Wanda and Pietro cautiously approached the address on the electronic invitation.
The siblings had debated for a long time before finally deciding to come here and check things out for themselves.
"Sis, is this what a bustling metropolis looks like?"
Pietro's eyes widened as he took in the towering buildings of New York City, the dazzling lights, and the ceaseless flow of people. For a moment, he was completely dumbfounded.
Having grown up in a war-torn region, he had never seen such a vast and prosperous city before.
"Pietro, this isn't the time to be distracted."
Wanda's sharp eyes scanned their surroundings warily. Despite the allure of the city, she remained on high alert.
Just as the two were looking around, three figures suddenly appeared before them.
A blond-haired young man with a striking presence, a burly man with dark, brooding eyes, and a man with a faint smile on his face.
"You must be Ms. Wanda Maximoff and Mr. Pietro Maximoff, correct?"
The man with the smile was the first to speak.
"Yes. And you are…?"
Wanda tensed instinctively, readying herself for a fight if necessary.
"My name is Steve Rogers. We're members of the Sharp Blade Squad from the S.W.O.R.D. Bureau—we were sent by the commander to escort you two."
Rogers spoke in a steady voice, his gaze reassuring yet firm.
"These two are my close friends and also members of the Sharp Blade Squad—Bucky Barnes and Mandarin."
Wanda and Pietro exchanged a glance, still unsure about everything.
But as they continued following their escorts, their eyes widened when they finally reached the headquarters of the S.W.O.R.D. Bureau.
A massive circular emblem loomed overhead, with a sword-like insignia at its center.
Beneath it, an inscription in bold letters read:
"We Monitor, We Protect."
"Welcome to the headquarters of the S.W.O.R.D. Bureau," Mandarin said warmly. "I think you'll find this place to be a second home."
Though once feared as the ruthless leader of the Ten Rings, Mandarin now stood here as a teammate, embracing a different path.
Wanda and Pietro felt a whirlwind of emotions as they stepped into the state-of-the-art facility.
Even though the S.W.O.R.D. Bureau's base was still under construction, Gene had modified the Skynet Base, integrating it into the headquarters.
Despite this, the scale and sophistication of the S.W.O.R.D. Bureau left the Maximoff twins in awe.
All around them, holographic displays flickered, monitoring global events in real-time.
"Deploy the Ten Rings task force to neutralize the potential threat."
"Dispatch the robotic fleet to handle the situation."
On multiple screens, Skynet and the Red Queen were issuing commands, leading S.W.O.R.D. forces to eliminate global threats.
Superpowered criminals and anti-human extremists were being either neutralized or contained.
"Whoa, this is amazing!" Pietro gasped, his face lighting up. "Sis, this place is like something out of a sci-fi movie! It's awesome!"
Meanwhile, Spider-Man had also arrived at the headquarters, following the coordinates from his invitation.
"Huh? This place is so close to Mason Industries…"
Peter looked around in confusion.
Then, without hesitation, he walked into the facility.
"Hey guys! So this is the S.W.O.R.D. Bureau? Damn, this place is awesome!"
Despite being new to all this, Peter felt no stage fright at all.
In fact, from the moment he arrived, he was completely enamored with the place.
"Peter, welcome to the S.W.O.R.D. Bureau."
Steve Rogers greeted him with a friendly smile.
With Spider-Man's arrival, the first core members of the Sharp Blade Squad had officially assembled.
Just then, the space in the center of the room twisted violently.
A dark, armored figure materialized out of thin air.
Gene had arrived.
"Welcome," Gene said, his voice calm yet commanding.
"The S.W.O.R.D. Bureau exists to safeguard Earth from all threats, both known and unknown."
"As our motto states: We Monitor, We Protect."
Gene's V-shaped visor flickered with a faint red glow as he continued,
"Yes, we conduct global surveillance—but we do so to protect the planet more effectively."
"Our monitoring isn't limited to Earth alone. We also monitor threats beyond our world."
The moment those words left Gene's mouth, the atmosphere in the room shifted.
Everyone felt a sudden tension in the air.
Wanda, who had been listening attentively, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
"Wait… what do you mean by 'beyond our world'?" she asked, her voice steady but cautious.
Gene turned his visor toward her, his tone matter-of-fact.
"Exactly what you're thinking," he said.
"Aliens."
Before the shock could fully settle in, Skynet's voice rang out.
"Sir, the S.W.O.R.D. satellite for deep-space surveillance has detected an unidentified spacecraft approaching Earth."
"Using Starlink's tracking system, we've pinpointed its landing site—South America."
Gene's gaze darkened.
"Aliens?" he repeated.
"Yes, Sir. Based on the analysis of their frequency emissions, their signal does not match anything found on Earth."
"Would you like to deploy the nearest S.W.O.R.D. strike team?"
Gene thought for a moment before making his decision.
"No need," he said.
"I'll handle this myself."
The air around him distorted once more, and in an instant, Gene vanished.
—
Meanwhile, deep in space…
Hundreds of light-years away, aboard a massive Kree warship, an officer stood before his commander.
"Lord Ronan the Accuser," the officer reported respectfully.
"The advance forces have been deployed to Earth. We are currently gathering test subjects."
Ronan, standing imposingly with his Universal Weapon in hand, listened in silence.
Then, in a cold, merciless tone, he issued his command:
"Good. Adjust our course—head for Earth."
"As for the creatures on that planet… aside from the ones we require for experimentation—"
His eyes gleamed with a cruel glint.
"The rest are of no consequence."
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T/N:
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