Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 666 Rogers' Resolve (First Update)

"A greyish-white dragon rises from the sea, unharmed by the fiery breaths of the sky's whales! One hundred and twenty-eight years ago, ancient lava, the ocean turned to sludge, and a figure wearing a pentagram ring stands atop black waves and white smoke. The daughter of chaos, boundless and mad love, her red eyes seeing her own heart flowing with black venom!" The maddened medium muttered to herself in the New York Police Department, biting her fingers, her handcuffed palms covered in saliva and bloody teeth marks.

Officer Carter quickly called for medical personnel to give the crazed woman a sedative to prevent her from harming herself. She'd seen many drug addicts, but one this mad was truly rare. "She probably hasn't taken drugs. No needle marks, not much mucus in her nose, and her pupils are normal," the doctor said after a quick check before continuing to bandage the officer's wound. The earthquake had caused power outages and unrest, forcing the NYPD to work overtime to maintain order and prevent looters from entering affluent areas; doctors were no exception. This particular doctor had been brought over from the emergency room. "If you want to see Officer Fusco rolling around on the floor, give that crazy woman the painkillers; that should calm her down for a while."

"Never mind, this is the second time Officer Fusco has been shot in the butt," Officer Carter waved his hand. "So what happened to her?"

"How should I know!" The doctor shrugged impatiently. "Maybe it's agoraphobia, maybe autism, or some other psychological disorder specific to white women. I don't know, I'm just a surgeon on duty in the ER! If it weren't for that annoying Strange, I wouldn't be assigned here! I can write you a prescription, but I think adding another pair of handcuffs will solve the problem. I'll bandage her up in a bit, but I have work to do right now."

"Alright, whatever you say. You didn't prescribe anything haphazardly, did you?" Officer Carter had no choice but to agree to the doctor's plan. She kicked away a thug who was trying to cause trouble for the crazy woman. "I'm handcuffing you to my seat, you hear me?" she said to the crazy woman. "I must be crazy to be talking to a lunatic..."

"I am the Eye of Calamity! Great Lord of Magic, I beg you to destroy these handcuffs! Free me!"

"The only thing that can unlock these handcuffs is the key in my hand. Nod if you understand what I'm saying!"

"The great Seventh Throne has bestowed upon us bloody massacres, terrifying magic, profound prophecies, and hot coffee!"

"Hot coffee? I understand. Looks like you're not so crazy after all." Officer Carter reluctantly pulled the woman up. "If you stay in my seat, I'll get you a cup. But you won't be free, because it's not safe outside right now. Once order is restored, I'll take you to a shelter, or find your family and send you back. Do you have family? Do you remember where you live? Have you been abused?"

"Good souls, whose lives have been shattered by fate, I obey you." The madwoman suddenly softened her tone, her voice almost drowned out by the cacophony of the police station. In Officer Carter's barely audible voice, she said, "This is the turning point of destiny, the moment that will decide the fate of this planet. I will remain silent. I await the judgment of the future emperor, I await the descent of the Daughter of Chaos into madness. Lofty ideals and mad love will clash..."

"How much sugar and milk should I add?"

"I dreamt of death and worms, filthy black blood covering the entire rock ledge, and crimson sunlight bathing the beach." The madwoman obediently sat in the chair, watching Officer Carter handcuff her to the armrest. She raised her voice again, as if her previous calm had been a mere illusion, "A thousand spells, beautiful thirty-seventh messenger. Tell me, how much sugar and milk should I add today?"

Officer Carter lifted his aching neck, looked at the pale white light tubes on the police station ceiling, and let out a long breath.

"Calling A.S.A.I.E.L.D., Falcon 1 has arrived at Monhegen Island, Over."

"SHIELD 1, positioned directly behind you. Maintain altitude of 5000 feet. Over."

Several modified Quinjet fighters skimmed the heavy clouds toward their target location, carrying S.H.I.E.L.D. agents recruited by the Avengers, as well as other Avengers members. Their flight paths were calculated by artificial intelligence and concealed within Airbus flight paths. Stark's cloaking devices also allowed them to briefly disappear, reflecting no signals. Their objective was simple—to rescue Tony Stark and, incidentally, to resolve the increasingly severe earthquakes spreading across the East Coast. Countless pieces of evidence pointed to the arcane sorcerers' involvement in the earthquakes, and as the earthquakes worsened, the Avengers still at their base became restless. Steve Rogers, in particular, was determined to address this problem that could cause immense damage to the East Coast. Although he initiated the mission, Captain Rogers was filled with apprehension. Even with Vision, who possessed an Infinity Stone on his forehead, accompanying them, Captain Rogers still lacked confidence in the face of unpredictable magic.

This mission was met with opposition from many members, primarily former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents such as Natasha Romanoff, Clint, and Maria Hill. They believed Salomon would keep his promise and release Tony Stark after the mission was over. Maria Hill, in particular, felt the Avengers had no need to antagonize Salomon. This was not only because she wanted to leave magical matters to professionals, but also because Salomon had demonstrated his power during the Sokovia incident. She believed that the Avengers' current hostile stance towards Salomon would destroy the power that all S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel had painstakingly built, and would also raise concerns in Congress about the Avengers' unauthorized involvement in armed operations.

The last point is what Agent Hill is most concerned about. The Sokovia incident has already damaged the Avengers' reputation, and it's rumored that the White House is planning to take action against them; all that's needed is a public opinion trigger. If the Avengers fail to resolve this matter, then the two houses of Congress and the White House will have an opportunity to act.

“But as you’ve seen, Agent Hill, that’s no reason to stop me. This operation has nothing to do with Salomon’s actions, nothing to do with morality, law, or even human sentiment,” Captain Rogers said. “The earthquake is escalating, and we don’t know when he’ll resolve it—it’s obvious to everyone that they’re connected. Wherever Salomon goes, the epicenter is there. I believe he knows what caused the earthquake, and he’s tracking it. Geologists have told us there’s an ancient lava belt on the East Coast, and if Salomon can’t resolve the issue, then the East Coast will experience a major earthquake. I can’t let a choice that could save so many lives go unfulfilled.”

"So you're planning to just dive headfirst into Salomon's Sky Carrier?" Agent Hill frowned. "That would be considered an act of hostility."

"Of course not, we will try to rescue Tony Stark through negotiations first."

"and then?"

"Then we demand answers from them. When and how to solve the problem to prevent a major earthquake," Captain Rogers said. "While I'd like to leave professional matters to professionals, we don't know if they can do it, and they refuse to communicate, so we have to do it. We can't turn a blind eye to lives, Agent Hill. We're not S.H.I.E.L.D., we're the Avengers."

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(End of this chapter)