Chapter 197: Chapter 196: Insubordination
"Well. Time to get moving. Maybe I'll finally see Radcliffe after this." Ryan muttered to himself after ALBUS notified him of Gideon Malik's achievement in activating the monolith.
He had allowed Gideon to take the original 0-8-4 with him during the Hydra fall. After all, who would reject free labour? Following Gideon Malik's route, he wanted to find his true target of his monitoring, the DarkHold that was kept by Radcliffe, a genius hidden from the world.
Radcliffe was proven to be a difficult opponent as he still couldn't find the man's whereabouts even after searching for him for a few months. 'Is the Darkhold helping him?' He thought solemnly.
"The timeline is moving pretty fast. Skye didn't even meet her mother and father yet." Ryan muttered to himself as he watched Gideon Malik security footage taken by his spider drones.
All of this was supposed to be after Skye received her powers, but incidents had taken place earlier, and at the same time. It's hard for an ordinary person to keep track of the timeline – luckily he wasn't ordinary.
'Even the ghost rider is here.' Ryan thought as he pulled up the camera footage of a burning skull.
'Without Skye's involvement in the monolith incident, maybe she wouldn't have become the Earthquake girl…but it's not like I have been manipulating fate. Should I really push someone's origin again? I am sick and tired of it… it's not like it was my responsibility to clean up this mess.'
But with great peeping, comes great repercussions. He couldn't let the incident deteriorate when he had the knowledge and the ability to stop it.
It was Skye's decision to postpone following the tracks to find the truth about her background. Coulson already told her about her being an 0-8-4 and found traces to one Dr. Calvin Zabo who might know about her background.
At this moment, Skye wanted to help Ryan settle down in the country more instead of finding her identity as Kai's teaching allowed her to look at the big picture. She felt that Ryan was forcing himself to do as much as he could for a short period of time. For her, helping Ryan was her priority at the moment.
Ryan crunched his brows as he thought about the implication of the incident. Ryan then chuckled when he realised who was the mercenary hired by Gideon Malik.
"I haven't met her for a long time." He muttered as he monitored the call between Gideon Malik and his invested group, the Silver Sable. Her platinum hair and her silver suit was captured by Ryan's spider drones, but then a question started nagging at his mind.
"When did she decide to enter the kidnapping business?" Ryan said with narrowed eyes. Studying her personality before he invested in her before this, he knew she wasn't the type to sell out her morality for money – especially by working with the likes of Hydra.
"So why?" Ryan rubbed his chin to figure it out. Silvija was still at Curacao island, sipping cocktails inside a watermelon.
"Is it?" Ryan eyes' flashed a sharp glint as he figured out the situation – or parts of it. And as he thought, his phone rang as a text message from Dana arrived.
In Curacao island.
Silvija Sablinova had received the call after selling out Dana and Stephanie's information to Gideon Malik. "Argentina?"
Her full body pure silver suit seemed out of place within the bikini-wearing tourists on the island, but the 1 metre tall rifle on her back prevented anyone from speaking bad about her outfit.
"Battlestar. Chen. Get ready to move." Silvija said using her earpiece. Her two Wild pack members stationed at different parts of the island nodded and started to encroach Dana Carvey's villa on an isolated seaside.
Silvija walked toward the villa casually and rang the doorbell. The gate opened automatically and she entered the villa's front door before it closed behind her.
"Silver. Is it time?" Dana Carvey asked.
The guest corrected her name before she replied. "Silvija. Yeah. It's time."
A few days back when Silvija first received the mission, she took it – not because she needed the money from Hydra, but the identity of the man intrigued her.
A man once was Ryan Knight's body double. However, after some digging, she found another identity buried deep below his 'Dana Carvey' identity and it raised some concern.
Dmitri Smerdyakov, the half brother of Sergei Kravinoff – also known to the mercenary world as, Kraven the hunter.
The former had been lost after his immigration to the United States, prompting his half-brother to search for him. And the tracker was so skillful that he almost found Dmitri many times before.
"Raul. Did the drones manage to capture anything inside the villa?" Silvija asked the man in the wheelchair next to her. They were inside a small resort hotel as they were trying to learn more about their target.
"Yeah. He would like to be left alone." Raul suddenly pointed a gun at Silvija's chest.
"YOU!" Silvija's eyes opened in surprise as the man in front of her removed the latex face mask he used to disguise as a member of her team.
"Who are you? And why are you here?" Dana asked in a cold tone. That was when a cooperation between Silver Sable and Dana started.
Back to the present, after Silvija entered Dana Carvey's villa.
"Chameleon. Would you assume this persona again?" Silvija asked when she saw Dana wearing a full head covering white mask.
"No. This time. I will not use the chameleon name." Dana said in a cold tone, gripping his fist tightly that his hand started to hurt. " I am going to teach my father in law a lesson." Dana picked up a few tech Ryan had given him before. "Lesson as one father to another." He cocked his gun and bloodlust filled the air.
Gideon Malik was an obstruction of his peaceful life. Although he would go behind Stephanie's back, and even fight against her own father, he would still do the same if he went back in time as he wanted to keep her away from the dangers of confronting the Malik family.
Inside the SHIELD base, the message Ryan received read : "Take care of my family while I'm gone."
"I see. So he has a plan." Ryan said after checking the text message. He wondered why Dana didn't call him or Hiddle to ask for help with the matter. All he could do now was to respect Dana's decision.
In the New York alleyway. Natasha and Skye finally arrived at the meeting point to meet with Master Splinter – the expert on the New York Sewer line.
After waiting for 5 minutes, the small hooded figure walked out from the sewer entrance and greeted them. In the darkness of the night, the already hidden figure seemed indecipherable toward ordinary eyes.
"Are you Master Splinter?" Natasha asked, her eyes subtly analysed the characteristics of the man in front of her.
"I am." Master Splinter answered calmly. Meeting Ryan Knight before, Master Splinter decided to put his trust in Ryan. When the time comes for them to fight against the Foot Clan, Ryan also has promised Master Splinter his help.
Skye approached the master and gave him a file. "We are looking for this woman, a highly dangerous individual. With her new ability in poison, her danger level had increased exponentially."
"You can still back out if you're afraid." Master Splinter said to Skye. The latter was stunned, but then a soft smile flashed on her face. "I am fine. Not afraid at all."
Her malice talisman allowed her to feel Master Splinter sincerity in his words. Skye's previously bad impression on the martial arts instructor has changed slightly after him showing concerns for her.
'But after this, I'm taking the kids to live in a proper home.'
She knew the fate of needing to scavenge for food everyday as she had lived that way before she met Kai. Now, if she could or have to, she would pass the kindness forward.
After checking the files, Master Splinter gave back the files to Skye. "I will contact you if I hear anything."
Suddenly, 4 bulky figures fell down from behind Master Splinter, causing Natasha and Skye to look at them in vigilance.
"LEONARDO. Why are you here!?" Master Splinter said in a raised voice. He didn't plan to have his sons to meet with the agents right now. Although he trusts Ryan, he couldn't bring himself to do the same to the other agents.
Skye's pupil shook when she saw the figure of the newcomer.
"Master. I am sorry. I tried hard to prevent them from coming. But then Mikey and Donny said they saw a ghost in the tunnel…"
"Ghost? What did she look like?" Natasha interjected, finally understanding Ryan's smirk when he talked about the helpers. 'So they are mutants.' Natasha thought.
She didn't think that they were animals mutated by a mutagen, but instead a human mutated into looking like a turtle. That's why they need to live in hiding, as the world would point fingers at them and call them freaks when they saw them.
"She has a green dress, long hair, and black liquid dripping from her hair." Donny said.
"She also has giant teeth, floating 3 metres from the ground, and has a 10 metres arm…" Mikey added, but Raphael closed his mouth
"Don't believe him. What Donny said is the most accurate one." Leonardo explained.
"Any chance she looks like this?" Natasha showed Ophelia pictures to Donny and Mikey.
"ARGHH!" Both of them screamed at the same time.
"It's her, alright." Natasha nodded as she got her answer from their reaction.
"Can you lead us to meet her?" She asked Donny and Mikey.
"Sure I can, pretty lady." Mikey said while showing a flirtatious smile toward Natasha. "B-But, we need to wait until the sun is up." He said fearfully.
Natasha hugged Mikey's arm and pressed her chest on his bicep. "Pretty please?"
Mikey blushed hard and all of his fears were drowned by her sexiness. "OF COURSE! FOLLOW MY LEAD!"
"Mikey…" Master Splinter shook his head in disappointment as he watched his son being so easily manipulated by a pretty woman.
"Skye. We need equipment." Natasha said, but then she realised Skye wasn't next to her. She turned back to see Skye frozen on her initial spot. She walked to Skye and waved her arm on his face, but Skye was still frozen.
"What's going on?" Mikey asked.
"Her brain Short-circuited." Natasha replied with a grin. Then, she pinched both of Skye's cheeks and pulled!
"Ow Ow Ow Ow Ow.." Skye exclaimed in pain, finally snapping out of her stupor. "It's a turtle! They are all giant turtles!" She said excitedly while looking at the teenage mutant turtles.
"And we're ninja's too." Mikey said and took out his nunchucks before he started to showcase his ability.
"So you're…Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" Skye said.
"Lady, we never mention mutants. As far as we know, all of you are mutants." Raphael said in dissatisfaction.
Leonardo stepped in to avoid Raphael being wrathful again, but suddenly a ringing from Donny's phone distracted everyone here.
~Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Turtles in a hard shell. Turtle Power!~
"Wait. Mr Knight is calling!?" Donny said before he froze again. Mikey took the phone from Donny and answered, "Yello."
Ryan: Mikey, I need to talk to the sexy woman.
Mikey handed the phone to Natasha, "Here you go Milady."
Natasha answered the phone, "Yes?"
Ryan : Don't go in. Otherwise I will go there.
Natasha: We have a possible location on Ophelia, but you don't want me to go in?
Ryan : No. Wait for Wong. I already notified the Sanctum sorcerers. They will send warriors in a few minutes.
Click. Natasha cut off the call abruptly.
"Let's go Mikey." Natasha said flirtatiously as she hugged Mikey's arm again. Skye was doubtful as to the content of the phone call.
"Skye. A few monks will come here. You will stay here and bring them into my location after they come."
Natasha decided to not bring Skye into meeting Ophelia as it would be dangerous for Skye inside the sewers. Ryan sighed as soon as the call was cut off.
"Well. If she kills Ophelia, then Set will descend. If she didn't, then all of New York might die. I want to send Ophelia to the Sanctum and let the Ancient One deal with this headache, but I guess I was too naive in my thinking."
Natasha couldn't let any more innocent people get hurt because of her. By her current strength and the advanced technology Ryan had given her, she could handle Ophelia on her own. What Ryan feared was the Basilisk interfering in the battle.
"I need ways to trap the Basilisk inside the shadow dimension." Ryan said and opened up a portal to the Ancient one room.
The Ancient One was drinking tea and eating snacks as she watched Gilmoire Girls at the time.
"Granny, I need your help."
"You can handle it on your own. Don't be lazy." Ancient one said, unmoving from the sofa. "Also, what will happen in the next episode?" She tried to pry some information from Ryan as he was the one who created the series in this universe.
"Go handle the Basilisk, and I will give you the complete set of episodes. You don't have to wait weekly for the next one." He said cheekily. The Ancient One sighed and opened a portal to where Wong was standing.
"You owe me." She said with a sly smile.
"Okay~" Ryan replied casually and returned to the SHIELD base.
In Sokovia, Steve Rogers finally managed to broke into the home of the current regime holder residing in the city centre.
"Sam, anything in the air?" Steve asked in the earpiece communicator.
Flying stealthily using the darkness of the night as a cover, Sam Wilson replied, "There are multiple guards in front of your path. All of them are armed."
His scans showed the internal structure of the place on his goggles. "By the way, did he upgrade my wings? It feels smoother to fly now."
"You can ask him that later." Steve said and ambushed the guards in front of him, knocking out 2 out of 3 almost instantly. He held the mouth of the last guard, preventing him from screaming.
"Where is the office?" Steve asked. The guard showed defiance, so Steve knocked him out too.
"I thought you're searching for the prime minister's bedroom?" Sam asked.
"Yes. But he didn't know that. If he wakes up, he will go to the office on the other side of the building to check it out, clearing the path."
"Shrewd. Is this really Captain America, the man with great honour?" Sam teased.
"If I need to be." Steve said conformingly.
Finally, Steve arrived at the prime minister's bedroom where the man was sleeping peacefully. He wore a face mask and opened up small gas capsules. Sleeping gas filled the entire room, preventing the prime minister from waking up from his sleep.
Finding the hidden safe beside the minister's bed, Steve then started to break into the safe. After a few minutes, he finally finished his mission.
"THIS!" Steve exclaimed in alarm.
"What? What is it?" Sam asked anxiously.
Inside the safe, documents concerning mass human experimentations and casualties result fall into Steve's hand.
" Loki's sceptre?" Steve muttered as the memory of the chitauri invasion resurfaces in his mind.
"Maximoff twins? Super-power creation?"
The more Steve dived into the documents, the more alarmed he felt. Suddenly, his instinct warned him about a possible attack coming from behind him. A sharp sword was thrusted to his head by a man with a purple mask.
Steve ducked and rolled to the side, avoiding the sword, making it penetrate the wall instead.
"Impressive. I guess you're not a common burglar." Baron Zemo said casually as he walked toward Steve.
"We're compromised." Sam Wilson said. In the air, he was no longer alone. Songbird, one of the Masters of Evil, had found him. Summoning a pair of translucent purple wings, Melissa Gold took to the sky and started to attack Sam with sonic screams.
"Retreat." Steve said.
"You're not going anyway…Wait…You're…" Baron Zemo thought that the man in front of him was an ordinary espionage agent as Steve didn't have the skills of infiltrating like Natasha does.
However, Baron Zemo could guess who Steve was because he had been studying about the Avengers intently.
"Captain America! Now you've fallen to become the lapdog for that monster Knight huh? How far have you fallen."
Steve still didn't answer Baron Zemo's question and decided to retreat too.
"By any chance I can just walk out of here?" Steve asked.
He then heard multiple sounds of footsteps coming toward his direction.
"I guess not."
Baron Zemo pointed the tip of his sword at Steve and ordered the militant that had entered the room. "CAPTURE HIM!"
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