Chapter 49: Unexpected Guests and a Fragile Truce
The eerie silence that had settled over the summit of Fisk Tower after the void portal had closed was broken by the sound of boots and metallic commands from S.H.I.E.L.D. (or whatever new and mysterious organization had risen from the ashes). Kael could barely stand, exhausted from the recent battle and the effort to restore the Great Seal. The Chitauri core pulsed dimly in his palm, his energy almost completely drained. Aslan took cover next to Kael, ready to strike at any moment.
Wilson Fisk, on the other hand, remained surprisingly calm. He had slowly lowered the strange technological weapon in his hand to the ground, and was weighing the situation with a calculating expression on his face. He looked tired too, but the instinctive cunning of a criminal emperor was evident in his eyes. These new arrivals, while not as immediate a threat as the Void, could be just as dangerous to Fisk.
"Wilson Fisk," the leader of the soldiers repeated, his voice impassive from behind his helmet. "And your unidentified accomplice. Do not resist. Any sudden movement will result in our use of force." The soldiers formed a tight circle around Kael and Fisk, their weapons pointed directly at them.
"Officer," Fisk said, a faint smile on his lips, his voice still in its usual velvety yet menacing tone. "I believe there has been a misunderstanding. This 'unidentified' gentleman and I have just saved your city—and probably much more—from an unspecified disaster. To be threatened with arrest while expecting recognition is a bit… disappointing."
Kael wanted to roll his eyes at Fisk's brazen manipulation, but he didn't even have the energy for that. Right now, all he wanted was to get out of this mess and rest. But he knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents would not understand or care about the complex realities of the Void or the Echo Carriers. To them, Kael was a threat who held an unidentified technology that could cause a massive energy explosion in the heart of the city.
The leader of the soldiers seemed unmoved by Fisk's words. "What we've seen and what our sensors are recording indicate a show of uncontrolled force and potential invasion rather than a 'rescue' operation on your part, Mr. Fisk. You'll have a lot to tell us about that 'energy source' above you and the technology this 'gentleman' is using." The leader's gaze fell on the dim Chitauri core in Kael's hand. "And that thing in your hand... looks quite interesting."
At that moment, S.H.I.E.L.D. medics reached James Wesley, who lay motionless on the floor. They checked his pulse and shone a light into his pupils. After a few seconds of examination, one of them shook his head. "No sign of life, Commander."
Wesley was dead. A complex flood of emotions surged through Kael as he heard this news. The Life Seed had torn the Void entity from Wesley, but his body had not been able to withstand the trauma. Perhaps Wesley had found comfort in a fragment of his own self at that last moment. Or perhaps it was a consolation Kael had invented to comfort himself. After all, the Void had another victim.
Fisk showed no expression on his face when he heard the news of Wesley's death. He merely cast a brief, hard-to-read glance at Kael.
"Well, Mr. Fisk, Mr. . . ?" the Commander asked, turning to Kael.
"That doesn't matter," Fisk interjected. "Just an innocent bystander. The ones who brought that anomaly above us are the ones who are responsible. We were only defending ourselves and our city."
Kael was once again amazed at how easily Fisk could lie and blame others. But he didn't have the strength to argue right now. The S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers were preparing to take them into custody with handcuffs.
Aslan took a step toward Kael. "What are we going to do, Kael?"
Kael looked at Aslan. There was a determination beyond fatigue in his eyes. Surrender was not in his nature. But fighting now would be suicide. The Chitauri core was almost completely empty, and his body was exhausted. But the core still pulsed faintly, as if it were whispering something to him: an escape route, a last hope.
Just as the soldiers were closing in on Kael and Fisk, Kael made one final move. He focused all of his will and the last bit of energy left in the core. It wasn't an attack; it was a "chaos whisper" he had learned in the Infinite Library, a weapon that Echo Carriers could use, a weapon that could bend surrounding energy and perception momentarily.
For a moment, everything at the top of Fisk Tower went blurry. The soldiers' perceptions were scrambled, their radios blared with static, lights flickered. It was a confusion that lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough for Kael and Aslan. Kael grabbed Aslan by the arm and ran to the nearest broken window.
"What are you doing?" Aslan cried in surprise.
"Trust us, Aslan!" Kael said, and together they plunged between the skyscrapers of New York, into the unknown.
When the S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander and his men returned to normal, they realized that Kael and Aslan had disappeared. Only Wilson Fisk remained, waiting to be cuffed, watching them with a wry smile on his face.
"It seems," Fisk said. "Your guests are a bit... hasty."
The Commander shouted angrily into his radio. "All units! Two escapees! Blockade the city! Find them!"
But Kael and Aslan had already disappeared into the shadows of the city. Was this a new beginning, or another act of the end? Who knew. But the Echo Carrier's war had now become very different, and much more dangerous. They were now on the run not only from the Lords of the Void, but also from one of the most powerful organizations on Earth.