Chapter 36: Kallruth's Choice

"Colonel, the target has disappeared!"

In the command center of the New York Air Force base, the screen showed the mech vanishing into the dense forest.

"Damn it, who is this?" Colonel Rhodes slammed his hands on the table in frustration.

"Tony." Rhodes quickly dialed Tony Stark's number.

"What now, Rhodey? Can't a guy catch a break?" Tony's weary voice came through the phone.

Despite his anger, Rhodes detected something off about his friend and set aside his frustration. "Tony, you sound... not great. What's going on?"

"It's nothing. What's the problem this time?"

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Rhodes began, "Tony, could you lend me one of your suits? It doesn't even have to have the system locks disabled—just something functional. Our Air Force tech is outdated, and we could really use—"

Before Rhodes could finish, Tony interrupted, "Fine. I'll give you a suit without the locks."

"Really?" Rhodes was taken aback. He had asked before and been shot down without hesitation.

"You're my best friend. Do I look like someone who would lie to you? Just come over. I'll have one ready."

"Thanks, Tony. Really, thank you!" Excited, Rhodes ended the call and turned to his subordinates. "Keep the satellites trained on that forest. If that mech reappears, alert me immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile.

Having integrated the flight module from the Fel Reaver*, Garus' own mech now had the ability to fly. However, it was his first time piloting in the air, and the experience was anything but smooth. Tumbling and crashing, he narrowly managed to maintain his direction, guided by a mental link to Kingpin's location.

The mech barreled through the forest, toppling trees and kicking up clouds of dust before eventually smashing headfirst into a rocky hill, burying itself in a pile of stones.

Frustrated, Garus climbed out of the mech, stored it away, and sighed. "If only I had an AI assistant like Tony's J.A.R.V.I.S. It would make piloting so much easier."

Summoning his Deathcharger, Garus mounted the spectral steed and unsheathed his weapon—Frostmourne. The sword's spirit had been sealed, significantly reducing its power but allowing him to wield it safely. Without the seal, the whispers alone would have driven him insane, even with his immunity to mental attacks.

Guided by his intuition, Garus rode deeper into the forest.

Before long, a cluster of buildings appeared ahead, surrounded by watchtowers that scanned the area vigilantly.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A guard shouted, aiming his weapon at Garus as he emerged from the forest.

Garus did not respond. With a wave of his hand, a dark Death Coil struck the guard squarely in the chest, corroding his armor and silencing him instantly.

The blaring of alarms erupted as someone triggered the base's security system. Garus had no intention of stealth. He charged through, leaping his Deathcharger over the tall barbed-wire fences.

Inside, the small base was packed with weaponry, transport vehicles, and tanks. Among them was a spacecraft with unmistakably alien design—likely Skrull technology, Garus guessed.

Gunfire ricocheted off his armor, scattering sparks as guards swarmed toward him from all directions.

"Mr. MODOK, there's an intruder on the ground level!"

A subordinate burst into MODOK's office, interrupting him just as he was about to interrogate Kingpin.

"Idiot! Don't you know to knock first?"

A gunshot rang out, and the subordinate crumpled to the floor.

After venting his anger, MODOK headed to the surveillance center. "Bring up the feed," he commanded.

The hovering screen on his chair displayed Garus's image in 3D.

"Who is this?" General Kallruth, who had just entered to discuss strategy with MODOK, was visibly surprised.

"Just an insect. Ignore him," MODOK replied, though his voice betrayed unease. He added, "He can't find us here."

"You're scared, MODOK," General Kallruth mocked.

"Ridiculous!" MODOK snapped, though his tone lacked conviction.

The truth was, over a month ago, he had received a report about Garus from one of his agents embedded in Kingpin's organization. The report had alarmed him enough to visit Garus' residence in person.

When MODOK used his psychic powers to probe Garus, it happened to be during Garus' practice of controlling death magic. The sheer depth and darkness of the power had shaken MODOK to his core, forcing him to flee in terror. This encounter was the sole reason he had delayed his plans against Azeroth Technologies.

"Looks like he's found us," General Kallruth's comment snapped MODOK out of his thoughts.

"What?"

Garus left a trail of corpses as he advanced, Frostmourne absorbing the unseen souls of his enemies. The surface structures of AIM's facility were merely a façade—the true base lay underground beneath the center of a lake.

Frost magic spread across the lake's surface, forming an icy path leading directly to its center.

"Get out there and stop him, you useless fools!" MODOK's furious roars echoed through the underground facility.

"General, what should we do?" Koren whispered to Kallruth.

"What do we do? We leave." Kallruth's gaze lingered on the monitor displaying Garus. Astonished by the sheer power of this human, he decided it was better to approach Garus diplomatically, perhaps exchanging resources for the energy crystals they so desperately needed.

"This failure doesn't matter. We have other methods. Prepare to infiltrate the U.S. government and S.H.I.E.L.D. I'll also meet with that man personally," Kallruth ordered.

"General, is that wise? That man looks dangerous. You shouldn't risk it," Koren cautioned.

"I'll go myself." With only ten Skrulls left on Earth, Kallruth couldn't afford to lose another ally. Their race was at its weakest, and he needed Garus' knowledge to power their starship and seek out their scattered kin.

"Koren, we must secure the energy to launch the ship and take the fight to those Kree bastards. The Queen must be rescued."

Initially planning to confront Garus directly, Kallruth reconsidered. Now was not the time. He needed to learn more about what Garus wanted.

[TL/N: Fel Reaver, previously as Fel Mech Reaver Riftus, the official name for the mech in WoW. I mistranslated it previously as the raw has the character for "mech" and "rift" like a void rift. However, after looking up in WoWpedia, the mech simply has a name "Fel Reaver", thus I promptly changed it here as such.]

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