Chapter 88: S.H.I.E.L.D. Disbanded Once Again
Upon learning that Japan had obtained an adamantium sample, President Ross immediately contacted the Japanese Prime Minister through official diplomatic channels.
The response he received terrified President Ross.
Anyone familiar with Japan knew the situation. They were a resource-poor island nation constantly seeking strategic materials.
Now, suddenly, Celestial Island had appeared, brimming with world-changing adamantium. How could Japan not be tempted?
Even at the risk of angering their American allies, they had to investigate. If there was any possibility of mining—
Of course, with Ryan present, that was impossible!
BANG!
"Damn it!" President Ross cursed. In his rage, he punched the marble countertop, creating a noticeable crack.
The White House aides nearby were stunned.
Ross stood, straightened his suit, and ordered, "Notify the Pentagon. Immediately dispatch the Pacific Fleet to intercept Japanese naval vessels. Never allow them to approach Celestial Island."
President Ross's concern wasn't for Celestial Island or Ryan, but for the Japanese warships themselves.
If Japan got close, they'd undoubtedly suffer a devastating strike from Ryan. Then what? War?
President Ross was utterly frustrated. He didn't even dare inform Ryan on Celestial Island about this development, relying solely on the Pacific Fleet to intercept the Japanese vessels.
The Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. situation remained unresolved, the Skrulls' secret invasion continued, and now the Japanese were causing problems. Being president was exhausting.
As Ross stood to leave his office, he didn't notice a miniaturized Ant-Man slipping past him.
Once Ross departed, Ant-Man Scott immediately began searching the office.
"Nothing. There are only routine government documents here, no classified files," Scott reported through his earpiece.
Punisher Frank immediately replied, "Search thoroughly. Those confidential files wouldn't be kept in plain sight. Look for a safe or hidden compartment."
Hope, who'd entered with him, flew to President Ross's computer, accessed it, and began searching.
"Here! I found a safe!"
Ant-Man made his discovery and immediately called to Hope. However, Hope didn't respond, instead carefully reading a document on the computer.
Seeing this, Scott shrunk down further and slipped through the safe's gap.
Several minutes later, he emerged with the classified file, also miniaturized.
"Hey Hope, I got it. Let's go!"
"Wait, almost done!"
After finishing the document, she shut down the computer and flew out with Ant-Man.
They flew across the White House lawn, crossed the street, and finally reached their vehicle where they returned to normal size.
"Got it. Check if this is what we need."
Hope took the document from Scott, and the others immediately gathered around.
[Top Secret File No. 769 - Skrull Secret Invasion]
[The Skrulls originate from the Andromeda Galaxy. They fought a war with the Kree Empire in the Large Magellanic Cloud, their homeworld destroyed, and refugees arrived on Earth in 1995.]
[Secret Invasion Protocol: Skrulls can alter their appearance at will, absorb memories, and replace high-ranking officials and superheroes.]
[Skrull Base Located in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Eastern Europe]
"So the Skrulls are hiding there! Let's move!"
"No, we should notify S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers first, then coordinate a rescue operation."
The Chernobyl zone had been attacked by federal forces previously, so the Skrulls wouldn't be foolish enough to remain there.
Furthermore, the Skrulls wouldn't detain human captives in a radiation zone—ordinary people would die within days.
The group drove out of downtown Washington.
Ant-Man infiltrated the prison again to meet with Maria Hill, relaying the intelligence to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, awaiting further instructions.
The next day, Maria Hill was escorted from prison by guards and loaded into a transport van to be taken to Congress for her hearing.
The van arrived at the Capitol, and Maria Hill, handcuffed and shackled in prison attire, was escorted by guards into the chamber where she sat alone in the defendant's dock at the center.
Members of Congress filed in, and at 10:00 AM sharp, the session officially began.
Gavel strikes.
"Congress has passed Resolution 2491, establishing a public hearing regarding S.H.I.E.L.D. operations at the request of the Department of Defense."
"Maria Hill, Level 9 Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., who briefly served as Acting Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., do you admit to any wrongdoing in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operations?"
"No," Maria Hill replied calmly.
"Do you admit to any collusion between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Skrulls?"
"No."
"Do you admit that S.H.I.E.L.D. planned and executed the attack on the federal military installation?"
"No."
Maria Hill denied every accusation.
The congressional officials remained composed. After the questioning concluded, they instructed staff to activate monitors and play video evidence.
The first clip showed the Avengers attacking a military base. The second showed Nick Fury sitting at a table flanked by green-skinned Skrulls, apparently negotiating.
Even Maria Hill, maintaining her composure, felt stunned seeing this.
"Agent Maria Hill, what do you have to say?"
Maria Hill was silent for two seconds, then said quietly, "Mr. Chairman, the Nick Fury in that video is an imposter. He's a Skrull in disguise."
"What evidence do you have to prove Nick Fury is an imposter?" the Chairman demanded.
Maria Hill certainly knew the truth, but the problem was she couldn't produce verifiable evidence.
"I hereby officially revoke all authority of S.H.I.E.L.D. within the United States. All accounts and funds are frozen, all assets and equipment will be liquidated, and any classified items will be sealed and stored."
Because many details couldn't be disclosed publicly, vague language like "classified items" was used.
After the hearing, Maria Hill was returned to prison, awaiting Supreme Court trial and a potential twenty-year sentence.
Simultaneously, federal officials issued notices through mainstream media demanding S.H.I.E.L.D. members surrender within a specified timeframe. Those who failed to comply would be arrested for crimes against humanity.
Dismantling S.H.I.E.L.D. was only the first step—the Avengers were next.
High-ranking federal officials had long resented being overshadowed by the Avengers, including Ryan.
Some wanted to use Ryan to eliminate the Avengers, then turn against him and seize Celestial Island's resources.
The plan was ambitious, but whether it could succeed was another matter entirely.
Celestial Island
Ryan, having slept well, left his residence and stretched vigorously on the porch.
"Ahh~ Another beautiful day."
Ryan practiced his illusion abilities for half an hour. After breakfast, he toured the developing settlement and headed to the lab.
Just as he was about to enter, Thena suddenly approached.
"Ryan, I'm out of inhibitor."
Since using the inhibitor, Thena's Mahd Wy'ry had remained stable, her condition improving daily. With continued treatment, complete recovery might be possible.
Ryan opened the lab door. "Come in. I need to assess your current condition and adjust the dosage accordingly."
Thena followed him into the lab and immediately spotted the white mouse engrossed in a cartoon.
She couldn't resist reaching out to pet it, but the mouse suddenly had a stress reaction, squeaking loudly, and its tail suddenly elongated, nearly piercing Thena's eye.
This tail was remarkably similar to the Alpha Deviant's tentacles.
Thena froze at the sight, the sharp tail about to pierce her pupil, but Ryan caught it the next instant.
"Stop messing around and go play somewhere else."
The mouse squeaked twice at Thena, then turned, picked up the tablet with its tiny paws, and scurried to the other side of the lab bench on short legs.
Ryan patted the examination table. "Sit here and wait."
Thena nodded, folding her arms as she sat, her eyes occasionally drifting toward the peculiar mouse.
Ryan entered the password to open the cold storage door and retrieved inhibitor raw materials from the shelves.
He set them aside, took out a collection kit, replaced the needle with a sterile one, and walked to Thena, gesturing for her to roll up her sleeve.
After drawing blood, he asked, "Have you experienced any memory flashbacks recently, or symptoms of Mahd Wy'ry?"
Thena stretched her arms and shook her head. "No, these past few days have been the most restful I've had in millennia."
Ryan placed the blood in a beaker, mixed it with several reagents, and waited for the reaction.
While the sample reacted, Ryan placed an electronic monitoring device over Thena's head, activated the connected equipment, and began neurological testing.
This instrument, purchased specifically for Thena, primarily monitored brain neural network responses and provided relatively accurate data.
After three minutes, the instrument returned readings. Ryan copied them down and compared them with previous data, finding significant improvement.
"Excellent progress! You can reduce the inhibitor dosage," Ryan considered for a moment. "If you find frequent doses inconvenient, you can opt for neural injections instead. They last twelve to thirty-six months, depending on your condition."
Inhibitors required relatively frequent administration, averaging every eight to ten days.
Neural injections were more potent, treating deeper symptoms, so they lasted considerably longer.
Thena chose the neural injection without hesitation.
"Frequent injections are indeed troublesome. If you're confident, I'll take the neural treatment."
Ryan had even dared to inject his own spine—of course he was confident.
"You'll need to remove your top."
He then turned to the lab bench to observe the blood sample reaction, extract the processed blood, and examine it under a microscope.
Based on the blood sample data, he formulated the adjusted inhibitor.
Soon, Ryan's practiced hands had prepared a neural injection batch of inhibitor.
"Okay, the inhibitor's ready, and... done."
Ryan turned to look at Thena, his mind—filled with experimental data—momentarily disrupted.
Thena had moved efficiently, completely undressing and sitting on the examination table.
One hand covered her chest, the other positioned modestly, her expression calm and composed, eyes slightly reserved.
"Lie down."
Thena showed no embarrassment, and Ryan, as a professional, remained focused on the medical procedure.
Ryan positioned the optical magnifier over the examination table, aimed it at Thena's upper cervical region, marked the injection site with a medical marker, and administered the neural injection.
After the injection, Thena dressed while Ryan packed his equipment. He warned, "Don't use cosmic energy for now. It will trigger Mahd Wy'ry episodes more frequently and, over time, you'll develop resistance to the inhibitor, compromising treatment effectiveness."
"Understood."
Thena smoothed her long blonde hair and left the lab as if nothing unusual had occurred.
End of Chapter 88
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (50+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01