Chapter 11

1st Feb, 2007

Milan, Italy

Aleka Amador was called many things in life; some pleasant, some insulting, and some down right infuriating.

'Smart, talented, fearless' was how her former teacher and trainer, Phil Coulson, described her as. 'Hardass, mega-bitch, arrogant, selfish' were few of the less pleasant things most viewed her to be. Of course some of these insults came from racist bastards who didn't like that a black woman was more successful than them.

But others, more truer critiques, were well taken to heart. She knew she wasn't a team player. She knew she didn't trust easily. She knew sometimes her suspicions were misplaced.

Just not this time. This time was different. This time she felt that her suspicions were well-placed. She just couldn't see how her superiors thought that a former Hydra Agent could so easily become one of the 'good guys'. Even if the said Agent was a kid in his pre-teens.

So it really wasn't her fault when her eyes pinned upon the boy critically, regarding her 10 year old teammate with well justified suspicions and contempt.

...And the boy stared right back without a flinch, cold eyes filled with just a bit of curiousity and amusement.

She didn't like his eyes, emerald green orbs shining even in darkness. She didn't like his doll-like perfect face either, looking like God himself had sculpted him a sharp and beautiful face (results of the Super Serum no doubt).

And she decided to let her feelings know in the only way she knew how to. Bluntly. "I don't trust you, Agent Dursley."

She purposely avoided using his actual code name. Hell would freeze over before she used something as stupid as 'Mytique Soldier' for one of her own squad. God knows how high those Hydra bitches were when they called him that.

Her two other teammates (adults, thank God) shifted uncomfortably, not liking her 'rudeness' to a kid no doubt. But neither had the balls to say anything so she didn't care.

The boy tilted his head slightly, utterly unbothered. "I do not trust you either. What's your point?"

She snorted. Atleast he wasn't some silent emo, thank God for small mercies. "Yeah see, you'll have to trust me, kid. I'm the leader in this mission, and I don't want any of you disobeying my orders."

"I do not trust you." The boy stressed again, eyes narrowing slightly. "If I feel like you are purposely putting my life at risk, I shall disobey you. And there is nothing you can do about it."

Aleka suppressed a grimace. It was true enough what he said. She didn't know what his 'special position' was supposed to be in Shield, but she knew she'd have no authority over him in this mission. Which simply made her even more irritated at the situation.

Coulson described the boy as reliable and she trusted her teacher's judgement (having experienced his harsh standards firsthand), but what use was an asset who didn't obey instructions? What use would a kid be in such a sophisticated mission? No matter how trained, no matter his magic tricks, someone who disobeys orders shouldn't be in a team.

She didn't have more time to think up a solution as her comms went off.

"ETA three minutes, Angel." The pilot's voice announced. "Get ready to disembark."

She turned to her teammates, her hands already checking her equipments. "You heard the man, team. Check the chutes, check the weapons, check your hearts for any fear. Cause we've arrived, and failure's not an option."

Her teammates stood up, their eyes grim and ready.

She then turned to the youngest member, hesitating for a second. "Just...don't mess up alright? Lives depend on this."

The boy gave a single nod before strapping on his parachute.

"You know how this works right?" She asked, before dismissing it. "Doesn't matter. Too late to turn back now."

She stood up as well, approaching the opening shuttle as wind bit into her skin, fierce and cold. Her mind was quickly replaying all her instructions and training, nerves a little unsettled as the fact became clear.

This was it. Her first mission without Coulson holding her hands. Her own team on her side, following HER commands (except one but he didn't count). This was all she ever wanted. A chance to prove all her haters wrong. A chance to show that she can lead a team. A chance to roar at the world and reveal how strong a woman can be, especially a black woman.

It wasn't all perfect of course. And one of those imperfections stood beside her, barely coming up to her shoulders but looking the most calm out of all four of them.

"You better not screw this up, kid." She warned over the screaming wind, not sure if her words even reached him.

But then the boy turned to her, and his eyes suddenly went dead as if all the life was sucked out of them.

"I won't." The most emotionless voice answered her, doing more to unnerve her than this mission ever could.

What. The. Fuck.

But she had no time to think more as the plane's lights turned green.

She turned to her team one last time, trying to ignore the creepy boy. "Rock and roll, boys and girls. See you down in two."

She pushed her goggles up, shielding the eyes that were starting to tear.

And then she jumped into the empty night.

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[Gamer's Mind: Activated]

Any sense of discomfort vanished the moment Gamer's mind activated, leaving Harry with pure rationality and logic.

While he didn't like being cut off from his emotions nowadays, he couldn't afford to let even the slightest of nerves get to him. Which he definitely would've, had he proceeded with the jump on his own.

While Hydra had trained him extensively in parachuting, this was the first time he was using it in more than practice. Plus the fact that his system never created a skill for it had made him slightly wary.

Thankfully, Gamer's Mind did not allow for such weaknesses, so he performed the jump without any hesitation, diving into the unknown darkness of the night.

The first thing that came into his view was a vision of such astonishing beauty that even his Gamer's mind couldn't help but appreciate it. The world looked like a miniature globe alight with fireflies, some glowing more brightly than others, and he could actually see the slight curvature of earth from so far up above as the minefield of lights turned inwards like a sphere. It didn't last long though as cold harsh wind whipped past him, and the ground came closer and closer every millisecond.

When the time came, he deployed the parachute without trouble, controlling the direction enough to land mere metres away from Amador, quiet and ready.

He dropped the Gamer's Mind as soon as he landed, and a bundle of intensely warm feelings quickly spread through him as he tried his best to memorize the mind-blowing image. He recognised some of his emotions; Happiness, joy, awe, satisfaction. Some he couldn't recognise even now, though they felt similar to a deep sadness. Almost like a sense of loss.

"Everyone whole and steady?" Amador's voice reached him and he quickly regrouped with his team. "No one lost a limb or two?"

She recieved no answers, and neither was she waiting for them, quickly turning around to their objective.

"Drop your chutes here, we'll be coming back later." She announced unnecessarily. Everyone present knew exactly what they were doing. "We have a few miles walk ahead of us, so buckle down."

"Our job's simple. We hit Vanchat's gulag fast and quiet. We sneak in, recover enough evidence to damn him to kingdom come, then come back out. If everything goes according to plan, we won't be firing a single bullet today. So be wary but don't give us away."

With that they started on their long journey on foot, and he found his mind wandering to the last few months, and the progress he'd made in it.

Harry Potter

Age: 10

Race: Wizard

Level: 30

Mana: 460/460

Health: 360/360

Stamina: 357/360

Stats

Strength: 27 (9)

Speed: 28 (9)

Dexterity: 28 (9)

Vitality: 27 (9)

Endurance: 27 (9)

Intelligence: 37 (9)

Wisdom: 36 (9)

Points: 30

4 levels in 6 months, while being quite close to the next level up. Not a bad haul at all, though certainly a bit slower than what he'd first calculated.

In these 6 months, he'd taken exactly 8 missions to date, completing each one of them. Unfortunately, none of them were anywhere near as rewarding as the first system quest or the birthday quest. 700 Xp was the highest amount an individual quest had netted him. This could've been solved by taking numerous missions as they auto-produced quests, but he simply didn't wish to bother.

His very first mission with Shield had proved that not all Quests were as rewarding as he'd imagined them to be.

Quest [A Week of Scouting] completed–

Survive your mission (X)

Complete your mission (X)

Reward: 250 Xp

The mission had taken a full week to complete, and barely gave 250 Xp. It was most likely just created for him by Steve to socialize with others. Why that conclusion? Because not only were Kara and Melinda present, but there was also no risk involved whatsoever. It was treated as a 'holiday' by Melinda, and Kara seemed to agree.

Worse, due to some time constraints, he'd been unable to complete 3 days worth of daily quests, resulting in him recieving less total Xp in a week by doing the mission then had he simply completed the daily quests instead.

After that, he'd been extremely selective with his missions, only taking those that could be completed in a couple of days, and provided more net XP than his daily quests. Unfortunately, these types of missions were few and far between, and the truly dangerous ones were only given to agents of higher authority.

He'd still managed to complete 8 missions though, earning a total of 2950 XP, and over 8000 XP from daily quests, resulting in him leveling up 4 times in 6 months.

He had a feeling this mission would give him another level or two. Considering they'd flown to an entire different country, this might be the most high profile mission Harry had taken to date. And he had great expectations for it.

"We"re here." Amador announced in their comms, and his focus sharpened on her. "Check your gear and get ready. If everything goes according to the plan, we'll be in and out under an hour. Our extraction is set at 1.5 hours from now, so we'll make it quick."

Harry quickly took stock of his person: Two pistols fully loaded, one strapped to his leg, one held in his hands. Two extra magazines, with 7 bullets each, both perfectly fitted inside his upper arm pockets.

"Everyone ready?" The dark-skinned woman asked as they creeped up through the side of a massive prison door. "Then let's get these sons of bitches."

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Of course, everything didn't go according to plan.

The signs were all there, stark and clear in Harry's eyes.

The Gulag was supposed to be this Vanchat guy's illegal labour camp, a place where all his captured, forced, coerced, and threatened victims worked tirelessly to their deaths.

But when they reached the prison-like structure, there was no one present save for three guards, who they quickly put down. Even as they sneaked through the gulag's corridors, silently checking every door and window, they found no one and nothing. No people, no papers, nothing to suggest it was even a prison. Even the cells were empty.

That should've been the obvious sign that something was wrong. It wasn't the only sign though, and his eyes pierced through them in an instant.

The guards had been too alert and twitchy. The silence was too loud and jarring. The air was too harsh and heavy.

His intuition and caution were screaming at him one single word: Trap! Trap! Trap!

And he informed his team captain as soon as his feelings strengthened.

He wasn't surprised when he was ignored.

And as they sneaked into the prison's open and spacious ground, he wasn't surprised to see a squad of armed forces waiting for them either...

"Our guest's are here." A scratchy voice called out. "Burn em' up boys!"

...Which is why he was the only person who reacted instantly and remained unscathed when they opened fire, creating a wandless shield to hide behind.

"Take cover!" Amador's scream was drowned out by the sound of heavy firing, just a moment too late for the warning to be any help.

While his shield wobbled under the continuous rounds of fire, he atleast managed to retreat successfully without taking any hits, his speed being simply too fast for the attackers to do more than gape in shock. Others weren't as lucky.

The bullets sheared through one of their teammates, her bulletproof vest doing nothing to stop the rounds from tearing holes into her neck and face. The woman was dead before she hit the ground, and he didn't even know her real name. He just never bothered observing her.

[Gamer's Mind: Activated]

Harry took cover behind a stone structure, ducking behind solid concrete. It was like a combination of wall and gate; Half stone wall that only came to his stomach, above which was an expanded metal mesh like a spider's web. The gaps between the metal proving to be more than enough for him to aim and fire.

With cold brutality, two bullets were fired from his gun in quick succession, both accurately forming a hole in his targets heads. The four remaining ones quickly crouched down with a curse and aimed at him, but he'd already abandoned his previous position so their bullets simply hit metal and concrete.

His meddling provided enough cover fire for his teammates to retreat successfully as they scrambled at his side.

"Fall back! We need to fall back!" Amador screamed, visibly trying to contain her panic. "We've been betrayed. Someone must've leaked the mission's info."

A logical assessment but completely unnecessary for their current situation.

A point that was stressed the next second when another hail of bullets assulted their position. They quickly started running again as bullets pierced through the wall, moving back the corridor they came from.

The gulag was a massive structure, and it's corridors spread throughout the place like a maze, making it extremely confusing to find their way back. His sense of direction and intuition were the only reasons that they weren't simply running circles around the place.

"We have to escape!" Amador shrieked, supporting their other teammate who'd been hit in the thigh. "And contact the headquarters. The higher ups need to know that there's a mole in Shield!"

"We do need to escape." Harry agreed, taking this time to open his status. "But we won't be able to if you don't shut your mouth."

It was time to assign his points finally. He'd always delayed doing so before, and saved them for a more appropriate moment. Getting trapped in an unknown location was as good a moment as any.

He had 30 points to spend, and 7 stats to invest in, so he decided to increase the stats that would help him in surviving the current situation. 5 points went in Str, Spd, Dex, and Vit without hesitation.

He chose not to increase his endurance, because he simply couldn't see himself being pushed to the brim today. 36 points of endurance was too high for him to tire in this fight. It was more likely for his enemies to drop to the ground from fatigue than for him to grow tired.

The last 10 he put in Int, increasing his mana. Wiz was ignored as well, due to how useless it was right now compared to the other stats. It's job was to increase his magic recovery, which while important, wasn't needed currently.

'Status'

Harry Potter

Age: 10

Race: Wizard

Level: 30

Mana: 532/560

Health: 410/410

Stamina: 337/360

Stats

Strength: 32 (9)

Speed: 33 (9)

Dexterity: 33 (9)

Vitality: 32 (9)

Endurance: 27 (9)

Intelligence: 47 (9)

Wisdom: 36 (9)

Points: 0

Perfect.

Unfortunately, he didn't get more time to admire his new stats as the four remaining shooters quickly caught up to them due to their handicapped teammate.