2012

Washington, D.C.

Capitol Hill

One Day Later

(Omniscient POV)

The sun had begun to set over Washington DC as Senators and Members of the United Nations Security Council all moved to gather together in the Capitol Building. Many nations were represented amongst the group, including America, Russia, China, Britain, France, India, Canada, and many others.

Multiple members of Private security, S.T.R.I.K.E, and the Secret Service were stationed around the perimeter, ensuring each representative remained in place and didn't try to interrupt the proceedings.

Alexander Pierce stood comfortably in the center of the large entryway, greeting the various representatives as they entered the room.

Brock was standing quietly behind him, dressed in his typical black S.H.I.E.L.D military uniform and an M4A1 Carbine Rifle strapped firmly to his back, as he eyed the people filing through the double doors that lead into the building.

"Nice to see you again, Senator Stivak," Pierce greeted a short obese man with a sweaty bald head who arrived with the last trickle of other members of the Senate.

"Secretary Pierce!" The man exclaimed as he shuffled up and reached out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last. I've heard so much about you from my colleagues." Pierce smiled and shook the man's hand.

As the two shook hands, Brock's eyebrow quirked as he spotted a familiar blonde-haired young man standing beside the Senator.

"This is my aide, Werner von Strucker," Senator Stivak introduced the young man, who gave a professional smile and reached a hand out towards Pierce.

"Pleasure to meet you, Sir." He said, shaking Pierce's hand. "I admire the work you've done."

"Likewise," Pierce chuckled. "I hope you'll continue to fight the good fight, young man."

"Of course, Sir," Werner said and the two locked eyes for a split second before Pierce let go, then gestured towards the inside. "Come! Let's get started."

Brock watched as the trio passed by, he and Werner sharing a glance before they made their way into the Capital Building. He felt a little bit of irritation boil within him at seeing von Strucker again but kept it hidden from view as he followed after them.

The large double doors close, leaving Brock outside to stand guard alone in silence with the rest of the security.

We move inside the building to the senate hall, where Pierce takes his place at the podium and looks out at the assembly. The room is filled with tension, as each nation awaits to hear the outcome of this meeting with bated breath.

"Thank you all for coming," Pierce begins. "As you may know, we are gathered here today to discuss the recent events surrounding Loki's invasion of our planet." Pierce pauses for a moment and looks around the room, nodding slowly.

"If you haven't heard yet, after Loki's army was defeated, he was taken into custody by the Asgardians. We've been told he has now been sentenced to serve life in their prison. However..." Pierce continues without missing a beat. "...his sentence doesn't mean we're safe from any other threat that may turn their attention to us. This meeting aims to determine what steps we should take moving forward."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Pierce takes a pause and scans the crowd once more, getting a sense of their reactions.

"I would like to propose that we begin discussing what kind of response we will take if another invasion occurs and what kind of force we need to maintain peace and stability on Earth."

There is a general murmur of confusion amongst the assembly.

"Is that really necessary?" A German Ambassador asks. "Why isn't it enough to simply imprison Loki?"

"Because," Pierce replies. "Loki's incarceration is merely a temporary measure. As long as he is alive, the danger will remain. We must consider what we will do in the event Loki escapes or, worse yet, is released. After all, his jailers are his family. What happens when he returns to Earth? How can we stop him?"

Some of the diplomats nod their heads in agreement.

"That's a fair point," Another diplomat says. "What do you suggest we do?"

Pierce takes a moment before speaking.

"Well, I believe we should first establish a contingency plan."

"A contingency plan?" A French Diplomat asks. "What does that mean?"

Pierce nods his head and the huge projector behind him comes to life, showing serval different blueprints on the screen. "Project: Insight. It's a project that S.H.I.E.L.D has been working on for some time now that will allow us to monitor every corner of the world with satellite surveillance. With this project, we would be able to patrol Earth and, with the use of an algorithm that can evaluate an individual's behavior, eliminate anything that can possibly pose a potential threat. If Loki ever returns to Earth, there will be no hiding from us. With Project: Insight, we'll know immediately if he's escaped or if he's even on the planet."

More murmurs fill the air.

"So you're suggesting we entrust the world's safety around this technology?" One member of the assembly questions. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Pierce replies. "I am."

The room grows silent as the members of the assembly take in what Pierce is proposing.

"I think you're overestimating how powerful this technology is," An Indian Diplomat points out. "I don't think it's wise to invest so heavily in something so expensive. We'd be better off investing our resources into building a military force that can stand up to Loki's army."

"What if we're too late," Senator Stivak stands to speak up and the rest of the room goes quiet, showing how much sway he held. "We don't know what we're up against or what they can even do. We lack information...and that could cost us dearly."

"And that's why we must act quickly. We must be prepared for anything," Pierce reminds the crowd, which falls silent once again.

"I'm afraid I must agree with Secretary Pierce and Senator Stivak," Ambassador Golog from Latveria speaks up. "Perhaps we should focus more on preparing ourselves for the worst-case scenario. That way, if Loki ever returns to Earth, we can be ready to respond. Otherwise, we run the risk of being caught unprepared."

The room begins to grow tense as whispers break out among the ambassadors.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Ambassador Golog," A British Ambassador adds. "There is a great deal of potential in Project: Insight."

Again, murmurs fill the air and the tension grows thick as the members of the assembly debate.

Pierce stands confidently at the podium, a small smile playing on his lips as he watches as the discussion begins to turn in his favor.

**********

Washington, D.C.

Capitol Hill

Outside the Meeting

(Brock POV)

I stood on the steps of the Capitol Building, looking out at the assembled masses of reporters and civilians behind the barricade below and casually scanning for anyone suspicious.

As I scanned the area, I noticed several dark figures walking briskly through the crowd and heading toward the front of the barricade.

"...Jack," I called over next to me.

"Yes, Major?" Jack replied.

"We got multiple suspicious individuals approaching the perimeter," I told him and pointed the people out. "Check them out."

"Copy that," He replied. "On it."

"I'll keep an eye on things here," I told Jack. "Keep me updated."

"Will do, Sir." He replied.

The comlink went quiet again as I watched my men begin to move on to the new threats, who gently pushed their way through the crowd, not quite blending in, but certainly not standing out either.

As my team began to single them out, I turned to see if there were any other possible threats lurking nearby. Abruptly, my heightened gaze was drawn to a glare of light coming from atop a building a few yards away.

I narrowed my eyes and looked up as the figure of a sniper squatting on the roof came into view

Letting out a sigh, I unslung the M4A1 from my back, took aim at the man, and adjusted my rifle's scope.

"Jack," I called out over the comlink. "I got a sniper bout 500 yards out. When I take him down, I want you to arrest the people I pointed out. ETA five seconds."

"Copy that," Jack replied.

I continued staring at the sniper, who was just sitting there, waiting. He was just staring into space, eye not even at his scope.

"Five...four...three..." I counted silently under my breath.

I sighted carefully between his eyes.

"Two.."

I pulled the trigger.

*Bang!*

***********

A/n: Hey guys, hope you are enjoying the story so far and as always thanks for reading!