Marvel: The Enlightened One-Chapter 85: [] - The Phoenix Armor and the Reality Stone (Bonus)
<><><><><><><><>
Their call was short.
A simple question, a simple answer, and then it was over.
After hanging up, Hawk stared at the phone in his hand, lost in thought. Then, an idea struck him. He looked up at the sky.
His gaze seemed to pierce the crimson clouds, to tear through the atmosphere, and lock onto a high-definition communications satellite in orbit.
...
In the S.H.I.E.L.D. command center, Maria Hill, now back at the Triskelion, stood with her arms crossed. Her face was calm, but her heart was pounding as she watched Hawk on the main screen, who seemed to be staring right back at them.
She was worried he would interpret the call from Gwen as a threat.
In reality, it wasn’t a threat.
It was a concession.
Just go. Go back to New York. We’ll pretend today never happened.
She was out of options. A few warmongers at the Pentagon had been pushing hard for a nuclear strike against him.
But what if it didn’t work?
Who’d take the blame when it all went to shit?
The second they realized they’d be thrown under the bus, those same warmongers went quiet real fast. They were all for aggression—as long as someone else’s ass was on the line.
After all, If they made a move, Hawk would actually kill them.
It was a gamble they weren’t willing to take.
And more importantly, they couldn’t take it. The image of General Ross lying on the ground like a dead dog, his head completely gone, was still fresh in their minds.
None of the generals at the Pentagon wanted to be next.
And so, playing dead had become their only option—
But playing dead was one thing. Hawk was still sitting in the middle of the Quantico military base.
So, the Pentagon had thought of Maria Hill.
Hill looked at the screen, at the man who seemed to be staring at her through the satellite’s lens. She took out her own phone and dialed his number.
...
Hawk, still looking at the sky, saw his phone ring again. He put it to his ear.
"Hello."
"Hawk..."
"The reason," Hawk said, his tone flat. "You get one chance to explain, Ms. Hill."
Hill spoke quickly. "The car."
Hawk raised an eyebrow.
Through the satellite feed, his expression was perfectly clear.
Hill composed herself and quickly explained how Natasha Romanoff had gone to New York to return the repaired car to Gwen.
Of course, she also explained that after Hawk had left New York, she had ordered Natasha to stay behind as a precaution, in case the military tried to use Gwen as leverage against him.
She told him everything, except for her suspicion that Nick Fury had orchestrated the whole thing with General Ross.
She had no proof of that yet—
Hawk listened to her explanation and was silent for a moment. Then, his gaze fell from the sky. "Thank you."
"You’re welcome."
Hearing his thanks, Hill let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Then, a thought occurred to her.
"I can arrange a jet to take you back to New York."
"...Alright." Hawk considered it, then accepted. After hanging up, he looked at the only building on the entire base that was still standing, and took a deep breath.
His right foot slid back. The stone beneath it cracked under the pressure.
The next second—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
As Hawk’s right fist shot forward, every window in the building exploded outward. The entire structure cracked and crumbled in seconds. With a thunderous roar, the last standing building on Quantico collapsed into dust and debris.
Watching from the satellite feed, Maria Hill’s eye twitched.
The warmongers at the Pentagon watched, their hearts filled with terror.
And in a secure location far from the Triskelion, Nick Fury watched, something dangerous flickering in his one good eye.
....
Half an hour later, a S.H.I.E.L.D jet lifted off from the ruins of the Quantico base. Only after it had completely vanished from sight did the soldiers who had been waiting outside the perimeter finally re-enter.
The scene that greeted them was one of apocalyptic devastation.
The ground was scarred and broken. Buildings were reduced to rubble. Armored vehicles, tanks, and fighter jets were nothing but charred, skeletal remains. And everywhere, there were bodies.
But the thing that drew the most attention was a massive, charred corpse lying on a pile of rubble.
"Hiss."
"IS THAT..."
"THE ABOMINATION?"
"WHERE’S HIS HEAD?"
A few of the soldiers, their courage returning now that Hawk was gone, gathered around the corpse. They looked at the headless body of the Abomination, then at each other.
The next second, as if they’d all had the same thought, they looked up in the direction the S.H.I.E.L.D jet had disappeared.
....
Miles above the earth, Hawk relaxed on a plush sofa inside the jet. The charred, grotesque head of the Abomination sat on the table in front of him like some twisted trophy. He stared at it for a moment, then shook his head and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.
He had originally planned to bring the head back to his sister’s grave as a gift. But his sister had always been timid.
When she was little, she would jump into his arms if she saw a mouse. A gift this ugly would probably make her cry.
So, he decided against it.
After this war at Quantico, Hawk now had a very clear and complete understanding of his own power.
On Earth, he was untouchable. But being the strongest on one planet didn’t make him the strongest in the universe.
Mephisto, Lord of Hell itself, was no ordinary enemy.
He was a God.
A Dimensional God.
Hawk was not yet strong enough to take what he wanted from a Dimensional God.
Even with his Cosmo now anchored in the Marvel Universe, the odds were stacked against him. In the Saint Seiya universe, Mephisto ranked alongside Hades, the King of the Underworld.
A freshly awakened Saint—no Armor, not even the Sixth Sense unlocked—going toe-to-toe with Hades right off the bat??
That Saint would have to be an idiot.
And so—
"The Armor is the key."
"And I need the Reality Stone. With it, I can make my Cosmo a permanent part of the Marvel Universe—not just borrowed power, but something that truly belongs here."
"That, and only that..."
"Is how I’ll get my sister back from Hell."
The thoughts flashed through Hawk’s mind, and he now had a clear plan.
He had already identified two of the three materials he needed. All that was left was Orichalcum, or as it was known in the Marvel Universe—Vibranium.
Once he had the Vibranium, he could forge the Phoenix Armor.
And at that point, even if his Cosmo wasn’t yet a physical reality in this universe, with his Armor, he should be able to go toe-to-toe with Thor.
After all, the Reality Stone’s storyline was from Thor: The Dark World. That should happen next year—probably sometime in the second half?
...
Just then, the door to the jet’s cockpit opened, and a female S.H.I.E.L.D. agent walked out.
Sharon Carter.
She was about to speak, but she froze, her eyes landing on the hideous head in the trash can. "Mr. Hawk, that head..." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
"I don’t want it." Hawk snapped out of his thoughts and followed her gaze. He shook his head. "It’s too grotesque. My sister would’ve been terrified."
Sharon Carter laughed. "I can see that."
At first, she hadn’t understood what Hawk had done today.
But, After reading his file, she had a different perspective.
"You’re a good brother, Mr. Hawk."
Hawk glanced at Sharon and let out a short, humorless laugh. "No, I’m not. If I were, my sister wouldn’t have died."
Seeing an opening, Sharon sat down on the sofa across from him. "That wasn’t your fault, Mr. Hawk. If your sister knew you had avenged her, she would be very happy."
Hawk looked at Sharon but didn’t speak.
Sharon felt a slight jolt and blinked.
"What is it, Mr. Hawk? Did I say something wrong?"
"No."
Hawk shook his head, his gaze shifting away. "So you agree with what I did?"
Sharon smiled. "Professionally, I’m noncommittal. But personally? Yes... However, if I had a brother, and if I were to die... I would want him to be happy. Not to live his life consumed by hatred."
Hawk smiled faintly. "I don’t do forgiveness."
"Hm?"
"Forgiveness is God’s business, Agent Carter. My business is arranging the meeting."
"I see." Sharon was taken aback for a second, then she nodded thoughtfully. She looked at Hawk and said, almost as a joke, "Then I hope I never become your enemy, Mr. Hawk."
Hawk laughed. "As long as you’re not my enemy, you’re my friend."
"Understood."
Sharon’s eyebrow shot up, and she nodded with another smile. She shrugged. "So, what are your plans now that you’re going back to New York, Mr. Hawk?"
Hawk seemed to think of something. He looked at her.
"Driving lessons."
"Driving lessons?"
"Yeah." Hawk nodded.
He had money now.
A lot of money.
....
Half an hour later, the S.H.I.E.L.D jet touched down smoothly at a private airfield outside of New York City.
As Hawk stepped out of the jet, the first thing he saw was Gwen standing next to the repaired yellow Corolla. She wore a yellow wool coat, arms crossed, watching him with a gentle smile.
Hawk walked down the stairs and toward her. "I’m back."
"I see that." Gwen’s smile was radiant. "Going home?"
"Yeah."
"Come on, get in."
"Can I drive?"
"No. You don’t have your license yet. If you get caught, my father will haul you into court himself."
"..."
<><><><><><><><>
If you’re interested, you can read advanced Chapters:
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
~# Bonus Chapter every 300PS!!
~# If you like the story, please leave a review.
~# Add to Library!
