survive on the outside.
"Carol, we need to talk." Commander Holland stormed into the office of Carol Danvers, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D's North American branch. Despite being nearly two hundred years old, she had the appearance of being in her late forties. Due to the infinity formula in her blood and manipulation of her DNA by the Kree.
She appeared to be waiting for him. "Yes, Commander? I hear your mission was successful."
"It was, barely got out alive, but we did it." Holland grew frustrated at her seeming disinterest. "Did you know what we'd find?"
" Bio armor of celestial make? Armor that if, Ferrum managed to duplicate and mass produce with iron man tech would make them impossible to defeat?" She had an irritated tone, and glared at the agent. "If you are making a point then hurry, I hardly have the patience."
Holland crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "It was worn by, Apocalypse. Who knows what he's done to it. Or do you not remember that incident with, Warren Worthington?"
Carol exhaled and stared sullenly at a dusty picture frame that sat untouched on the corner of her desk. "You want to know what remember? I remember a fleet of Iron men damn near leveling New York. I remember my friends dying in front of me. I remember the whole wide world burning and I could do nothing about it."
She looked back at, Holland. "But I fought on. I'm still fighting. Nick gave us the infinity formula so we could keep fighting."
She got up from her desk with a fire in her eye. "So if and when I see a chance to put a hurt into those bastards who walk around in Tony's armor and claim to be there for our `protection' you better believe I'm going to do it! And if you don't like it, leave and twiddle your thumbs with some of the others in New Latveria , you can go when you want."
" Apocalypse's essence has been known to be possessive. It's too dangerous to have it here." Holland retorted.
Carol scoffed. "Too dangerous is leaving celestial technology in Ferrum tech's hands."
"The world is changing, Augustus. It's not just us anymore." She said with an knowing grin, handing the agent a data pad. "Ngumi found this while she was undercover at the facility."
Holland read the data. Several mentions of a "Distain" killing iron army soldiers, protests being held in the name of Thor and several (though cryptic) references to "spiders" were being made. Several other possible threats were listed from the least concerning to highest priority. Ferrum was nervous. This data more than proved that. "Something is coming. And when it all comes down, S.H.I.E.L.D is going to be apart of it."
Holland would normally shrug this off as disinformation, but the conviction in Carol's voice convinced him it was nothing of the like. Holland has been with her from the beginning, through the darkest of these times. This was a light in the darkness that had claimed the world nearly two hundred years ago.
Carol playfully shoved him, a hopeful expression that had been absent for decades shown brightly on her face. "So get some rest, soldier. I've got another assignment for you and that team of howling commandos."
Holland nodded. "I'm ready, ma'am."
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