Ch.13

The Ten Rings needed and got a break. As for the big news, Killgrave popped up on our radar and he was taken out in a drive by shooting of sorts where he was the only person hit repeated including one bullet through the head that didn't leave much of a head left. He was just another New York gang violence statistic in the end. The Hand was gone and so was AIM with Aldrich Killian who'd been behind the terrorist group that used the Ten Rings name so there was no real big issues.

Extremis was perfected with the help of a an enhanced guy from China who had fire retardant blood cells. Business was booming for TR Industries as Manhattan had been fully repaired and cleanup along with upgrades to the homes, sewers and electrical systems. Underground reinforced tunnels were built across the US for high voltage upgrades to the power grid.

The US was forking out five hundred billion for a full upgrade to the power, sewer and water systems as well as homes of the citizens like Manhattan. It was very cheap for what they were getting, but it was a hell of a big undertaking. Still, most of the Eastern and Western seaboards were completed by the time the Dark Elves attacked Greenwich with a ship and were brought down by Thor and the Ten Rings. Thor took the Aether or reality stone off world so TR Industries cleaned up the dead and damage there as well.

The Ten Rings had taken the dark elves ship and it was being studied like the Kree ships. Lady Frigga of Asgard had been saved by a suit with nanite tech from a Ten Rings warrior so Asgard was extremely grateful. In the meantime I had Arctic Vibranium I was making a weapon of to pierce Vibranium and adamantium armor if necessary. I managed to fuse adamantium and Vibranium together without Uru to make Proto-Adamantium which was far harder with the density and hardness of Adamantium and the kinetic dispersal qualities of Vibranium which also made it lighter.

Add a weave of Uru and Graphene alloy enchanted beyond Proto-Adamantium for durability and the new mesh suits were damned near indestructible. Soon all the suits of the legions were replaced entirely while the old suits were sent to Asgard. The new ones would be passed down from now on since they tested far better than the old ones.

They suits were sent alongside the two fugitive Asgardians and the berserker staff the one had broken. The beginning a of the next year heralded the fight of Hydra as Natasha, Steve, Pietro, Trish and Wanda began the fight by the destruction of the Arnim Zola and the posting of all of Shield and Hydra's dirty secrets online. All over the world Hydra agents died left and right, from senators and congressmen to CEO billionaires and low level grunts.

Shield didn't lose any of their bases because Ten Rings operatives portaled in and killed those inside Shield bases themselves. We moved fast and slaughtered them all, leaving the Shield agents stunned and not by tasers. Hydra had been our white whale and we were going to town bringing it down. Even Coulson was surprised when I portaled in and slit Grant Ward's throat on the Bus.

I grunted as Melinda May went to shoot me and Coulson told her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. His armor is Vibranium and the bullet will only bounce off and hurt one of us."

My ten rings lit up and I grunted. "Fury said you were dead."

He sighed. "I get that a lot these days, trust me. Shield patched me up. So I take it you're the Ancient?"

I nodded slowly and gestured to Ward's body. "Hydra has been exposed. Shield's classified files on everyone has been leaked. The Ten Rings are killing hundreds of Hydra sleeper agents all over the globe. Our magic portals couldn't get my warriors here so I used my inhuman powers to open a portal that could move with the plane."

Skye asked. "Ward was Hydra?"

I nodded slowly before opening a portal and telling them. "Fury will no doubt be in contact. Do know that the Ten Rings will be active for a time, but only a few dozen names outside of shield were found so we're resorting to messier tactics to find the rest. Grant Ward's teacher, John Garrett is next."

I left and did exactly as I said, continuing the massacre. Once it was done, the US military tried taking over Shield and failed. Shield, under Coulson as Fury's successor, now regrouped and remained strong. I met with Fury and told him to follow me, opening a portal to Ta Lo.

I spent months personally training Fury, giving him all he needed to know and physically upgrading him with the super soldier serum as well as the heart shaped herb as I took mine and removed the blessing from myself. Nanites healed him, repaired his body to his younger days and gave him his old repaired eye back. With two eyes now, he fought me, mastering his body and mind as well as the magics he'd lacked understanding of.

When he was ready, I gave him the perfected Extremis serum and told him to face Trish in one on one all out combat. He didn't ask why, knowing what he'd get if he won. He did, albeit very closely so I gave him the master suit, control over the legions and made him swear before his brothers and sisters to forswear all allegiances and ties to any one nation. When he gave the oath, I put our fists together and shoved.

The ten rings glided onto his arms and turned yellow instead of the purple they'd been for so long. I saluted him and turned to the legions gathered as they hadn't been in over five hundred years. Natasha and the rest were amongst them and even Thor and those on Asgard had saw through the scanner lenses as I announced that I was retiring as their leader, presenting them the new Ancient and leader of the Ten Rings.

I warned Fury the day I brought him that he'd likely outlive anyone he's ever met and he'd have to build his mind strong as time was a bitter foe. The legions saluted Fury and I gave him a data pad I had used all these years. "All of TR Industries assets, their holdings, the secrets only I've been privy to about why we do things, everything. As my successor, I don't envy you, but you have a lot of family now to prop you up. I wish you luck because you're going to need it."

He thanked me and I shook my head. "I didn't do it for you."

I turned to the four women and kids with a small smile. "I did it for them and because I'm old, so damned old that I'm tired of living the way I have been. Before, the world came before everything, even my happiness and life. Now I want to live."

I turned to Fury. "And someday you'll want to as well. Just don't pick someone as paranoid as yourself. There are enough monsters in the shadows as you know, to be worrying about those in the light."

He nodded slowly and I held up a hand, shaking his and warning him. "Be damned clear you don't ever break the code of the Ten Rings. They'll eat you alive and choose someone else to lead them if you do. Remember, the world before everything. If the humans destroy themselves that's not on you, that's on themselves so long as they don't use magic or alien technology."

I left through a portals after telling him that Banner is free to pick and choose his battles and Trish would fill him in on the rest as his ring bearer unless he thinks someone else can cut it. I stopped and tossed him my old magic ring with the Vibranium chunk and the newly grown heart shaped herbs. I told him I didn't need it as I had my own lab and things to hold onto. My newest suit, that of a similar design to the Moon Knight rogue Avenger fanfic art, cloak and all, covered me.

The big differences were that there was no crescent moon, the suit was a silvery white and I didn't carry a weapon. The eye lenses were purple if that helped, though the fact that I ripped off an avenger fanfic I barely remembered from my last life when I couldn't remember who I was baffled even me. Then again the suit could be taken as a Nightingale rip off from Skyrim which was famous even in this world. Nick Fury's online life was erased as Nick Foss was born and he became the CEO of TR Industries.

Those who would've recognized him were left with an image of Jesse Martin when they think of Nick Fury. A spell that had taken a month to implement during his training. My retirement package was enough to live a comfortable life in the upstate New York country. My private lab was concealed and I used it to make an Avengers virtual game where the person could play as any known Avenger or as a new recruit and help save the world from the invasion.

They could experience the powers and abilities of the Avengers or choose their own powers and background. The Inhuman, metahuman and enhanced backgrounds were included as well as the sorcery and other powers they could master and learn to grow stronger indefinitely. They could join the villains as well and try to dominate the earth or other worlds as well if that was there thing, but they'd have to face off against heroes and if they play multiplayer with their solo builds, they'll face other people including the Avengers, Shield, the Ten Rings and Asgard.

I pity the fool who chooses my storyline because it wasn't fun, just long and boring with a lot of fighting, training and preparing. All the Avengers got royalties for the game except Thor. Clint was happy when he heard the game sold out as soon as it was released for the virtual and basic system platforms. I released many other games like it including mortal kombat, DC games, Buffy, Stargate and more magic based games like Charmed for girls wanting to be one of the sisters.

I had money and royalties flowing in like a sieve raining on me. I released an Agents of Shield game and X-Men game only switching the character designs and names. Hell, I even released a Wolverine storyline and so much more. I ended up calling the small company I'd built around game, Basement Noobs.