MM: Interlude: Reactions to the Desolation of Slorenia

Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan was stunned at what he was hearing. A late-night meeting of the General Assembly had been called by the Slorenian Representative to the United Nations, Mscivaj Ignatovitz, to discuss something of grave importance. However, the Secretary General hadn't understood just how dire the situation was. Not until he saw with his own eyes the last transmissions being put out by Slorenia, which Representative Ignatovitz was now showing the General Assembly up on a giant screen. It was horrific, like something out of the worst, most sensationalist science fiction movie about killer robots. Unfortunately, the Secretary General knew this was no work of fiction, but was instead, horrifically real.

Scenes of Robotic Legions sweeping through the streets of Riga, gunning down anyone they could with weapons of horrific capability, were played for the General Assembly. Scenes of how the best weapons of the Slorenian Military had failed to do more than stall the onslaught for a few hours. The Secretary General was particularly shocked to see a German-built Sachsen-class Destroyer, the SNS Volkhvy, flagship of the Slorenian Navy, be utterly demolished as if it were an afterthought. Two-Hundred-Forty-Three Sailors and Officers consigned to the briny deep in seconds by a laser weapon strike from above. That was among the first of the scenes of horror, but they didn't stop with the destruction of the Slorenian Air Force and Navy in the Gulf of Karnu.

"As you can see, Gentlemen, Ladies. Our fleet and Air Force died in a fifteen-minute battle. Our army hasn't fared much better. Even our special forces, the Targoth, Black Brigade, and his drones, as well as Ember, were all swatted aside. Organized resistance ended within three hours of the initial invasion. Riga and Tblunka have been completely occupied, and it is the estimate of my staff that our nation has been roughly eighty percent decimated already. By this time tomorrow, if nothing is done, Slorenia will cease to exist." Informed Representative Ignatovitz.

"What do you want us to do?" Questioned the General-Secretary.

"Help us strike back! The Slorenian Army has a few units we can scrape together from foreign deployments. Commitments to our Russian Allies, Embassy Guards, and other such things. A Company here, a Battalion there. Nothing that can truly take back our nation. I must plead for aid from the Security Council. Send a joint security force to help us retake our country from the Mechanical Menace!" Representative Ignatovitz.

"Slorenia has constantly attempted to flout various conventions on human rights and the deployment of mystical weaponry. Why should we aid you in this?" Queried Sir John Weston, the British Representative to the UN and current British Delegate to the UN Security Council.

"That's a good question. If we aid you in this, will that change going forward?" Asked Alain Dejammit, French Permanent Representative to the UN and current French Delegate to the UN Security Council.

"In the face of extinction, any alternative is preferable. My last instructions, before communications from Tblunka were cut off, were to agree to anything if it would allow a task force to be assembled." Informed Representative Ignatovitz.

The General-Secretary frowned at that. Kofi Annan was an old hand at these sorts of political deals by now, and he knew that the Security Council would milk Slorenia for any concession they could get in order to force the vote for a Security Force through. Given how dire the situation in Slorenia was at present, it was likely that everyone would be getting something out of Slorenia. He could only imagine what concessions would be demanded. Slorenia openly flouted several conventions on the use of magic in military research and development, and Kofi Annan had a feeling that the fruits of that forbidden research would now be proliferated throughout the members of the Security Council, which meant that it would trickle down through their various Alliance Blocs eventually, as well. As someone who had fought for peace and mutual cooperation in the world as long as he had, that was a scary thought.

In the end, though, with such concessions up for grabs, the adoption of a resolution to send in a UN Security Force to help fight back these Mechanical Forces was never truly in doubt. The Security Council passed the resolution unanimously, and even Kofi Annan, as General Secretary of the UN, couldn't find it in himself to denounce such a move. After all, from what he had seen, the Mechanical Forces were actively committing genocide on the Human population of Slorenia.

And truly, what were UN Security Forces for if not for stopping genocide?

XXXX

The Avengers had been called into a meeting with Nick Fury in the middle of the night. SHIELD was a UN Operation, or at least it had UN Sanction, and apparently, some big vote had gone down in the Security Council an hour ago. As Cap, Tony, and Thor made their way via Quinjet to the Helicarrier Hermes, though, they realized they had no idea just how big Nick had meant when he had called them in for a meeting. There were three full Hellicarriers and a bevy of SHIELD Skyfighters, Jetpack-Equipped Mandroids, and so on.

"It seems Director Fury is ready to invade a small country." Mused Tony as the Quinjet came in for a landing on the Hermes.

"Verily, though it troubles me that such force was mustered on short notice." Intoned Thor.

"I wonder how long Nick's been waiting for a fire to break out? He can't have had all this stashed away on a whim." Frowned Cap.

"I guess we'll find out, now won't we?" Questioned Tony as they landed.

Soon enough, they were being led through the bowels of the Helicarrier by a New Shield Agent with short dark hair and a bit of an attitude. Agent Maria Hill had supposedly just finished her initial SHIELD Training at the Academy after leaving the USMC. Cap was a bit bemused at the fact that she'd wound up slapping Tony after he'd propositioned her, but figured that her temper would likely get her into a lot of trouble before long. Eventually, however, she led them into a War Room where Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, and a few other Level Ten Shield Agents stood over a table full of maps.

"Nick. You wanted to see us?" Queried Cap.

"Yeah, good timin'." Grunted Nick Fury, nodding as he pulled a cigar out of a case along with a matchbox.

"You know, Director, the new Agent's got a bit of an attitude." Complained Tony.

"Hill? Yeah, she don't suffer fools none." Agreed Nick Fury.

"Why? You try something you shouldn't've?" Asked Dum Dum Dugan with a grin.

"Verily, this is Tony Stark, after all." Smirked Thor.

"Your lack of faith wounds me, Big Guy. Really." Snarked Tony.

"Enough about that, what's this meeting for Nick?" Questioned Cap.

"Ain't it obvious, Cap?" Queried Nick Fury.

"It looks like we're going to war." Frowned Tony.

"That's 'cause we are. Ya ain't heard from some o' yer pals lately, have ya?" Asked Nick Fury.

"What do you mean, Nick?" Questioned Cap.

"I mean yer preoccupation with Ultron's little lady friend ain't done ya any favors. Ya miss the forest fer the trees there." Scoffed Nick.

"Ultron? Perchance the foul mechanical fiend has reared his ugly head again?" Queried Thor.

"And then some." Nodded Dum Dum Dugan.

"In what way?" Asked Tony.

As Nick Fury lit his cigar, however, he fixed the three founding members of the Avengers with a single-eyed glare, made all the more menacing by the light from the match he was using to light his cigar. As he snuffed the match and took a deep drag on the Cigar, Nick Fury breathed out a plume of smoke before answering.

"He's attacked Slorenia. Damn near eighty percent of the country's been wrecked, occupied, or otherwise fallen. We expect that ta reach ninety percent afore all's said and done." Informed Nick Fury.

"Slorenia? Isn't Johnny over there right now?" Frowned Tony.

"Verily, our resident Sorcerer did say he had business in that area before leaving." Mused Thor.

"And you're gonna strike back, then?" Questioned Cap.

"Us, plus the UN." Nodded Dum Dum Dugan.

"The Security Council's agreed unanimously, an' that damn near never happens." Added Nick Fury.

"So what do you need from us?" Queried Tony.

"This Operation'll go a lot smoother if we had ya running point." Explained Nick Fury.

Cap looked over at Tony, then looked over at Thor. Tony shrugged, while Thor just nodded, eager to get to grips with Ultron. Cap figured that was as resounding an endorsement as he was going to get. It seemed the Avengers would be heading into Slorenia alongside SHIELD and the UN Security Forces to try and take back some of the country. Cap looked back at Nick Fury, nodded at him, and spoke up.

"I think you'd better let me see that map, Nick." Agreed Cap.

And with that, the real planning for Operation: Can Opener could begin. . .

XXXX

Victor Von Doom frowned as he monitored the situation in Slorenia. His ally's recent failure to attain the Book of Cagliostro could be forgiven under such circumstances, especially as he retrieved something that could be useful enough in its own right via the Mask of Amenhotep. After all, Mors Cruentia may be capable enough in his own way, but he was no Doom. Still, the fact that the Mechanical Miscreant had chosen now of all times to attempt his pathetic coup was an oversight that needed to be corrected with extreme prejudice, as it had disrupted Doom's plans once, and that was enough to draw the Ire of the Supreme Monarch of Latveria. Ultron was a mistake that should have been rectified by now, after all. If those fools on the Avengers could not take care of the issue, it would be up to Doom.

For now, however, Doom watched through a divination spell as he made his preparations for vengeance on the Foolish Machine. Oh, certainly, Ultron's Legions were powerful, for a rank amateur. They lacked the refinement of Doom's own machines. A mere imitation, a pale shadow of the peak of Robotics and Sorcery that Doom could throw together in his sleep. Still, it had been enough to completely decimate Slorenia in the matter of a few hours, and such power was to be respected and given the due consideration it deserved. That was why Doom was watching and planning instead of merely jumping in with a Legion of his own to do battle. No, such a slapdash operation would end up with the potential for stragglers. When Doom wreaked his vengeance on Ultron for spoiling his plans, that vengeance would be total and perfect.

So, Doom watched, waited, planned, and marshalled his resources. When the opportune moment to strike arrived, he would do so with terrible and sudden force, to remind Ultron just who the true master of this world was. Doom would strike only once his vengeance was assured and not a moment before.

Until then, however, he would prepare. . .

XXXX

AN: Sorry for how short this one is compared to my other stuff, Strep Throat's a bitch and I'm trying to take it easy in terms of writing so I can get some rest. Here we have the reactions of the UN, SHIELD, the Avengers, and Doom to Ultron's Attack on Slorenia. All of them are planning to intervene, though in Doom's case, for purely vengeance-related reasons. After all, Mors Cruentia told him that the only reason he had failed to get hold of the Book of Cagliostro was because of Ultron's sudden attack, leaving out the bit about Jan entirely. These three interventions are likely to run into each other and cause all sorts of interesting complications before this is all over.

At the same time, Slorenian Forbidden Military Research is now beginning to proliferate, as the Representative of Slorenia to the UN promised the Security Council copies of research materials for things like the creation of the Targoth in exchange for the votes to send a Security Force to help retake Slorenia from Ultron. I wouldn't be surprised if something like AIM's Improved Targoth Process came of that somewhere down the line.

At any rate, the next chapter will have us back with Jan as he meets up with Colonel Kisziel and they try to plan some sort of counterattack to at least free Riga in advance of the UN/Shield/Avengers Intervention.

Stay tuned. . .