War Counsel

"So what's the plan?" she asks me as she releases me from her hug. Her eyes had a certain steel to them that wasn't there before. A certain protectiveness that I couldn't place.

"Across the globe there are artifacts that have been left here by various individuals across the galaxy. The Ancient One has most of the more Magical based Artifacts, but those aren't the only things out there." I reply. "Unfortunately, some of these artifacts require the user to be immensely powerful, hence my work on combining the Apex Formula with Blonski's blood. If I'm not powerful enough for some of these artifacts, I could burn up." Typing in another formula for the program to examine, I summon the Black Mirror into my hand and start searching.

"There are some that don't require this though. If I can find the right artifacts and reverse engineer them, maybe I can start enhancing the X-Men and the Avengers… Maybe give them a greater edge."

"What kind of artifacts? Don't tell me you'll need to go fight a crusader to get the Holy Grail." she jokes.

"Not quite." I say as I expand the mirror to show her what I was looking at.

In the mirror it showed Apocalypse, En Sabah Nur. Floating above Egypt and sending out a message to the world about how the world that has been built will fall, and in its place they will build a better one.

"This is the Mutant Warlord known as Apocalypse." I start. "one of the first and most powerful Mutants, he became the Pharaoh of Egypt and conquered many countries. Early on in his reign, he is shown to wear the traditional Egyptian Pharaoh garb, however later on, about a third of the way into his reign, he started wearing very sophisticated armor that appeared to be enhancing his already impressive capabilities. If I can get a hold of that armor and his tech, It could change everything."

"How did he get it though? If its so sophisticated, how did he get a hold of it back in ancient Egypt?" she asks.

"That is what I'm trying to figure out..." I reply with a grimace. "The Black Mirror refuses to show what happened. I need to consult with The Ancient One, but if I'm right it means someone or something powerful blocked that point in time from being seen."

I'm guessing Celestials, but I could be wrong.

Nodding, she looks at me with a sideways glance. "How are you planning on getting it?"

"Portal in, portal out. Sling Rings are the Ultimate Plot Device." I say with a smirk as I use the Black Mirror to search out other artifacts. The Quantum Bands, The Mandarins Rings, etc. At this point I don't know what's real and whats not. Anything to give me an edge would be fantastic.

Shrugging her shoulders she reaches out and pulls me into another embrace.

"Just… be careful." she says. "I don't want to lose you..."

Carefully returning the embrace, I plant a kiss on her forehead and smile at her.

"I'll be fine… I always am."

/

Standing in the middle of our Defense Center hidden underneath the palace, nicknamed The Vault by one of our technicians because of how hard it was to get in here, I smirk as agents swarmed around me like a well oiled machine

The room itself was very similar to the control center in the Helicarrier. Rows of computers running data and a table raised up to oversee everything but also act as a place of meeting for important matters.

Which is why I'm here. To discuss a few things with my inner circle. Specifically what should be done for the future of Genosha and then Earth.

Ever since telling Greer about my motivations I realized that I needed to be a bit more open about what I know. So using the Black Mirror as an excuse, I gathered up my most trusted and explained. This included Bruce Banner, Flint Marko, Yuriko Oyama, Doctor Doom, Spider-Man, and the Ancient One.

An interesting group to say the least.

"So to recap," Bruce says in a sarcastic tone as he looks around at us. "a giant purple alien is searching for the most powerful artifacts in the galaxy so that he might wipe out half of the life in the galaxy in an ill conceived attempt to 'save' the galaxy from itself. Am I missing anything?"

"Not really." I reply.

Immediately Spider-Man raised his hand.

"So these gem thingies are like Cheat Codes for the Universe?" he asks.

"That is a crass, though not entirely incorrect description." Doctor Doom replies before looking at the Ancient One for confirmation. He has matured since I've taken him as my apprentice. He's finally toned down his superiority complex. He's still incredibly arrogant, but he isn't about to go off the handle for a slight against his ego and he actually looks towards others for more information. I think he's finally realized he isn't the most intelligent one in the room anymore.

"You are correct, Spider-Man. They can be seen as Cheat codes, though they are much more than just that. Each Stone possesses complete control over the aspect it presides over. The Time Stone controls Time as the name suggests and allows the user to see possible futures, alter time itself, and more." She explains

"So far I know the locations of all the stones, something few in history can attest to, but within the next few months some of the stones, The Power and Reality Stone in particular, will move. Unfortunately at the moment the Reality Stone is out of our reach due to previous interference." expanding the Black Mirror, I show the location of the Power Stone. "Right now the Power Stone is being held on a distant planet known as Morag, a deserted planet several light years away. If the Black Mirror is correct it should be discovered by a space pirate who will then try to sell it. He will fail, get arrested, meet up with a rag tag group of mercenaries and assassins and end up killing one of Thanos's more powerful allies and save the occupants of a planet called Nova Prime. Shortly thereafter the Novan's will store the stone on their planet."

looking at the group, I move on to the next part of the meeting.

"Some of you have lives going on or responsibilities that mean you can't help get the Stones before Thanos." I say before looking at Peter. "By the way, congrats on the wedding. Tell the lucky girl congrats for me."

At his thumbs up, I continue.

"Because of this, that job will be left to me. I have a few ideas that should let me get the Stones and hide them from Thanos."

"Spider-Man, I need you to comb the streets of New York, find heroes and convince them to join us. We need allies. They will be the first step. Try to recruit Daredevil and his team. Maybe they'll help."

Turning to Flint, I give him his mission.

"Sandman, you know the criminal element of New York, I need you to go undercover and spread the word of Thanos coming. You don't have to explain the cosmic stuff, but I need you to get the message across. Something much bigger than the Invasion is coming, and we'll need all the help we can get."

"Yuriko, I need you to return to your family and convince them of what's coming. I've heard that they have contacts in the Japanese Government?"

nodding her head in confirmation, I keep going and address The Ancient One.

"You have the most experience, knowledge, and contacts between us all. If you would, could you spread the word out to through your allies and contacts. Use whatever means necessary to get their assistance. We need allies."

"Bruce, once Logan gets back, I'm going to have him train you in martial arts. Both you and the Hulk. We need both of you in top form. In the meantime, I have a project for you to work on. Specifics are being sent to your lab as we speak."

Looking at Doom, I mentally have Ultron send him his instructions. Something tells me the rest of the group would disprove of what I need him to do. Taking over a country is not necessarily approved of in today's society. Just look at what happened when I conquered Genosha.

"Right now I don't have a mission for you Doctor, but as soon as I do, I will let you know."

Nodding at me and returning the message, confirming he had received my instructions, I grin.

"Let's get to it!"