Chapter 107: After the Crisis Ends, I Become the Crisis
A crop duster flew low over the abandoned streets, spraying massive quantities of diluted cure across the urban wasteland below.
The infected roaming the city roared and surged toward the aircraft's shadow as it passed overhead.
Within minutes, their roars began to fade. The waves of zombies filling the streets collapsed like dominoes, falling in massive numbers until the pavement was carpeted with dissolving corpses.
Nick Fury and Maria Hill observed the ground situation from their aircraft, relief washing over them as the cure proved effective.
"That guy Ryan might be arrogant as hell, but I'll give him this—he knows his way around a gene sequence," Maria said.
She'd never met Ryan face-to-face. Everything she knew came from intelligence reports and secondhand accounts.
Nick Fury's expression remained neutral. "The cleanup operation's just getting started. The ones hiding in buildings, sewers, and subways—those are going to be the real problem."
If they didn't eliminate every last infected and some managed to slip through the cracks, the entire nightmare could start all over again.
All outbreak zones had been designated as quarantine sectors. No one—civilian, military, or superhero—was permitted entry without explicit clearance.
Nick Fury and Maria Hill returned their crop duster to the makeshift airfield. At least thirty aircraft sat on the tarmac, all prepped and ready for deployment.
The moment Fury stepped off the plane, he was immediately surrounded.
"How'd it go? Did the cure work?"
"It worked. Worked damn well. Complete cellular breakdown within three minutes," Fury confirmed.
"Thank God! Humanity's saved! Earth is saved!"
Hearing confirmation of the cure's effectiveness, everyone present erupted in celebration.
Inside the operations building, Fury asked the logistics coordinator, "What's our serum inventory looking like?"
"Five hundred eighty-two units total. According to the specifications Celestial Island provided, minimum effective dilution is three percent. Each unit covers approximately eight hundred square kilometers—roughly the size of Manhattan."
Fury frowned and shook his head. "Not enough. Not nearly enough. Can we contact Celestial Island and request additional supplies?"
Half the world's major cities and metropolitan areas had fallen. With suburbs, office complexes, and residential zones to sweep, they'd need exponentially more cure.
Bruce Banner approached, adjusting his glasses. "Celestial Island doesn't have industrial-scale production capabilities. And I suspect the raw materials for the cure are... unique. Ryan's probably keeping the formula classified."
When the zombie crisis first erupted, every virologist and geneticist on the planet had mobilized to find a solution. None of them came close to matching what Ryan accomplished working alone.
Beyond sheer expertise, it likely came down to access to exotic materials nobody else possessed.
"If production capacity's bottlenecked, how long until we clear every infected zone?"
Maria Hill interjected, "I'll handle communications with Celestial Island. See if I can negotiate a larger shipment."
The World Security Council was effectively paralyzed, reduced to a bureaucratic shell. President Ross, despite technically being Commander-in-Chief, refused all contact with S.H.I.E.L.D.
The longstanding friction between the federal government and S.H.I.E.L.D. had nothing on their relationship with the Avengers.
From S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers' perspective, the federal government was useful when convenient and expendable when not.
President Ross already harbored deep resentment toward enhanced individuals and vigilantes. Recent events had only widened the rift.
Fury sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'll reach out to Ross myself. Hopefully he won't act like a petty bureaucrat."
Everything appeared to be progressing smoothly.
Clearing infected zones. Restarting power grids and hydroelectric plants. Restoring internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks. Consolidating scattered survivors and resources.
It felt like the world had entered a reconstruction phase. Despite catastrophic population losses, momentum was finally shifting in a positive direction.
Nick Fury took a Quinjet to the provisional federal government headquarters in the western territories.
Following White House Chief of Staff Grace, a senior administration official, into a fortified government complex, Fury glanced at the armed agents flanking the corridors.
"Ms. Grace, when can I meet with the President?"
"President Ross is in a security briefing. Should be another twenty minutes."
Fury paused mid-step. "Then I'll wait outside. Could use some air."
Grace turned, meeting Fury's gaze directly.
Lightning seemed to crackle between their eyes.
"Arrest him!" Grace commanded.
In the same instant, Fury drove his fist into the face of the agent to his left, snatched the man's sidearm, and flicked off the safety in one fluid motion.
Grace drew her own weapon, and suddenly they stood at a standoff, guns trained on each other.
"Nick, you're not walking out of here. Surrender now."
Fury's eye narrowed. "President Ross knows exactly why I'm here. What the hell is this about?"
"Nothing personal. Maria Hill escaped federal custody. Every S.H.I.E.L.D. operative is now on the national fugitive list. I'm just doing my job."
Fury didn't buy it for a second.
"The world's barely holding together and you're playing political games? Seriously?"
"Take it up with someone who cares," Grace said flatly, making her position crystal clear. She was following orders. Debates about right and wrong weren't her department.
At that moment, two enhanced soldiers from Celestial Island emerged from a side corridor. Fury, who'd spent decades working alongside superpowered individuals, immediately recognized what they were.
"Damn it."
Unwilling to get his ass handed to him, Fury simply released the pistol, raised both hands, and called out to Grace.
"All right. You got me."
Before news of Fury's arrest could spread, Maria Hill had already landed at Celestial Island.
After disembarking, Hill approached the soldier waiting to receive her. "Hello, I'd like to meet with Commander Payne. Is he available?"
"Ms. Hill, Commander Payne sent me to escort you. Please, follow me."
After loading Hill into a military transport, they drove directly toward a coastal settlement not far from the main harbor.
Even before entering the town, Maria spotted an enormous golden statue towering in the central plaza.
It depicted a young man in a pristine white lab coat, holding a book in his left hand and an energy sword in his right. His expression was resolute as he gazed out toward the distant ocean.
Hill had never met Ryan in person, but she'd seen his file photos. The statue bore an unmistakable resemblance.
Still, she asked the driver curiously, "Is that Dr. Ryan?"
The soldier nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Dr. Ryan saved Earth twice. The islanders erected this monument so future generations would never forget what he accomplished."
The Avengers saved people. Ryan saved the planet. That was the narrative, anyway.
Entering the town proper, Hill noticed the central square was under military lockdown. The soldiers escorted her to a separate government building.
"Ms. Hill, Commander Payne is in a strategic meeting. Please wait here. And don't wander off—restricted zones are heavily patrolled. You don't want that kind of trouble."
"Understood. Thanks for the heads-up."
After the soldier departed, Hill explored the small office before settling into a chair by the window, observing the town below.
Just then, Cassie walked past the doorway carrying a bouquet of freshly picked wildflowers. Hill recognized her immediately.
"Cassie?" Hill called out, surprised.
Cassie stopped at the sound of her name. "Who are you?"
"I'm a friend of your dad's—Scott Lang. And Dr. Pym's. How did you end up here?"
After Ant-Man and his family had been taken into military custody, they'd vanished completely. The Avengers had tried repeatedly to contact Scott during the zombie outbreak, but every attempt had failed.
"You know my dad?" Cassie eyed Hill suspiciously. She had no memory of this woman.
Hill smiled and nodded. "Of course I do. Is Scott here too?"
"He's working at one of the research facilities. Maybe you'll see him tonight if you're still around. I've got things to do, so I can't chat right now."
After the brief exchange, Cassie crossed the plaza and headed toward Ryan's private residence.
Arriving at the house, she arranged the flowers in a vase on the kitchen windowsill, adjusting them until she was satisfied.
Then she sat on the porch and gazed toward the palace in the distance. Ryan was holding a strategic council meeting with Celestial Island's leadership. They'd agreed to have dinner together that evening, but she had no idea when the meeting would wrap up.
Inside the palace, virtually every significant figure on Celestial Island had assembled.
Payne commanded administrative operations, supported by a staff of civilian personnel selected from the families of Celestial Island's military and scientific elite. They handled day-to-day governance and external diplomatic relations.
Anthony, General of the Legion, stood alongside the commanding officers of each tactical unit.
The Super Soldier Corps had grown into a formidable force of over two hundred enhanced warriors. Each one was outfitted with advanced tactical armor and weaponry, making them virtually unstoppable in both individual and squad-based combat.
There were also two elite Adamantium Brigades, soldiers clad in nearly indestructible alloy armor. Their combat effectiveness rivaled that of Black Panther himself.
In another section stood Blonsky, who oversaw both mining operations and the naval forces.
Mining was their primary function, but during wartime, the miners could be mobilized as a temporary naval fleet, transporting supplies and troops aboard Celestial Island's growing armada.
Seated off to one side were two distinct representatives: Dr. Hank Pym, representing the Ant-Man family, and Talos's daughter G'iah, representing the Skrull refugees.
Ryan had used G'iah's identity as a Super-Skrull to lure a significant Skrull population to Celestial Island. However, they hadn't settled in the main town—they occupied a separate island within the archipelago.
Skrulls were natural infiltrators. With basic genetic modification, they could be transformed into devastating covert operatives and shock troops, making them an invaluable strategic asset.
To protect the safety and interests of her people, G'iah had no choice but to remain on Celestial Island. Her presence attracted more Skrulls seeking refuge.
She was effectively chained to Ryan's war machine.
Seated at the head of the palace steps, Ryan spoke quietly but with absolute authority.
"The crisis is over. It's time to settle accounts with those who stood in our way."
"Anthony proposed Wakanda as the primary theater of operations. I agree. Does anyone object?"
Anthony was the first to respond. "Agreed."
Payne: "Agreed."
Blonsky: "Agreed."
Ryan looked at G'iah, who lowered her head and whispered, "Agreed."
Ryan turned to Payne. "Issue an ultimatum to Wakanda. Demand they open trade agreements for advanced technology and vibranium reserves. If they refuse, we move forward with military action."
Payne immediately stood. "Yes, sir."
"Anthony, contact President Ross. Have him deploy federal military assets to support Celestial Island's strategic objectives."
Anthony rose. "Yes, sir."
Ryan's gaze shifted to G'iah. After a long, tense silence, she finally spoke.
"Sir, the Skrulls can provide one thousand warriors."
G'iah had been backed into a corner.
Since her capture, Ryan had kept her imprisoned in his laboratory, subjecting her to genetic experimentation. Later, he'd weaponized her identity as a Super-Skrull to draw more of her people into his sphere of influence.
After her release, she'd considered escaping. But she couldn't abandon the Skrulls she'd inadvertently lured into Ryan's grasp. She refused to let them become cannon fodder or slave labor.
So she stayed. And she compromised.
Ryan was satisfied with G'iah's compliance.
After a moment of silence, Ryan spoke again, his voice carrying the weight of inevitability.
"Celestial Island will lead humanity into a new era. Anyone who stands in our way becomes an enemy of progress itself. Dismissed."
The prelude to war had officially begun.
Ryan had taken the first step toward building his empire.
End of Chapter 107
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