19: First Encounter

The dust began to settle, and Tony felt a kind of tension he hadn't even experienced when facing the monster. It was strange; he didn't feel threatened, but he didn't feel safe either.

Defiant's feet hit the ground, shaking the sand around a bit. His long cape fluttered in the agitated winds, and the two men looked at each other as if measuring each other.

"Done looking? Maybe you want a picture, but I'm not giving autographs today" Tony's voice came out distorted, a way to avoid being recognized.

Daniel smiled with amusement.

"Yeah, it would be nice to have it on a poster, but don't worry, I have a very good memory. Although I'd prefer to see it in better conditions, your current appearance isn't very appealing"

Tony looked at himself. Certainly, his armor had seen better days: dirt, dust, and sand covered it, along with the stains left by projectile impacts and scratch-like cuts covering its surface. Not to mention the large cut on his chest that had rendered his main reactor useless, which was still sparking...

Great, he had just premiered it today and already ruined it.

While Tony was checking himself, Daniel looked around. The terrorist base had been easy to find; cyclones and tornadoes don't just form out of nowhere in a mountainous area.

In fact, Daniel had found out a bit late about what was happening in Gulmira, not because he didn't care, but because he didn't want to venture into military conflict zones. He wasn't political and wasn't interested in being so, but even he knew the repercussions wouldn't be small if he interfered in the conflict between two or more nations.

Of course, the appearance of an anomaly automatically nullified any concerns.

Overwatch had been upgraded a while ago. With its relentless search for Gen X, Daniel had hacked into all existing databases on the planet. While doing so, he had left many backdoors that Overwatch could use to receive and gather important information.

Daniel couldn't be everywhere or know everything, which is why he created Overwatch. Despite this, the virtual intelligence still had limitations, so it only reported when truly important things happened.

Environmental anomalies in Afghanistan resulting in strange satellite images, as well as military reports about terrorist bases being attacked by a "robot" were more than enough for Overwatch to notify him immediately.

So, when he received the alert, he hurried. He didn't expect to be late this time—or, well, maybe saying he was late was incorrect. Someone else had already dealt with the problem, after all.

Looking at the steel armor not far from him, Daniel almost wanted to run over to examine it more closely. Even damaged, it was an incredibly advanced piece of technology, and he had to control himself so his excitement at seeing it wasn't noticeable.

You can't blame him; mecha is a man's true love.

What stood before him likely surpassed Earth's technology by decades, if not centuries. It was fascinating.

But there were things that required more immediate attention. Daniel walked over to the remains of what had once been a human. Even if only the lower half remained, it was easy to see monstrous changes in its biology.

Tony watched him approach the corpse of Raza, or what was left of him, kneel beside it, and start taking some samples. He seemed to know what he was doing, and Tony couldn't help but ask.

"Do you know what it is? What happened to him?" Tony wanted answers too.

As he said this, Jarvis's scanners began studying Defiant. In all aspects, he appeared human; there was nothing mechanical about him or his biology, which ruled out Tony's theory of cybernetic enhancements.

Tony also inspected him with his own eyes. He seemed much younger up close, at least younger than Tony, though, of course, less handsome.

Hearing his question, Daniel thought about the answer.

"I might know something, but I'm not sure yet" The reality was that he needed more time, more studies, comparisons. Were Greg and this guy, whoever he had been, affected in the same way? Was it Gen M that changed them?

Tony frowned. Noticing his silence, Daniel smiled.

"Do you really want to discuss genetic alterations in this place?" He gestured around. Tony looked and realized that having a chat right now might not be the best option. He himself wanted a shower but still had things to take care of.

"Well, D-boy, we'll talk later. I still have weapons to destroy"

"D-boy?" Daniel blinked in astonishment but quickly composed himself.

"Wait, are you really going alone in that condition?" He pointed out the obvious damage to Tony's armor.

Tony paused for a second and, with some arrogance, couldn't help but respond.

"I'm more than enough" Right after he said that, a piece of the alloy on his right leg fell off, while sparks flew like fireworks.

There was an awkward silence that Daniel broke.

"Let me help you. I heard about what's been happening in Afghanistan. I thought it was just a military conflict between nations, but the terrorist activity of the Ten Rings has become intolerable"

It was his fault. He thought the human conflicts in this world would be the same as those in his previous world, so he hadn't noticed the differences he should have noticed earlier.

"Ha! And I thought you were only interested in helping old ladies cross the street" Of course, Defiant's lack of presence in armed conflicts around the world had drawn attention. Many supported the idea that someone with his strength should not intervene, while many others were against it, arguing that he should do something.

Personally, Tony didn't care if governments agreed or not. Still, he also knew that angering the wrong people would only bring headaches, so he didn't think too much about whether Defiant should help or not. But he also knew what it would mean if he did, the message it would send not just to people, but to the world.

'I only did it twice, and it seems no one will let me forget it!' Daniel thought it would be a nice gesture when he did it, but whether it was the guy in front of him, people on the internet, or even Harleen, everyone seemed to joke about it from time to time.

He shook his head. It wasn't the time to think about that. He looked into the eyes of the metal suit in front of him and spoke clearly.

"I haven't meddled in human military conflicts because I don't think it's my place to dictate their wars, but this is different, and you know it"

Tony was silent for a second before nodding at him.

"Fine, just don't get in my way"

Daniel frowned slightly. There was animosity in his words, but he didn't feel it was directed at him. Had something happened? He put that question aside; the personal lives and conflicts of others weren't his concern right now.

Soon, both took off into the sky, but not before dealing with Raza's remains. Daniel froze them and, using his super speed, took them to a place where he could retrieve them later.

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What followed wasn't even a battle. With the two of them acting simultaneously, the Ten Rings couldn't even begin to evacuate their bases before they descended upon them like the hammer of an angry god.

The armament, the number of men, and their nearly manic effort in their struggles didn't matter. Daniel swept through them like a walking natural disaster, making any resistance seem futile.

Blood seemed to trickle from the ground like a stream, and Daniel looked at his bloodied fist.

It was the third base he had destroyed on his own, and a strange feeling had been flooding his mind. Although he had killed before, this time felt different. The number of lives he had taken in such a short time was hard to count. He never thought the numbers would become difficult to follow, but he hadn't wanted to keep track. Killing didn't feel good at all, and he didn't want to remember the exact figure as if it were an achievement.

Despite that, it was as if his brain forced him to remember. Every heartbeat he had extinguished was etched in his mind, causing a disgusting taste to form in his mouth, and the revulsion he felt was a sensation he hadn't expected to experience again soon.

He shook his head to clear those thoughts, used his hearing to ensure no one was left alive, and began to rise into the air, heading towards where Tony was destroying lot after lot of weapons stored with the Stark logo.

Daniel looked at the armor once more. Even damaged, it was an admirable piece of technology. Seeing what it was capable of up close had only increased his amazement. If he or Carol didn't exist, this would be the most advanced and lethal weapon on the planet, he believed.

Tony saw him approaching, fired one last repulsor ray, causing a large explosion to a pile of weapons, and then turned to look at him.

"Ready? We still have the last three bases left" With him and Daniel joining forces, the speed with which they acted even surprised Tony, putting him in a good mood. Destroying these weapons, which were part of his less than glorious past, was more gratifying than he had expected.

Daniel nodded at him. At least, even with how unpleasant this was, he could take comfort in the fact that he wasn't doing it alone.

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"This is the tenth base that has been completely destroyed in the last few hours. Recently obtained images from our reporters on the scene show the participation of Defiant alongside what appears to be a new type of unknown weaponry, annihilating the terrorist group known as the Ten Rings. It is still unknown—"

Harleen blinked slowly as she watched the news, setting the reports on her desk. She had never been much into the news before, but lately, she had been paying close attention because of Daniel. In a way, they were something like "good" friends? Something more? She didn't know, but the point was she cared about him. With her discoveries about Gen M and knowing that monsters were real, she couldn't help but want to stay informed about what was happening.

Usually, she saw news about him saving people, helping others, and generally being the classic hero you would see in a comic. That had been the norm until this morning. She had just started her job at Ryker's and had turned on the personal TV in her office, expecting another day of typical news. She certainly didn't expect to see him destroying a terrorist army in Central Asia.

She watched the footage recorded by war journalists. She saw a tank split in half as Daniel easily sliced through it with one hand, saw him take hundreds of bullets without flinching, and take a missile head-on without even seeming dazed. His cold eyes seemed to look at the terrorists as mere obstacles, which he eliminated effortlessly.

She furrowed her brows, worry growing inside her.

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Carol wasn't angry, just irritated, which might seem the same but wasn't. She had come home that day boiling with rage, but that rage left as quickly as it came. It was stupid; why was she angry? Just because Daniel was having a good time with someone who wasn't her?

Of course, it wasn't just that. There were many reasons, big and small, but they ultimately boiled down to something quite simple: jealousy.

Being jealous wasn't new to her. She had been jealous of Chloe, of her schoolmates, of other kids her age as she grew up—jealous of their normalcy, of their lives. Dealing with jealousy had become simple; she couldn't have what others had, so she just had to ignore them until they disappeared...

She didn't know if that would work in this case. She remembered everything she saw that day: how they joked, how they looked at each other, how Daniel's heart beat a little faster when he was near that stupid blonde.

Her eye trembled again; she wondered if it was some kind of nervous tic. She had been doing it quite a lot these days.

While lost in deep thoughts, she heard the familiar name on the TV news in the living room. She quickly focused on it; it was better to distract herself.

"The death toll is unknown, the total and complete elimination of all Ten Rings terrorist bases in Afghanistan is a fact we cannot ignore. The US army has begun closing nearby areas, leaving us wondering why Defiant acted now? What motivated him to confront the terrorists? And who is the mysterious figure wearing the steel suit?"

Carol had already taken out her phone and started searching for the images. Video after video, her brows furrowed deeply.

She didn't care about the destruction or how Daniel tore through the terrorist army; she was more concerned about why he was there. Had her investigation led him to the Ten Rings? And who was the person helping him? That suit seemed very advanced. She thought the only "futuristic" technology on Earth was her ship, which she had retrieved with Daniel's help and hidden elsewhere before he left.

Seeing the metal armor, though damaged, displaying surprising combat capabilities, Carol couldn't help but wonder how many things she had missed until now.

This couldn't go on like this. If she kept staying at home, she would end up like she was before she met Daniel, alone, watching the world move on without her in it.

She had to talk to him.

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Daniel stood in the sky, watching the last base burn in flames. Beside him, Tony flew alongside, both falling into a momentary silence.

"Is this the last one?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. Tony nodded heavily. Once everything was said and done, the sensation that lingered within him was strange. It wasn't emptiness, but it didn't feel better either. Tony knew this was his fault. Every life lost and taken today was his fault, but unlike before, this time it wasn't the lives of innocents that were lost.

"Energy at 42%, sir" Jarvis's voice brought Tony out of his thoughts. It was time to go back. Mark 2 needed urgent repairs, although it was probably better to start on the construction of Mark 3. This day had given him new ideas.

"Well, D-boy, it's time to depart" Daniel looked at him and nodded. He thought about saying something more, finding a place to talk, but he didn't think this was the moment. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out something he had been working on, without much thought, he tossed it to Tony, who caught it.

"It's a communicator. I know you still have questions, and so do I. I think we can help each other figure them out" Tony looked at the small device with interest, undoubtedly he would study it in depth once he returned to his workshop.

He nodded back at him and cleared into the sky. Daniel watched him leave, his smile fading. He looked down one last time before setting off; he still had half of a body waiting to be picked up.

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"This is unacceptable!"

"He intervened in an active war zone!"

"Do we have any leads on his whereabouts?"

"Fury, you need to find Defiant immediately"

The news of Defiant intervening in Afghanistan had quickly spread around the world. There were varied opinions on the matter—those who were pleased, those who were panicked, and even those who didn't care as long as it didn't affect their lives.

Unfortunately, the World Council was in the spectrum of indignation and anger.

At the central headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury glanced at the huge screens where council members were arguing like headless chickens. This whole affair had touched a sensitive nerve in different governments around the world.

Defiant was already a concern, but now it had become more than that. Everyone demanded to find him. For what? Nick didn't know. It's not like they could do anything to stop him from continuing what he was doing, and in Nick's opinion, they shouldn't.

He had been following every action, every life saved. Defiant was a hero, one that the world had needed unknowingly. S.H.I.E.L.D. would know better than anyone. This world was never ordinary; ordinary people had limits, a boundary that delineated what they could or couldn't do to safeguard the world's well-being.

And S.H.I.E.L.D. had long been falling short.

Defiant was the first and greatest response to those limitations. If they could work together, then the world would be a better place. But of course, not everyone thought the same.

Fury took a deep breath and spoke to appease the council.

"I assure you that the search for Defiant has been our highest and foremost priority. We are using all possible resources at our disposal to locate him, but it's difficult to track him. That's why I ask the council for a 35% increase in the budget"

His words caused the meeting room to fall silent for a moment.

Nick smiled inwardly. He hadn't lied when he said that S.H.I.E.L.D. was using all its resources, which was a problem. There were many more events and problems in the world to deal with. Focusing so many resources on one task was making the job harder. That's why he decided to seize this opportunity and ask for a budget increase.

Seeing their tense looks on screen, he smiled. Just as they thought they could demand something, he could do the same.

Sometimes he thought they forgot that S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't answer to any government; the fact that it was here was just a formality.

One of the councilors cleared their throat.

"We can discuss the budget increase later. For now, we need to focus on something else. This metal armor, have we found out where it came from?" While Defiant was the main topic on everyone's lips, he wasn't the only one. His "companion" or the person who helped him destroy the terrorist bases was also causing a stir.

"I have some speculations" Fury thought of a person; he would have to verify, but he didn't believe there was anyone else in this world capable of creating such advanced mechanical technology. Remembering what Agent Coulson had said, he decided it was best to send Natasha directly.

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Note:

The next update of Still Defiant is now available on Patreon (patreon.com/EmmaCruzader) and soon there will be another chapter there, If you don't want to wait for a public update, you can take a look at it n.n