MCU: Skull and Bones

Chapter 48: Side Quest Initiated

2012

Washington, D.C.

Secure Blacksite

(Brock POV)

"We're a revolutionary organization dedicated to freeing humanity from the shackles of oppression perpetrated by recent nonhuman threats," The man cries out as he thrashes helplessly on the operating table. "We take orders directly from Senator Peter Krane! He's the leader!"

At his words, I glance back at the one-way mirror behind me, where Pierce was undoubtedly listening, before returning my gaze back to the nervous prisoner.

"Why did you try to attack the assembly?" I ask, my tone utterly calm as I study him closely.

"W-we were tasked to kidnap high-ranking officials who didn't represent Human interests in Congress, and send a message with their deaths!" The man yells.

"And what was that message supposed to be?" I ask.

"The end of all nonhuman tyranny!" The man shouts as he kicks his feet against the restraining straps.

"They attacked our planet, destroyed our city, tried to enslave our people, and how do the people in power respond? With indifference! They just sat there and let it happen! Even made secret deals with the Freaks!" He shouts furiously. "So we decided we need to show them how serious we are about this! We needed to prove we mean business!"

The man's rant causes me to pause for a moment. He sounds awfully passionate about his beliefs, but it also sounded a bit rehearsed to me. As if he was just repeating someone else's words.

"Okay," I state dismissively. "Where are the rest of your friends?"

"I-I don't know." He says and I take a step closer to the table. "Really! I don't know! We have multiple small cells set up around the country and most of our contact is done online or over the phone. We don't meet up unless we're preparing for a mission."

I nod slowly, then crouch down so I can face the man eye to eye.

"Okay," I say as I place my hand on his shoulder. "I believe you."

His eyes widen in shock. Then he tries to pull away, but I hold him firm.

"I told you everything I know!" He states fearfully. "Please don't kill me!!"

I look into the man's eyes and smile reassuringly.

"Relax," I tell the man calmly. "You're not going to die today."

The man relaxes somewhat, and his shoulders slump in relief. His breathing slows and his heart rate returns to normal.

"Oh thank god!" He exclaims quietly as he looks up at me. "Th-that's such a relief. Thank you, sir!"

"I wouldn't thank me yet," I say as I stand back up and turn to my guards at the door.

"We're about done here, get them both ready to be transported to the facility in Delaware for a full Neural Debrief," I order.

"Yes sir!" They reply and move to assist the two captives as they are led off the operating table and then towards the door.

The guy I was talking to still didn't understand what was happening, but if the rumors I heard about that facility are true, then I'm sure he'll soon find out.

After the two captives are carried out, I hear the soft click of the door to the viewing room open as Pierce walks through it.

"Well, that was interesting." He says once he steps closer to me. "I must say, while I find your methods to be somewhat crude, I applaud the dedication you have to your work and the organization. It shows great strength of character."

He pauses for a moment to look around at the bloody torture chamber before turning his attention back to me.

"However, it seems like you might want to reconsider some things."

Pierce smiles at me.

"You see, the problem with this sort of brutality is that the more extreme you are, the easier it is for the captive to misunderstand what you're doing." He tells me with a smile. "It's important to remember that sometimes it's better to speak softly than to make a ruckus. This isn't an easy lesson to learn, I know, but you should keep it in mind moving forward."

I nod dutifully at his words of advice.

"Thank you for the advice, Secretary Pierce," I say to him with fake sincerity.

"Don't mention it," Pierce replies as he laughs lightly. "Now, why don't we go somewhere private so we can talk about this little.. situation we found ourselves in," Pierce says as he starts walking towards the exit, and I follow after him.

***********

Washington D.C

Alexander Pierce's Residence

A Few Hours Later

I was sitting across from Pierce in the office of his house.

We had been there since early afternoon, and a couple of his aides and security men have joined us as well.

As I sit here watching Pierce and listening to him speak, I notice that he looks really tired. Not like he was physically exhausted but mentally drained.

"Dealing with these cells may be tedious but they should pose no trouble for us," Pierce says as he addresses the room. "But Senator Krane is another story, he has deep connections with congress and a few contacts in the white house. His sudden disappearance would cause a lot of problems. We need to move carefully on this. With Project: Insight finally being put into motion, If we start making waves in the government, they might begin looking into our activities. And if they do that... then our operation here will be compromised."

He pauses briefly, taking a sip of water from the glass on his desk.

"First thing first, we need to find out where these 'Friends of Humanity' are hiding. If there's one thing I've learned from working in politics, it's that having a secret network is useless if you don't have control over it. That goes for the people as well as the bases."

He pauses for a moment, looking around at the different faces in the room before his gaze lands on me.

"Major Rumlow, I'd like you to run point on this."

I give Pierce a confused look as I raise my eyebrows at him.

"I want you to lead a team to infiltrate the Friends of Humanity, gather intelligence on their operations, and report back to me immediately. Once we have what we need, then you'll be free to act upon whatever needs to be done."

I nod, understanding exactly what Pierce is asking me to do.

"Of course, Secretary Pierce."

"Good," Pierce says as he stands up from his chair and walks around the desk. "Now, I suggest you get to work right away. You have a lot of ground to cover and time is of the essence."

I nod again and turn toward the door to leave the office. But before I can make it out the doorway, Pierce turns around and addresses me again.

"Oh, and Major Rumlow?"

"Yes sir?" I ask hesitantly.

"Keep your men on high alert. There's a good chance they could encounter hostile resistance along the way."

I nod at his words and leave his office behind me as I return to my hotel to pack for the coming trip.

***********

Houston, Texas

Swamp Lands

Friends of Humanity (FoH) Main Compound

(Omniscient POV)

Moving over trees with black trunks, rotting vegetation, and scummy water, we make our way deeper into the swamps lands to see a small makeshift camp centered on a dried-out patch of grass. A handful of men wearing worn-out army gear stand guard by the entrance, their weapons at the ready.

A large tent sits in the middle of the camp, inside is a small wooden table with a map spread out on it. On top of the table is a small high-tech holo display that displays the image of the swamp area surrounding us.

A tall lean man with blonde hair and light blue eyes was seated at the table and stared at the map with intense interest. Beside him sat a pale-skinned man with long brown hair and blue eyes that were firmly set into a stern expression. He was wearing black tactical gear similar to that of his partner.

"That freak may be an abomination to our species... But he sure makes some useful tech." The blonde-haired man says as he looks at his partner. "What do you think Graydon?"

The other man gives the blond man a sidelong glance before answering.

"I think you shoulda killed it when you found it, Paul." He says before letting out a sigh. "But I guess it's worth keeping it alive if it can help us reach our goals."

"Aye," Paul says as he glances up at his partner. "But we got lucky with this one. He's actually pretty smart for a freak."

Graydon nods at the comment before turning his attention back to the map.

"How long until the first batch of weapons is done?" He asks.

"About a week, maybe two," Paul replies. "Depends on how hard it is to steal the materials we need."

"That won't be a problem. Krane has already given the order for his contacts to deliver what we need." Graydon replies. "All we need now is to plan our next move."

Paul gives his partner a thoughtful look.

"What should we do about the team that failed?" He asks. "We can't have them talking to the authorities."

"I trained those guys myself, they'll never talk," Graydon says dismissively. "Besides, they don't know anything that could bring us down."

"True enough," Paul admits. "But we shouldn't take any chances. Let's have our contacts in the police department look out for them just in case."

Graydon thinks it over for a moment.

"Fine," he says reluctantly. "Just make sure you tell them that if they see them... make it quick. Those men are still soldiers for humanity."

"Of course," Paul replies.

With that said, Paul gets up from his chair and starts heading toward the entrance.

"I'm going to check in on the weapons manufacturing. I'll see you later."

He leaves the tent and heads towards the holding cells of the FoH base.

**********

A/n: Hey Guys, hope you are enjoying the story so far and as always thanks for reading!

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