Steps To The End

Advance chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.

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(General P.O.V) (3 Years Later)

A blast blew open the double doors of the hallway, sending the squad of Hydra agents waiting behind it, with weapons, flying away.

Dust momentarily covered the long room, causing the disarrayed agents to cough while looking around for the enemy. Then a scream sounded out following the unmistakable sound of breaking bones.

They turned as one to the source, letting loose bullets as a fleeting shadow, jumping from the ground to the ceiling before disappearing. An agent at the back, felt a blow connect to her head and fell like a puppet without strings.

The rest turned and immediately started firing. Peppering the walls with bullets.

"Up here boys."

A voice stated from above their heads.

Alexander Pierce swallowed as he huddled underneath his desk. He pressed a button on his desk and cursed.

"Fuck! They cut off all our power outlets even the back ups. I can't leave..."

He muttered as he cocked his handgun.

Pierce was a proud man. If he was going to go down, he was doing so on his feet. Besides, he only needed to hold on for 5 minutes. That's how long it would take his people to arrive. Till then, he would live. What he couldn't understand was who they were. Who was she? All he'd seen in the footage was a black clad figure with red hair floating behind her. And the way she made short work of his men...

"Get ready. The enemy is likely enhanced or a mutant. No mercy but don't kill her unless you have to."

He addressed a shadow in the corner of the room.

Someone wearing a mask and a robotic arm.

The Winter Soldier stepped forward.

Pop.

The figure landed on the desk between them. The Winter Soldier was already moving, bullets missing the assassin as she flipped right into his personal space. She slipped past his swipe and connected a heel kick that was caught by the metal arm.

Alexander aimed his gun at the two expert combatants caught in a deadly tango. Then The Winter Soldier found himself suspended in mid air.

With a pop, the assassin appeared on the ground and spun, throwing a round kick that connected with The Winter Soldier's head, forcibly removing the mask. The latter's body jerked as another blow connected to his cheek.

The assassin popped away, only to appear above The Winter Soldier, letting gravity do it's job and taking both of them to the ground.

Pierce went to pull the trigger only for the gun to be grabbed out of his fingers and smacked onto the side of his head. The attack threw him on top of his desk, blood pouring out of the split on his temple.

"You...you can teleport."

He muttered, groaning in pain as the gun dug onto the back of his head.

"Are you...are you going to kill..."

Blam!

The figure pulled the trigger, splattering Alexander Pierce's brains onto the walls of his underground bunker. The Assassin reached to her head and pulled off the mask, revealing a 19 year old Natasha, alias the Black Widow.

She reached for her earpiece.

"Protocol 1, this is Black Widow. Sloth is down. I repeat, mission complete. Covering tracks and uploading evidence now."

"Black Widow, confirm kill I.D."

The order came in.

She walked over to Pierce and grabbed his wrist with her thumb and index finger. A data pod flashed on her thumb.

"I.D confirmed. Carry on. Evacuate by 10."

Black Widow walked over to the computer screen behind Pierce's desk and started rapidly typing.

"Stay down."

She stated into the open air.

The Winter Soldier's body strained as he tried to get up.

"I tagged you with a paralysing agent."

She added.

"You're not going anywhere for the next 1 hour. And yes, I accounted for you unique physique."

The light of a boom tube manifested in the middle of the room. Natasha already had a gun trained on it.

"I thought he said 10 minutes."

She said.

"It's not Cypher's fault. I simply missed you and wanted to see how my favorite agent was doing."

Aden told her, walking inside. He was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, holding 2 ice creams.

"I got you your favorite, raspberry."

"Boss! What are you doing here?!"

Black Widow asked, hands lowering as she fell into a stiff posture.

"Relax, Natasha."

He waved her off, stepping over Pierce's body to give her the Ice Cream.

Natasha accepted it with a flush.

"Thanks. You should be getting ready for the press. Storm will be mad if you're late."

Black Widow told him.

Aden shivered.

"She wants me to wear this garish tux. Kori would probably laugh her ass off if she saw me in it."

His laughter slowly died out, a brief silence falling in between them.

"Boss, are you okay?"

Natasha asked, concerned.

Aden shook his head before turning to face her.

"Sorry about that. I actually came for another reason. Your abilities? Anything new?"

He questioned, walking closer while casting analysis spells. Magic symbols flashed around Black Widow's form.

"Nothing's changed. I can teleport 500 miles, to any place I've been or can see. And I can do it about a 100 times before I feel the strain."

She explained with a lot of familiarity. Then again, it wasn't the first time she had answered.

"Yes, yes..." Aden nodded, scanning her mind.

"I see. No outstanding changes." He frowned.

"However, I sense that you're a little bit stronger. Your X-gene is not only pulling on the energy to power your spatial dislocation but is also enhancing your body."

"That's a good thing, right?"

Black Widow asked, bringing her hands to her hips.

"Mmhh. Of course"

Aden nodded, turning away.

"I'll be bringing our friend over here to Wakanda, now."

He said over his shoulder, grabbing the Winter Soldier.

"Bye."

Then they disappeared.

"Wait..."

Black Widow was left holding out her hand with a confused expression on her face.

(Elsewhere)

The camera panned to a bustling street in downtown Manhattan as a reporter, standing amidst a throng of people, spoke into her microphone.

"Good evening, I'm here in front of Aden Solutions, a humanitarian science and technological innovations company that has been making waves across the world. This company, which has been active for only three years, has already impacted so many places around the globe."

As she spoke, footage of Aden Solutions' projects from different parts of the world flashed on the screen. Children in remote villages receiving vaccines, farmers using advanced irrigation systems, and women learning to read and write were just some of the scenes showcased.

"But it's not just their work in humanitarian aid that has caught the attention of the world. Aden Solutions has also been making strides in sustainable energy and waste management."

The camera cut to an interview with a local environmental activist, who praised Aden Solutions' efforts to reduce carbon emissions and promote clean energy.

"And now, the CEO of Aden Solutions, Ororo Munroe, has called a press meeting today to announce some exciting developments."

The reporter's tone grew more animated as she spoke, and the camera zoomed in on her face.

"Miss Ororo Munroe has always been a visionary leader, and under her guidance, Aden Solutions has accomplished more in three years than most companies do in a decade. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us today."

The camera shifted back to the Aden Solutions building, where a crowd of reporters has gathered outside. The door opened and a devastatingly beautiful figure stepped out, flanked by her team.

"Good afternoon, everyone," she begun as soon as she got to the podium, her voice projecting over the din of the crowd. "I'm thrilled to announce that Aden Solutions is expanding its operations to new regions, including Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa."

The reporters erupted into a frenzy of questions, but Storm raised her hand to silence them, a cool breeze spreading out across the crowd, making them shiver.

"It took a lot of effort to be recognized as not a force of political power, but an organization that aims to better people's lives. But that's not all. We're also launching a new initiative to provide education and training to underprivileged youth, so that they can learn the skills they need to thrive in the modern workforce."

As she continued, the cameras captured the expressions of awe and admiration on the faces of the reporters.

"Aden Solutions is committed to using science and technology to make the world a better place, and we're just getting started," Munroe concludes, before falling silent and turning her head to the sky.

"Though, I believe that we cannot fully ignore all the good we aim to bring, I will let our actions speak for themselves."

She looked around at the gathered masses.

"However, today was not meant to highlight that. Today was the day, we were going to introduce to you, the real power behind Aden Solutions."

A hush fell over the crowds, murmurs spreading out.

Storm cleared her throat.

"It's been widely speculated. He is the sole owner of...well, everything. He came into our lives and changed them for the better."

Her eyes glowed with power as she floated off the ground a little, causing a wide intake of breath.

"I have never hidden my true nature. I am a mutant."

She declared.

"And Aden created this company as a way to bridge the divide between people. Our powers do not make us dangerous. We are susceptible to the same level of law abidance as any other person. This is not to say that bad people with powers exist. They do. But that's nothing new. What matters is how you use that power. I want to use mine to do good. And the next guest I'm going to introduce taught me not to be afraid of who I am. To embrace our differences. Please, everyone. Give it up for Aden Strong."

(Aden's P.O.V)

I floated from the sky like a god, the cloaking that had hid me from every single detection deactivating.

Gasps rang out as people from the crowd pointed. Flashes of cameras immediately assaulted my figure as I landed next to Storm.

"You look good."

She complemented in a low tone.

"Haha...we both know who you're really praising."

I told her biting down on the urge to fix my tie.

Storm stepped away from the podium.

"Of course. I have a good stylist's eyes. Just one of my many talents."

She added cheekily.

"I am so... going to get you for making me look like a self entitled..."

"The mic is on."

She whispered and I was forced to concentrate on the crowd.

"Hello, everybody." I cleared my throat.

"My name is Aden Strong."

I pointed at the sign above us.

"Yup. That's me on the name."

A few scattered laughs sounded out.

"Aden Solutions...man oh man. I can definitely tell you that we begun as just a way to help the less privileged. We don't feed our pockets from the dozens of projects or patents our scientists have come up with. That has never been the goal. The goal has been you. The people. And I'm glad that we're not losing sight of what's important."

I paused, turning a hand to motion to everyone present.

"This team, with Ororo as the Leader have done wondrous things. And today, we are about to take that to the next level."

Murmurs broke out once more, forcing me to raise a hand.

"Allow me to first of all explain what our next step entails. To reiterate what Ororo said, we are not a force of Political Power. We do not aim to change or even touch upon that particular landscape."

"But it's not a lie that bad people exist. Ones who can limit our growth and ability to reach others. To reach those who need our help. And so, effective today, Aden Solutions has acquired permission to build it's own private security team. A team that is going to help protect our investments. I present to you, the Avatar Corp."

(General P.O.V)

The camera panned wide to face the sky.

"Oh my..."

The reporter forgot herself and said. From the sky, streams of fire, and a platform of wind descended to reveal a team of about 6 women and one man. The man was dressed in blue and white.

The women on the other hand were of different colors. There was red, yellow, black, white, blue and Silver. At the front of the gathered team, The White Panther was like a storm of raw power, touching down on the platform behind Aden while exuding a mighty aura.

The crowd erupted into a cacophony of sound, most taking a step back.

"Ready for the big stage?"

Aden asked T'Challa.

"I've always felt like my nation was blessed with Vibranium to help light the path for the world. Thank you for giving me the opportunity."

The Prince held out a palm and Aden shook it with a smile.

"Never took you for someone sappy T'Challa. Come my friend, greet the world."

Aden told him.