Chp. 85 Who's 'we'?

"No! No! I just got back my life together and you are not going to ruin it!" Phastos was running back into his house as soon as he saw the faces of Kingo and Makari in front of his house in Chicago.

He had just settled in recently with his husband and their adopted child of one year old in this house that he had built himself.

When Paul learned of this he knew that he was indeed in another reality and not like the ones in the movies since there were elements here that do not exist in the other universe.

Last he remembered the child of Phastos was younger and might have been adopted after 2010 but this was only at the end of 2008 which was quite a bit far for the moment.

"Come one man, we just heard you got a family and we too want to meet our nephew!" Kingo did not care as he walked excitedly towards Phastos.

"Uhuh, nope not believing you, or am I getting involved in anything that includes you all in any matter." Phastos was alert as he looked at Kingo since he always known that this guy was rather too chatty for his taste.

"Can I?" Makari looked lovingly at the child Phastos was carrying.

"Yeah, just don't run off somewhere far…" Phastos was confused as to why Gilgamesh and Thena was also here in his house.

"We need to talk." Gilgamesh said as he got down from the van.

"How long were you all cramped up inside the Van?" Phastos said as he saw some bread crumbs on Kingo's shirt. "And who is this guy?"

"Oh that is Karun, he is my Valet and his family has been serving me for generations." Kingo said as he thought Phastos was pointing at his chubby Indian Valet.

"No I mean the tall golden haired and muscular one." Phastos pointed at Paul who had just come out from the driver's seat.

"Oh, that's Paul. Paul meet Phastos, Phastos meet Paul. Now let's get inside, I have to crap." Gilgamesh said as he hurried inside Phastos' house.

"Yeah, yeah. Come in totally uninvited guys." Phastos saw that Giglamesh did not even ask for permission getting inside.

"Are these the ones you talked about love?" the husband of Phastos said as he came out of the Garage.

"Yeah, though there are others I do not know of." Phastos looked unsurely at Paul but curiosity dug at him looking at the small camper van since Makari was the one holding his son, Jack.

"What the hell?!" Phastos looked inside the outside then inside the van confirming what he just saw.

"Pretty cool right? There are quite a lot of rooms inside too, it even has a garage for some reason." Kingo said as he saw Phastos being slack jawed.

"No, that's not right. This is Quantum Space folding tech and it is too advanced for this planet to develop yet, also there are things here or more like markings which are new to me but they seem to be some form of programming keeping the expanded space inside stable. Also there's this…" Phastos was wide eyed as he identified a lot of advanced tech that were not yet to be developed in this planet.

Sure he saw the recent news about Tony Stark and he was impressed that someone was able to develop a powersuit of that caliber ahead of its time.

"Okay, okay. Don't get to excited you still have guest to entertain." Ben Stoss was also shocked when he looked inside but he knew that his husband would be needed inside the house.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure." Phastos was reluctant to follow inside but since his fellow eternals were here then it means that there is something that might have happened that caused them to gather.

"It is my honor to be here today to present these distinguished rewards to Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes and Mr. Stark, who is of course a national treasure." In the living room Phastos arrived in time for the Senator to give the medals for the two heroes that stopped the villain Whiplash shown in the TV live.

"Hehehe… he seems like he wants to strangle someone." Gilgamesh said as he also just came out from the toilet.

"How can he not want to? He was the one asking for Stark's suit last week saying that it should fall to the government's hands." Kingo smiled as he watched the drama in TV.

Paul smiled as well since after Tony got his assessment and being asked to be the Consultant of SHIELD did he ask this favor to Nick Fury.

He can see the visible annoyance of the Senator while attaching the medal to Tony Stark while also pricking him with the pin of the medal.

"If we had not known the real plan we would have been thinking that the human race has already developed properly and we'll soon be able to get home." Kingo said sadly making the others agree while Phastos was confused.

"Wh-what do you mean real plan?" Phastos' words made the other Eternals look at him while Karun stood up and took baby Jack from Makari and guided Ben Stoss to the kitchen.

"Dude, I think you might want to sit for this…" Kingo said as he looked at the others and explained what they know so far.

[In a bar somewhere]

"Reload!" General Ross looking disheveled and forlorn said as he drank in a bar.

The Bartender looked at the General silently as she gave him another glass of drink.

General Ross smoked his cigar and contemplated on what he did wrong but he felt that if things were to happen again he will still do the same thing.

He puffed a plume of smoke out as he looked at his reflection on the Bar counter.

It was then the door of the bar opened and a smiling Tony Stark arrived as he had heard on the way back the recent incident in Harlem that happened exactly as Whiplash's attack on him.

Waking inside with swagger he did not care about the eyes that were staring at him as he sauntered in the bar.

"Hmmm, the smell of stale beer and defeat." Tony said as soon as he was close General Ross' side.

"You know I hate to say, "I told you so", General, but that super soldier programme was put on ice for a reason." Tony's words made the General look to his side and see the smug expression of Stark.

"I've always felt that hardware was more reliable." Tony leaned on the counter looking at the people playing pool by the side.

"Stark."

"General."

"You always wear such nice suits." General Ross said with double meanings as he looked at Stark while smoking his cigar.

"Touché." Tony said as he looked at Ross in the eyes.

"I hear you have an unusual problem." Tony's words made Ross make an exaggerated surprised face at him.

"You should talk." Ross said with a voice full of derisive tone.

"You should listen." But Tony was serious as he looked squarely at the General.

Ross felt that if Stark was serious then this matter he will speak might just be important for a frivolous person to have such a stoic expression.

"What if I told you we were putting a team together?" Stark's words made Ross frown a bit and picked up on a certain detail in the sentence.

"Who's 'we'?" Ross asked only to be replied by a confident smug face of Stark.

[Amazon Forest]

"I don't know what came over me but I still think this group gathering of yours is not a good sign at all. A slight chance that we'll die in the hands of Arishem himself!" Phastos said as he looked uncomfortable trudging through the jungle.

"We all have no idea what to do, but he seems to have one. He had not spoken about it yet." Kingo said as he slapped away some large mosquitos.

"Well, at least he helped Thena lose the Magd-wy'ry so I trust him. Though it is still a bomb to the mind knowing we are kind off the bad guys here." Gilgamesh seemed sad as he thought about this part.

"Yeah, at least now we understand why Ajak did not want us to interfere in human conflict. Turns out wars cause development in many ways, technology, medicine and more that made the humans blow up in population in the past century." Phastos was a bit homesick already as he felt he'd rather be by the side of his son Jack.

"No worries, my plan is totally simple that's all. Just make a new body where the Celestial can transfer his powers without pushing through the planet which is where Phastos is crucial. His technopathy is not really a needed part since I can fill that part myself…" Paul said as he calmly took in the beauty of the forest.

"Wait, you mean you can make things like Phastos… oh yeah the van. So why take him with us when you can replace him?" Kingo asked as he looked jokingly at Phastos.

"Ouch, that hurts. And I can make a Van like that too but I would have to look for rare elements that are quite hard to find here on earth, unless we have Sersi turn a rock into materials I need then… oh right Sersi." Phastos realized that he might just be able to make a similar effect like the space expansion inside a small room.

"She turns and you make, quite a combo." Makari said, that's right said since Paul already had some schematics on an artificial voice box which can speak for mute people.

"…like I said, Phastos is needed here because he has better understanding in Celestial powers like the ones flowing inside of you. Though I can make a similar quality energy like this Power Cosmic, I still only have a few knowledge in how this energy works." Paul looked to the south where he can feel hundreds of people present there.

"Wait, wait, wait! You… you can produce power Cosmic? How? Though my scans say you are human and no readings at all on any energy signatures like that of ours…" Phastos stopped talking as Paul realized that this guy really was a great inventor that he did not feel he had been scanned earlier.

Not that he was alert around then and that this body in only a clone, his real one might be able to detect and prevent the scan but Paul did not mind.

"Oh I don't mind, this body is not my real one at all. This is but a clone I am using which can only use a small fraction of my real powers." Paul did not lie to them at all.

Though it might seem disadvantageous to tell people his powers and all as well as the existence of his clones, he did not have any fear at all for them thinking of ways to counter him.

His soul which was reinforced with whatever power that granted his wish was able to increase his speed of thinking and he had deduced there were no downsides at all since the ones speculating cannot fathom his real limits.

Even he had not yet felt all the things his powerful soul can do, maybe once he got the Soul stone then he might just be able to gain an understanding on how to use his real abilities.

He knew his soul can mimic and create energy which he was already familiar and studied. That was why being able to see different perspective of different realities in their time dilations enabled him to understand 'time'.

And recently he also understood something about Space and light when he felt the full power of the Bifrost.

Right now his real body is slowly digesting the things he found while on the receiving end of the light beam so he only had about 20% in handling his real body and clones.

But that was still a powerful force to be reckoned, Paul wondered as he walked that even if he has this much power he is uncertain.

If he can gain this much strength from the wishes he made them there is likely a time when he might have to face whosoever owned the thing he made a wish on.

From the words of the Gaea of his world there are people that were responsible for the destruction of his home.

To even make a goddess that birthed the life of a planet into this state means that whoever did it was quite powerful and might look for Paul later on.

He was taken out of his thoughts as soon as they saw a small village within the middle of this massive rainforest.

Paul was amazed such a peaceful community existed but he knew that it was but a fake forced upon by an Eternal who had enough of human's cruelty over the past centuries in history.

The people were kind off curious but they did not mind the strangers that visited them showing how there were no hardships within this community.

"This is so bland…" Paul commented as he looked at the atmosphere of the small village.

"Yeah, it scares me a little." Phastos looked around feeling a bit creeped out at the stares they were getting.

"Excuse me, is Druig around?" Phastos asked with a bit of apprehension in Spanish.

"Yes, he is here. What are you to Sir Druig?" A man asked as he looked at the people that arrived.

"Uhm, we were friends in college." Phastos said unsurely as he saw the people around them look at them in unison.

"Well it isn't my friends, long time no see Phastos." The man's eyes blanked and a rather familiar tone sounded out as he looked at the eyes of the guest.

[SHIELD]

"Sir, we have successfully placed Emil Blonsky in containment." Maria Hill reported to Nick Fury as she was given the duty to monitor and check the powered people they have in custody from time to time.

"Do you have any report regarding Agent May?" Nick seemed concerned since it has been months since the famous incident but somehow one of his best agents demanded to be put in desk duty.

"She still does not want to return in the field sir. Bahrain seemed to have done quite a bit on her." Agent Hill said as she felt it was a pity a woman of Melinda May's caliber be wasted on a desk duty.

"I see, other than that has Coulson tracked down Agent Amador?" Fury knew that soon HYDRA would be unearthed but he must ensure every top agents that he has is at hand and right now he has been sending some trusted people in finding lost agents that they need right now.

"We have found her sir, it seems that Intel of our consultant is true. So does this mean…" Hill seemed worried as she knew the implications of this matter.

"Yes, one Agent has been peeking up some Files and has been using them to fund some of his private projects. Seems HYDRA was quite convincing for him, but I never knew he was this low to do such a thing." Fury seemed sad since in one of the pages Paul provided, there was something about a guy that called himself 'The Clairvoyant'.

But from what the clues given by Paul, this was not an all seeing person but rather a person who has security clearance.

Fury thought it was just a high ranking HYDRA member but to think it was an Agent he supervised was heartbreaking for him.

This made him understand more how deeply rooted HYDRA is within their members and if not for Paul then they might one day self-destruct just to get a win.

"Some people are just different sir." Hill tried to comfort Fury but he just shook his head.

"Nope, I knew from the start Garrett was ambitious but now that HYDRA is in the game it is understandable he'll try to gain more. And he did, being the first ever patient for this Project Deathlok." Fury placed importance in this part since it seems HYDRA has been funding rather secret projects trying to revive the SSS.

"We still have not much concrete evidence sir since the facility the project is being practiced has no sign of electronic device other than lamps, light bulbs and their AC. Their stone age but it keeps them rather hard to get in with their rather strict requirements." Hill explained since they have been at it for two weeks yet they have not found a way to get inside this Cybertek company.

"I must say I am quite impressed, it seems that they really value the info within that facility but too bad we can't make a too big a move or it'll startle these snakes back into their burrows." Fury looked to his side and found that they were now in the location where some instructions Paul left in the files to meet up with someone.

"Guess we are here, you stay here with the driver since our rather all seeing consultant said I should just go in alone." Fury said as he got out the car and walked into the rather dilapidated warehouse.

"Why must it always be warehouses? Can't we meet up in some fancy restaurant next? I want to eat some shrimp or calamari for a change." Fury ranted a bit as he walked inside the damp dark building.

Fury remembered the instructions and finally came up in front of a somewhat dilapidated room.

It seems to look like a control room, some sort of office or something where the former employees of this warehouse used to work.

But moments as he just arrived another person arrived in the room from the other side of the entrance.

Fury was immediately alert, so was the other who had just arrived.

"When the snake and the mongoose fight?" then Fury said a sentence that made no sense. But this was what Paul ensured that the two people who will meet know that they met the right person.

It was like a challenge or something which if answered wrong then Fury is allowed to open fire.

His hands gripped the pistol by his side tightly and looked menacingly to the other person.

"The National geographic photographer will make a documentary…" a female voice sounded out in the dark corner as she reluctantly answered but this made Fury calm down.

"Well that's that then, you know even I cannot understand how he comes up with this stuff to ensure secrecy." Fury said as he seemed to have calmed down but he was testing the other person.

"He? It seems you have an idea who has been supporting me from the shadows, I have met him but never saw his face nor heard his voice at all. Just shadows still unseen in the dark…" as soon as she finished talking she stepped out of the corner and revealed herself.

It was Ophelia Sarkissan, aka the Viper, who is aiming to get the Madame HYDRA title.

"Supporting you in what matter exactly?" Fury probed as he still has his habits of gathering info.

"Well, in making me the head of HYDRA of course." Ophelia smiled teasingly as she saw how Nick's face morphed in alert nearly pulling out his gun but she raised her hands first in surrender.

"Now don't be too hasty in pointing that thing, if you still think HYDRA is full of Nazis then why don't I tell you where this organization started in the first place." Ophelia did not fear since she had received from Paul that who she ever meets will be able to help her deal with her former captors.

"What do you mean where it all started? Isn't it commonly known that HYDRA was but a pawn of the Nazis during WWII? There had been a lot of people digging up where it came from but no one found anything at all before they came out during the War." Fury's brows scrunched as he looked confusedly at Ophelia.

"Mhmm, that is explainable by the fact that HYDRA is hiding in SHIELD." Ophelia said making Fury muse a bit.

"Fair point." Fury then walked to the side and pulled two chairs and placed them to a rather intact table. "Ladies first."

"Thank you." Ophelia smiled as she took the seat with no scruples.

"Now what is this about HYDRA having much deeper history?" Fury sat down as well thinking that he might just get what he needed to kick start his purging campaign.

In that dimly lit room, two leaders of the largest intelligence group were discussing the down fall of a thousand year old organization that had been present in the history of mankind.

[X-Mansion]

"Do we have any leads as to where the other clones of this monster preside in Charles?" Magneto said calmly but deep inside he and the other mutants were at a boiling point when they learned of the truth of the matter.

They were able to find Havoc, Scott's younger brother being experimented on and Charles has to spend a whole night just to calm the boy down from his traumas.

Now the X-men were out for blood when they had seen gruesome scenes of immoral experimentation upon mutants and human alike.

They had wanted to lay low and never poke the hornet's nest, or more like the Snake's tail since Paul had said that it would be bad to be too active at this point.

But what can he do when most of the people within the mansion were hot blooded teens and some gruffy middle aged men who has some tough personalities.

Even the erudite Hank McCoy was enraged and almost went feral when he saw the gestation pods were some clones of people were floating.

"That is also a matter I take importance also Erik, but right now we have to stabilize our situation. We have so much new students this time and they have not yet taken in that they are part of our school. We cannot leave every now and then and be absent when we are needed to show these children that they are not monsters that they were told to be by these inhumane people!" Charles almost shouted at Erik since he knew how single minded he can be if he set himself on a target.

"*Sigh*, you are right Charles. I seem to have let anger get the best of me recently." Erik Leshner calmed down and sat while having two metal balls float around him to make him think of something else.

"I know, me too. I almost cannot bear to break apart the lines I have drawn on myself. Also it seems mister Esteban knew of what I did to Jean, I am still thinking of what to do to tell her the truth gently." Charles said as he had been troubled about this.

Paul had hinted to him that if he does not handle this as soon as possible then there is like a time where the thing inside Jean will burst out.

He had felt it already, the seals he had placed are weakening and if Jean is not ready by then, it will become a danger to her life and to others.

"That young girl? If you haven't told me about her true nature then I might have tried taking her to my side but seeing that even the person who defeated a mutant god warned us then the danger is something that we both cannot deal with." Magneto sighed again as he felt that the times were moving too fast and mutants that are powerful are being birthed left and right.

"Well that will be what we must deal with now, other than that we can work on the other files of problems that Paul has given us. Who knew there were this many things that are in the way of mutant peace?" Charles felt that if he had his hair back he will lose it again from the amount of stress he has been feeling lately.

"I think there is a term he used, Meta-humans was it? I kind of prefer we be called that since it does not seem to show any discrimination against our kind. Should we publicize it?" Erik smiled as he thought of the day they will no longer be called derogatory terms.

"Mhmm, I like it as well. Maybe I can hire some PR to make people used to our presence, Sublime is currently in our hands so he surely cannot influence people in public." Charles nodded as he thought about the hard mission they did just to trap this mutant bacteria with psionic powers.