The Black Lion - Victor Von Doom. (Patreon)

Nicholas Fury, The Triskelion – Washington D.C.

“They are…simply beautiful” said the brand new director of the S.W.O.R.D agency, now wearing an emerald and black robe bearing the new official logo of the Unified Government of Midgard, while the Helicarriers slowly began to rise beneath the attentive gaze of an entire regiment of soldiers, two assault gunships and a cruiser from the first fleet, all supervising as the three vessels were secured and placed into orbit.

The Hydra disaster within SHIELD, uncovered by Harrison’s personal A.I., had been a catastrophe of biblical proportions that was only avoided thanks to the removal of the previous government and the establishment of the new regime.

Among the senators Harrison judged and interrogated through methods unknown to the former director, a cesspool of corruption so deep was exposed that Fury trembled just remembering it.

“They are, primitive perhaps, but Harrison authorized them to be upgraded. One of them will function as your new operations base and SWORD command center, the other two have not yet been assigned to any operation” said Natasha, wearing her brand new advanced armor and escorted by a pair of those super soldiers serving Harrison.

“Do you think if I work for Evans Technologies they’ll give me good dental insurance? Harrison asked me to train the new recruits at the shooting gallery, it’s a great salary and it would give me enough time to be with Laura and the kids” said former agent Barton while calmly watching as the first Helicarrier moved into position while a group of Sentinels took formation beneath it and slowly began lifting it into orbit along with them.

“Have we found all of Hydra’s bases?” Fury asked curiously.

Natasha looked at him for a moment before shaking her head.

“No, not yet. The troops have dismantled several and the X”Men dealt with Master Mold, Bolivar Trask and Alexander Pierce, completely ending the old Security Council. Harrison assigned Scott Summers as leader of the attack on Sokovia for the search and capture of Baron Von Strucker, one of the last remaining fugitive operatives”

At the mention of Sokovia, Fury could not stop himself from making a displeased expression. Everything involving Eastern Europe was…complicated, to say the least.

“Is that a prudent course of action? The last thing we need is problems with Victor Von Doom and Latveria” said Fury with a frown.

Natasha nodded calmly.

“It is. Scott is a capable leader and he will control the damage. Harrison has a meeting with the true world leaders soon, I imagine one of the subjects to discuss is the incursion into Russian and Slavic territories for the search and capture of the remaining Hydra operatives. We believe there is one final hidden base, but we cannot be certain until we visit the operations base in Sokovia”

Fury nodded calmly at those words before turning once again toward the second Helicarrier moving into position.

“Do you know if we’ll have access to the Kree prisoners?” Fury asked.

Natasha shook her head.

“You won’t, but we’ll give you all the information we collected. Names, fleet movements, combat doctrine and classifications of ships and weaponry. You’ll have a meeting with Harrison once the Helicarrier is ready to depart”

Fury simply nodded while watching the second Helicarrier being lifted into the atmosphere as the third one began to emerge.

“It’s…truly incredible how much the world has changed in such a short time. We’re taking our first steps toward the stars, something I never thought I would live to see” Fury confessed with a heavy sigh.

Natasha nodded beside him before answering.

“The colonization efforts are bearing fruit. Harrison has declared Mars to be the military and scientific capital, as well as the home of all mutants. As we speak Susan and the Pathfinder are terraforming the planet. It is estimated to be ready for colonization within a couple of months” Natasha said with complete naturalness, much to Fury’s astonishment.

The new director of SWORD simply sighed, still unable to understand why he continued being surprised hearing about Harrison Evans’ accomplishments, his new boss.

And to think that a few years ago Fury believed the Black Lion would work for him inside SHIELD.

Oh, the twists of life.

Fury watched with resignation as the third Helicarrier was lifted into the atmosphere and behind it, the gunships and frigate Steve had sent as escort also vanished among the clouds.

“Well Nick, it’s been a pleasure seeing you, but there’s much to do” Natasha said with finality while simultaneously activating her Omni”tool, causing an emerald portal to appear behind her before she disappeared through it moments later alongside Barton, leaving the new director of SWORD completely alone.

Fury sighed heavily and turned around, beginning to walk toward the former SHIELD headquarters which, unsurprisingly to him, were currently being investigated by the Ministry of Justice.

The spy sighed.

It was going to be a very long day, of that he had no doubt, and the problems were only beginning.

But Fury could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Things would get worse, but they would improve too.

In fact…

They were already improving.

Harrison Evans advanced toward the future with gigantic strides. A new era was arriving to the world, one that waited for no one.

Either you adapted or you went to hell.

Simple as that.

Interesting times were coming.

Fury would clean his house before focusing his efforts beyond the planet.

There was much to do.

Harrison Evans, Olympus Station – Terran Orbit

“That is the operational report for this month. As ordered, Magneto bombarded the northern hemisphere of Mars with mineral”rich meteorites. Atmospheric changes have already begun to manifest, we have the first condensations on the planet, the research station has been fully assembled and three complete regiments of drones and Sentinels have been assigned to archaeological duties. We have an estimated time of forty months to completely clear the area of the alien fleet remains” said Hermione with her characteristic cybernetic voice.

Harrison simply nodded. He was inside the central habitation module of the station, the one dedicated entirely to him and his lionesses, the most fortified and protected section of the entire complex and where Harrison kept his most important projects.

“How is the progress on the synthesis of the Homo Ascendens serum?” he asked curiously while still reading Emma’s latest reports, where she informed him that four more oil companies had declared bankruptcy due to the stricter environmental laws Harrison imposed for the preservation of the planet.

Thanks to the technological exchange with Atlantis, the oceans had begun to heal. Neptunia had sent him a message enthusiastically sharing how marine fauna and flora had begun recovering their numbers and even King Namor had authorized the creation of dedicated zones for seasonal mass fishing.

Atlantis would be responsible for concentrating large quantities of fish in certain ocean areas during specific months of the year, ensuring a constant flow of food for the surface while giving the ocean the necessary time to recover.

The fishing companies tried to protest.

At least until Harrison stated in a not so subtle manner that if they did not like it, he would probably create a division of Evans Technologies to do it himself.

After that, everyone accepted the new rules without complaint, though the Black Lion had Hermione closely analyzing fishing vessel patterns.

One step out of line and heads would roll.

The Earth healed beneath Harrison’s harsh but fair hand and although the path toward planetary unification was in its final stretch, the most complicated part still remained.

The big three.

With the alliance with Atlantis strong and solid, consolidated through the Pacific Treaty where Harrison and Namor committed themselves to a joint effort of exploration, research and mutual defense, the Black Lion only needed to deal with Wakanda, with the Mandarin…

And most importantly and dangerously…

With Victor Von Doom.

Harrison had a good relationship with King T’chaka, who had begun a campaign of total unification across the African continent. Prince T’challa, assisted by Wakanda’s elite troops, had launched fierce attacks throughout the continent, destroying the majority of drug and human trafficking cartels. The corrupt governments and tyrants plaguing that continent were being exterminated beneath the indomitable gaze of the Black Panther while Harrison provided free access to Gaia Chambers and a constant supply of provisions in order to bring stability while Wakanda consolidated its government across the continent.

The last thing Harrison knew was that Prince T’challa was hunting a vibranium trafficker named Ulysses Klaue, whom they had been tracking for a very long time.

“King T’chaka has confirmed his attendance at the leaders summit. He will arrive tomorrow at 07:00 hours. The Mandarin will arrive personally a couple hours later accompanied by his daughter and a personal guard”

Harrison nodded calmly. He was certain he could reach a profitable agreement with both men. A united front toward the stars was the best decision for everyone and he was sure that at least with the Mandarin and King T’chaka, reasoning was possible to some extent.

However…

Victor Von Doom was an entirely different story.

One of the most influential and powerful men on the planet, possessing a privileged intellect and an ego the size of Jupiter, the invitation had been sent but the ruler of Latveria had not responded.

The troops remained on standby in case he attempted anything against Harrison’s interests but to his surprise, Doom’s movements were entirely focused on consolidating his power across Russia, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. The last Harrison heard was that the entire Russian government had officially been removed and Doom ruled as Supreme Leader.

And after that…

Absolute silence.

Harrison could monitor the borders without difficulty but inside Doom’s domains…

He was blind.

At least technologically.

The Black Lion was so absorbed in his thoughts that the station’s sudden alarms caught him off guard.

“ALERT, ALERT…UNKNOWN FLEET DETECTED” said Hermione while, without waiting for Harrison’s order, protocols immediately began.

Harrison focused instantly, observing the holographic screens displaying the preliminary information.

“Give me the details Hermione” ordered the Black Lion from his command center, a gravitational throne at the heart of the station from where Harrison controlled absolutely everything.

“A fleet of thirty”one ships in total. Designations and doctrines practically identical to ours” said the A.I. while displaying an approximate silhouette sketch of the vessels.

Harrison frowned. He had expected a Kree response or perhaps Chitauri, however the ships approaching his station were…

Suspiciously human.

They were silver and green, elegant and designed to resemble birds of prey, giving them the appearance of intimidating and graceful hunters.

The sizes were…

Completely identical to his own fleet. Same number of frigates, same number of cruisers with the only difference being the capital ship, a powerful titan five kilometers long functioning as the flagship.

The truly curious part was that none of the vessels appeared to have any intention of attacking. They were parading, flying slowly toward the station while remaining visible.

They were a message.

And Harrison believed he knew exactly who the sender was.

“Hermione, calculate the fleet’s point of origin” ordered the Black Lion, having a suspicion and silently waiting for the A.I.’s response.

“Calculated Father, point of origin, Earth, Arctic Sea under Latverian control”

And upon hearing those words, Harrison needed no further confirmation.

Apparently…

Victor Von Doom had accepted his invitation.

“Incoming transmission Father” informed Hermione.

“Put it through” ordered the Black Lion curiously, watching as the image of none other than the ruler and sovereign of Latveria appeared upon the command center screen.

Victor Von Doom in person.

He was seated upon a command post, a kind of golden throne surrounded by digital screens and escorted by extremely advanced humanoid robots. His face was covered by a silver mask while his body was concealed beneath a green cloak and hood.

And then…

He spoke.

“The Black Lion in person. Doom has followed your steps very closely. Doom is pleased to possess a worthy rival upon this planet” while Harrison discreetly gestured toward Hermione, giving her the order to begin attempting to hack the enemy fleet’s systems.

“Victor Von Doom, your reputation precedes you, both in good and bad ways. My dear Sue has spoken to me about your talent and your flaws, by the way” said Harrison calmly, causing the ruler of Latveria to laugh softly.

“Oh Susan…a beautiful and brilliant woman. I am pleased she did not end up with the useless fool Richards. At least I know you shall value her properly” said Victor while leaning back upon his throne as Hermione spoke simultaneously.

“Father, I cannot breach their systems. Their defensive firewalls are adaptive and evidently managed by an A.I. with characteristics similar to mine. I have also blocked fourteen thousand four hundred and seventy”three hacking attempts originating from the vessel in question. The enemy A.I. is persistent, I can recognize that” said Hermione with excitement.

Harrison nodded, still thoughtful.

“I assume you are here accepting the invitation to the talks regarding the future course of human civilization” affirmed Harrison, causing the ruler of Latveria to nod.

“Your deduction is correct. Doom is interested in planetary unification. However, Doom must speak with the Black Lion regarding something far more important than that” said the man, his voice filled with arrogance but carrying a slight tone of uncertainty and something resembling hope.

Harrison raised an eyebrow in disbelief, at least until Doom lifted his right hand, revealing upon the screen a kind of…glowing parchment wrapped within a golden shield.

Harrison frowned, preparing to ask what exactly it was, but the words died within his throat when Victor Von Doom deactivated the shield surrounding the contract, allowing him to feel the monstrous and putrid magic emanating from it. The sensation caught him so off guard that Harrison could not stop the disgust and surprise from appearing across his face.

And the Black Lion assumed this had been done intentionally, a trick from the ruler of Latveria to confirm Harrison’s magical talent.

“I assume from your reaction that you are capable of understanding what this is. Doom requires…your special talents for a personal project. Help me with this and afterward…we shall speak” said Victor while the shield once again formed around the dangerous parchment.

Harrison frowned.

After all, two could play that game.

One instant later, Harrison focused the Soul Gem upon Victor, appearing only a few meters away from the arrogant man without the slightest warning.

Achieving something very few people had managed before.

Surprising Victor Von Doom.

Harrison observed as the man opened his eyes widely for a brief instant before erasing every trace of emotion from his face.

The robots around him reacted immediately while beginning to surround Harrison, at least until Victor casually gestured for them to return to their original positions.

“You have my complete attention, Victor Von Doom” said the Black Lion while staring directly toward the mysterious parchment and reading a rather…particular name.

Cynthia Von Doom.