MSM Chapter 95 : The Plan

Yelena was in her room, decrypting the location on the drive. The soft clicking of keys filtered through the closed door, a rhythmic sound that filled the otherwise tense silence.

Natasha had gathered the rest of us in the living room—me, Bruce, and Bob. She stood while we sat.

"So Yelena is gonna take a few minutes to decrypt the location," Natasha began, her voice all business now. "And once she's done, we're getting out of this place immediately."

She looked at each of us in turn. "Here's the plan. We'll be divided into two teams."

I leaned back in my chair, listening.

"One will be Lucien and Bob," Natasha said, gesturing between us. "The other will be me, Yelena, and Bruce."

Natasha continued, "Lucien and Bob will be going to the location where that person is. You'll be dealing with whoever is controlling the Avengers. Meanwhile, I, Yelena, and Bruce will be providing information and tactical support through miniature drones we'll be operating from the Quinjet."

She pulled out a small device from her pocket—it looked like an earpiece. "We'll have constant communication. Real-time intel on enemy positions, building layouts, anything you need."

I didn't have any problem with the plan. It was straightforward. But there was one issue.

"Wouldn't Bob have to use his powers for surviving attacks from whoever's there?" I asked, glancing at Bob. "It would be better if I went alone. He can stay with all of you, and in case there's someone I cannot beat alone, then he can join."

The way I said it wasn't arrogant. Whatever was waiting at that location, I could handle it. Bob didn't need to risk the Void coming out.

Natasha shook her head immediately. "No. You're not going alone."

Before I could argue, Bob spoke up, his quiet voice cutting through the room.

"Don't worry. Even without using my powers, I'm immune to most physical damage. There isn't anyone around there who can hurt me much."

I looked at him, reassessing. I'd been thinking of the Sentry as something he transformed into, like Bruce with the Hulk. A form he tapped in and out of.

But that wasn't it at all, was it?

Does he always have his abilities, or just limited ones? I could ask him about it, but now is not the time to get curious about his powers.

"Understood," I said, nodding.

That changed things. If Bob were always durable, always strong, then having him along would be less of a risk. He could tank hits without needing to escalate, without risking the Void's emergence.

Natasha's expression grew more serious. "You need to make sure that you don't kill any of the Avengers. This is critical, Lucien. You must not kill them. Knock them out, incapacitate them, break their bones if you have to—but don't kill."

Her eyes bore into mine. "They're not our enemies. They're victims. Controlled against their will. The moment we start killing Avengers, we become the villains in this story."

I nodded. "I understand."

And I did. These weren't bad people. They were heroes being puppeted by someone else. Killing them would make me no better than the telepath using them as weapons.

Though honestly, non-lethal combat was harder than just cutting people down. It required much more control. But I could manage it. My shadows could manage it as well. They did drop the criminals at the police department without killing them, and these are the Avengers we are talking about.

I'm sure they can handle a bit of beating.

Natasha continued, "Bruce will be on the Quinjet with us. That way, in case Bob has to use his powers and the Void comes out, Hulk can take care of him."

She glanced at Bruce apologetically. "Besides, your human body isn't as strong as Bob's. If someone takes a shot at you and Hulk comes out without Banner consciously transforming, he'll be pissed. And that won't be good for anyone."

Bruce adjusted his glasses with a slight smile. "The big guy apparently cares for me. He gets angry whenever I get beaten up. Protective, in his own smash-everything way."

There was fondness in his voice despite the joking tone. Bruce and the Hulk had clearly reached some kind of understanding over the years.

Natasha's gaze settled on me. "It will all depend on you, Lucien. Honestly, I don't want either Sentry or Hulk to be involved in this. The risks are too high. But the situation is such that we cannot just take them out of the equation."

I met her eyes steadily. "Don't worry. I'll handle the situation."

My voice carried quiet confidence.

"But yeah," I added, "having them as backup sounds good."

In my mind, I wanted to do it alone. There was a part of me—the part that had been growing ever since I gained the system—that preferred working solo. No complications, no worrying about allies getting hurt or compromised.

But I wasn't stupid enough to refuse help when it was offered. If things went sideways, having the Sentry and Hulk as backup could mean the difference between victory and death.

Pride was one thing. Survival was another.

Bob was watching me with an odd expression. Like he was trying to figure something out.

"You're very calm about this," he said quietly. "About going up against potentially dozens of Avengers."

I shrugged. "Fear doesn't help. Either I can handle it, or I can't. Getting worked up about it beforehand just wastes energy."

That was the truth. Fear had its place—it kept you alert, kept you from getting complacent. But excessive fear paralyzed you, made you hesitate at critical moments.

I'd learned that in the facility. In the dungeons. In every fight where hesitation meant death.

Bruce was studying me too. "You've got the bearing of someone who's seen real combat. Not sparring, not training. Actual life-or-death situations."

"A few," I said simply.

More than a few, actually. But there was no point in elaborating.

Natasha's phone buzzed. She glanced at it, then back at us. "SHIELD teams are sweeping the island. We've got maybe fifteen minutes before they narrow down this location."

The timeline was tight. But we'd be gone before they arrived.

"Any questions about the plan?" Natasha asked, looking around at all of us.

"What's our extraction plan?" I asked. "After we deal with the telepath, how do we get out?"

"The Quinjet will maintain position five miles offshore," Natasha explained. "Once you've neutralized the telepath and the Avengers are no longer under control, we extract via the same Quinjet. If the situation goes completely sideways, we've got a backup submarine that can pick you all up from the coast."

"Submarine?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Fury's paranoia strikes again," Natasha said with a slight smirk. "There are contingency assets hidden all over the Pacific. We can access them if needed."

I nodded. Good to know we had options.

"What about a communication blackout?" Bruce asked. 

Natasha spoke with a serious look on her face, "Then Bob and Lucien can operate however they like. And, we will keep a look from a distance at the surroundings, and once Sentry is sighted, Hulk will go in."

She then took out multiple earpieces from her pocket.

She handed one to me, one to Bob, one to Bruce, and kept one aside... for Yelena. "Put these on."

I fitted the earpiece into my ear. It was surprisingly comfortable, molding slightly to fit the shape of my ear canal.

Bob did the same. Though his hands shook a bit.

Yelena had gone into the other room to decrypt the drive, and without her grounding presence, his nervousness was more evident.

"You okay?" I asked him directly.

Bob looked startled that I'd addressed him. "I... yeah. Just nervous."

"About the fight or about the Void?"

"Both," he admitted quietly. "I haven't used my full strength in months. I've been keeping it locked down, staying in control. And now I'm going to be thrown into combat against people I consider friends."

I could understand that. It was one thing to fight strangers or enemies. Fighting people you knew, even if they were controlled, was different.

"Stay behind me," I said. "I'll handle the heavy lifting. You're there as insurance, nothing more. With any luck, you won't have to throw a single punch."

Bob looked at me, something like gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," I replied. "Thank me when this is over, and we're all still alive."

Bruce chuckled at that. "Optimistic."

"Realistic," I corrected. "We're about to assault a fortified position held by mind-controlled superheroes. Plus, heroes might not be the only ones we might face. There might be other supers who are in cahoots with the telepath or are being controlled."

"You're always this cheerful before a fight?" Natasha asked dryly.

"I prefer to think of it as managing expectations," I said with a slight smile.

The truth was, I wasn't worried about myself. I'd survive. I had the shadows, the regeneration, the sheer combat experience. What concerned me was keeping Bob stable and the mission on track.

If the Void emerged, everything became more complicated.

"How will I know if the Void is coming out?" I asked Bob. "Any warning signs I should watch for?"

Bob considered the question. "My eyes," he said finally. "The Sentry's eyes glow gold. The Void's eyes are dark, like staring into space. And, if it is using more powers than, my entire body turns into a shadow-like being."

"And if that happens, run," Bob said. "Get as far away as you can and let Bruce handle it."

I nodded, filing that information away. Though honestly, if the Void emerged, I wasn't planning on running. I'd faced down plenty of monsters. One more wouldn't make much difference.

But I didn't say that out loud. No point in worrying Bob more than he already was.

Natasha checked her phone again. "Ten minutes until those SHIELD teams get close. Where's Yelena with that decryption?"

As if summoned by the question, the door to the bedroom opened.

Yelena emerged, holding a tablet. Her expression was serious, all traces of her earlier playfulness gone.

"I got it," she announced. "The location is a hundred miles west of Hawaii. A remote island barely shows up on maps. No registered inhabitants, no infrastructure."

She pulled up a satellite image on the tablet, showing a small landmass surrounded by ocean. "The island is maybe two miles across. Mostly jungle and rocky terrain. There's one structure visible from satellite—looks like it could be a facility or a bunker."

Natasha moved closer to look at the image. "That's where the telepath is, huh?"

"According to JARVIS's data, yes," Yelena confirmed. 

Bruce frowned. "A research facility on an uncharted island. That's classic supervillain territory."

"Or classic SHIELD black site," Natasha countered. "Could be one of ours that went dark."

"Does it matter?" I asked. "Either way, that's where we're going."

Yelena looked at me, then at Bob, "You two sure about this?"

"No," Bob said honestly. "But I'll do it anyway."

I just nodded. 

Yelena's expression softened slightly as she looked at Bob. She walked over and took his hand, squeezing it gently. "Come back to me," she said quietly.

"I will," Bob promised.

I looked away, giving them what privacy I could. If I did not have Anna, then I would probably call them out as cringe. But now that I have her in my life, I can understand this stuff too.

Natasha was back in mission mode. "Alright, we've got the location. SHIELD teams are closing in on this position. We need to move... now."

"Everyone understood the plan?" Natasha asked.

We all nodded.

"Then it's time to go."