Chapter 110: Boots on the Ground

Thursday February 6th, 2022. Washington DC, SHIELD HQ….

Another week passed after Bronte and the rest of the Mutants learned both of Daken's location— Chernobyl, and his most recent gains in power.

Coming in the form of two Slavic gods.

A god of thunder and a god of darkness. Both belonging to the Winter Guard before being disbanded on account of their leader going mentally insane from the sight of Daken's forces.

But Bronte wasn't overwhelmed. He was focused. He was anxious. He was tired of it all. Ready to get in the mix.

Thankfully so was he….

"Alright, god dammit! You Mutant-folk aren't the center of the universe, evidently, but you are the center of the world in this moment. We lost our cash cow half a decade ago now... so it looks like our world saving force is currently also the worlds most hated. It feels poetic, don't you think?"

"That's what I said…" Emma Frost filed her nails as she sat at the large round table with the other mutants and Shield Agents.

"Oh I bet you did, Ms. Frost. How's Sebastian Shaw?"

"Dead."

"Good. I hope he stays that way. Some of you love to come back from the dead ….. in biblical fashion."

Jean returned the mans one eyed stare, "It's been a while, Fury."

"Wish it could've stayed that way. Unfortunately, we have a Mutant-Vampire army building in a nuclear power plant."

"Built." Blade said from where he stood at the back of the white walled meeting room.

"I beg your pardon?" Nick Fury questioned.

"The army is already built. Vampires are made infinitely faster than soldiers. No basic-training or rifle courses to flunk. Just get bit, die, wake up." Blade explained.

"All evidence points to Daken… Varkis, simply experimenting now." Mr Knight added.

"And those experiments are why Russias captain America needs a straight jacket now?"

Everyone who saw him nodded silently in agreement with Director Fury.

He stood while everyone remained seated at the head of the long meeting table. The projector screen at his back cast a trench coat wearing shadow across the seated mutants. It almost looked like the grim reaper.

Which fit the moment terribly well.

"Erhm." Agent Coulson coughed, deliberately pulling his boss back on track.

"So here's the deal, people. We're outnumbered. I know that you know your own Mutant faction is split. What you call him… Varkis? Yea, Varkis has a silver tongue it seems. He's got Mutant-Vampires. Enough to make waves and attack entire states here. So what we need now is information. We can't make an attack blind. That's what he's hoping for. He can afford the causalities more than we can."

"What are you suggesting?" Cyclops questioned.

"Probably something to do with her." Bronte pointed to the woman standing in front of them in the corner of the room. The projectors white lights cloaked her own all white suit as she waited patiently.

"Good senses." She commended Bronte. Her accent reminded him of Ilyana when she got angry… or nervous. Only it was sharper.

"You were part of the Winter Guard…" Bronte sniffed.

"Do I still smell like Red? We only shared a bed once…"

"That's all it takes." Bronte replied.

"Ursa Major used to say similar things." She walked to the table and stood beside Dir. Fury.

"White Widow." Cyclops said.

"It has been many winters, goggles." White Widow replied.

Like Emma Frost, she had that pale and dangerous femme fatale look down to a science. She wasn't tall. But she was a terrifying blend of both lithe and sturdy features visible even through her white leather suit. Bronte could see her flipping through gunfire like an acrobat of war in his minds eye perfectly.

"For those of you that aren't…. hip, this is Ex-Russian Operative Yelena Belova. She graduated from the same schools as our very own Black Widow, rest her soul. I take it you all understand the game-plan I'm going for here?"

"The game of walking in the shadows. Espionage." Nightcrawler said from beside Beast.

"Correct. To be honest, I'm curious why none of you tried this already. Or did you…. And fail?"

"The Mutants have only just learned the location of Varkis and his followers thanks to a select few." Agent Coulson explained.

"Well we're involved now, and we're going to need results faster. Varkis already has two gods on his payroll. The next worst step is getting ahold of Russia's nuke." Dir. Fury explained.

The room went silent for a moment.

"Espionage won't work." Bronte said suddenly after his own nerves forcibly broke his silence.

Dir. Fury casually looked over to Bronte and acted as if he'd seen him for the first time suddenly, "Oh!— the brother, please tell us why espionage wouldn't work in a war."

"It wouldn't work because you're not going to war against humans."

"You think this is the first time?" Dir. Fury let out a loud laugh, "We've been taking down super soldiers, genetic mutates and alien warlords since the seventies!"

"None of what you just said involves magic. Or Daken." Bronte replied. "If I can sense Yelena when my minds somewhere else, why do y'all think stepping into his territory won't end up even worse? You're not low, I know you brought her here because she's the best. That's not good enough."

"If I may…" Beast started before Dir. Fury or any of the Shield agents could reply, "Technology and magic have always been in a race against time. Sometimes, technology takes the lead, other times the latter. I think right now, the two are fairly close. Close enough to pull this operation off with a little combined help."

"If I go there—"

"Not you." Dir. Fury cut him off.

"Me." Nightcrawler concluded.

Jean rested a hand on Nightcrawler's shoulder in support. Beast did the same from the other side of him.

"I heard you killed your dad." Nick Fury said aloud.

"Then your ears are working, Dir. Fury." Nightcrawler reeked of rage.

"Why are all one eyed men assholes, Unc?" Mend questioned in Bronte's mind.

"No idea." Bronte thought in reply as Nick Fury placed his hands on the table, leaning in to get a better look at Nightcrawler.

"You feeling some grief for dear old demon-daddy?"

"Fury." Jean stopped only when Cyclops placed a hand on her thigh. He was letting it happen.

Dir. Fury ignored her, "Did you take the initiative in taking down Azazel. Or were you backed into a corner by your kinfolk? Would you be able to do it again if the circumstances called for it? Or would the man upstairs hold your b—"

"I will beg for forgiveness as many times as I need, to save my planet and my people!" Nightcrawler snarled as he held Fury's gaze.

"Nightcrawler, who are your people?"

"Anyone who's innocent— anyone who's trying for the better."

Fury smiled. The test was passed.

"Well I'll be damned. I think we got that help you were talking about, Beast." Fury commented.

"It appears so." Beast pushed his glasses back in place.

"Coulson, take everyone to the next phase room. We got boots on the ground before sunrise."

Before Bronte could fully grasp it all beginning, everyone was getting up and moving to the next room.

For a moment he was back in Wakanda, flying through burning apartment complexes and Anti-Mutant Militias thinking that same thought.

"It's happening."

"StormWolf and Honeybadger, hang back for me." Fury said.

"No." Bronte replied. He didn't trust Fury. He was manipulative— both too unbothered and too wrapped up in government secrecy, for Bronte's liking.

"Go catch up with the others." Bronte whispered to Gabbie.

"If you aren't in that room with me in the next five minutes I'm coming back." Gabbie replied.

"Heard you."

They shook up once before she left.

Brontë shut the door and turned, facing a room full of Shield Agents and an Ex Russian super spy.

"The next generation…." Fury said in fake awe.

"What's up?"

"You've had a lot on your plate for some years now."

"I'm good."

"No you're not. Or else you'd be insane."

"Insane is no good in this fight…. Or is it?" Yelena questioned to herself.

"Romulus was a boogie man tyrant with enough resources and capital to buy up portions of the world all over. Daken is your brother. The games changed. I need to know if you can take that next s—"

"I'll kill him even if you don't want me to." Bronte interrupted.

Fury laughed as he pointed at Bronte.

"You know…. Logan said the same thing when we tasked him with taking on The Hulk."

"Hopefully we get different results this time." Yelena commented.

Agent Coulson side eyed her.

Yelena shrugged, "What? I read American events. It's like…. Soap opera with fire works, no?"

Fury sighed, "Speaking of Wolverines, where is Laura?"

He'd been wondering the same thing passively every now and then. They texted but it was so sporadic and cryptic he couldn't even begin to make an accurate guess beyond…

"She's out on her own mission."

"So it's just you and the little one?"

Brontë didn't reply.

"You think you know Daken?"

"Why are you asking?" Bronte questioned.

"Because, we need to know if you think he'd send a Nuke our way."