XXXXX SHIELD Hellicarrier XXXXX

"Tell me, Coulson. What do you make of this Archangel?" Fury asked as he looked out through the glass window

"It seems we need Archangel to pursue these human traffickers, sir." Coulson reported taking Fury by surprise

"Why do you say that?" Fury rounded on Coulson

"I found a discrepancy in one of the driver's statements and I believe there is something else going on other than merely organ trade and human trafficking." Coulson said

"Go on…" Fury prodded as he turned his full attention on Coulson

"A statement from one Mr Eddie Sanders had led us to believe that he was driving the dead bodies of the victims to a morgue. But the interesting fact is there was a morgue already attached to the building the traffickers were using. So why would the driver lie about that little detail unless he assumed he was driving the bodies to a morgue." Coulson speculated

"Question the driver and find the location of this morgue. Have our agents check it out." Fury ordered

"Already did sir. I have sent Henderson and his team to pursue this." Coulson reported

Before anything else could be said the door opened and Maria Hill let herself in with notepad in her hand.

"You have to see this!" she said and she flicked the screen on her notepad and the screen in Fury's office came alive to show a burning building

"Isn't that the FBI holding cell in New Mexico?" Coulson asked as he immediately recognised the building

"Yes sir! Not just the holding cell but the FBI warehouse for the evidence storage unit was also hit." Agent Hill reported as she brought up another footage of a burning building

"What happened to Agent Henderson and his team?" Coulson asked worried that he had sent the agents to their deaths

"They are a bit roughed up but they are fine. They had only reached the building when this happened." Agent Hill said putting Coulson at ease knowing that he hadn't sent the agents into a fiery death

"Any survivors?" Fury asked never taking his eyes off the visuals

"We don't know yet but based on preliminary reports the chances are very slim. Even if someone survives they will be in a bad shape with third-degree burns if they are lucky." Agent Hill reported

"How did this happen?" Coulson asked

"On hindsight, it may look like a gas leak but we have already found large traces of alcohol in the water supply. I have already dispatched a full forensic team as per Agent Henderson's request." Agent Hill reported

"Looks like somebody wanted to make sure there were no survivors. What about the evidence we collected?" Fury asked

"All lost in the fire that broke out in the FBI warehouse. We are in the dark outside of Security footages, statements we received from the victims and the now-dead criminals." Agent Hill said as she shared an uneasy glance with Coulson

"Why didn't you back up the full data?" Fury asked as he pinned Coulson with his one-eyed stare

"Sir, when we entered the field our priority was Archangel. We managed to secure everything pertaining to him and left other data about the trafficking racket to the FBI. We followed the usual procedure in this case." Coulson said and Fury could understand the reason behind that decision. There was already a lot of complaints from several agencies regarding the freehand SHIELD had over them. There was a balancing act that had to be done to keep the other agencies happy with the status quo

"It seems you will be paying a visit to Archangel, Agent Coulson. I am sure he has secured all the data that we need." Fury commented and Coulson nodded in agreement

"Should I let him know about the Avengers Initiative?" Coulson asked

"No, but do report your assessment about his character to me. As of now, Archangel is under assessment for Avengers Initiative. The World Security Council wants to shut this project down but damn them anyway. I have a feeling this Phase 2 is going to blow up in our faces and we need a backup plan anyways." Fury said as he dismissed the two agents from his office

XXXXX GABRIEL XXXXX

After days of continuous analysis of the new energy source that I have named charmingly as the ZPE, I learned one thing and that was it was a totally stubborn form of energy that made no sense but yet at the same time, it made sense. My experiment to transfer the energy from one of the newly created RERT-O core has yielded splendid results. It seems when I transferred a little bit of energy to a newly formed RERT-O core from a previously charged RERT-O core only a small spark of energy is needed to kick start the other one. On the other hand, if I charge a RERT-O core directly from my energy then the entire process takes up a lot of time and it takes a lot of time to stabilize. This along with the considerable experiments that I have done with the ZPE made me realise that my energy has been somehow transformed into another form of energy completely and RERT-O had something to do with it.

The only thing that I know for sure was that somehow the RERT-O has managed to open a doorway to the Quantum realm or sub-space as some would like to call it with the aid of my energy. Using this doorway it absorbs the energy from the sub-space and delivers it to this reality. The only problem is like all elements in the Universe the RERT-O undergoes degradation especially since the alloy holds the highest energy density within it. Unfortunately for me without knowing the RERT-O's interaction with the Quantum realm I have no idea what would happen when the core degradation was complete and that was a dangerous situation. The only security procedure that I have for an immediate core degeneration was the magnetic suspension of the core which I had already built into the modified reactor of the P-33 I was building.

Fortunately for me, I know someone that would be very interested in studying the energy of the Quantum realm thanks to my fragmented memories. That was why I have invited Bill Foster to the party that was to be held tomorrow in Houston that was going to declare a new product by Illuminum and the subsequent retirement of my father from the company as CEO. Turns out that the dinner that my mother insisted on me attending was an unofficial board of governors meeting that confirmed me as the new CEO. The official declaration will be made in the party that was being organised next day when Illuminum releases Calisto into the open market.

Calisto is a virtual assistant AI developed by Illuminum as a home automation system. It can control all smart devices that are synced to it providing a whole lot of services like voice interaction, routine firewall check-ups, cybersecurity(that depends on different grades of Calisto purchased), provide any type of real-time information etc. The party was also to honour the team that developed Calisto and I was personally eager to meet them as well. Because of my involvement in government agencies, my exposure to Illuminum has been very limited. Even some of the projects that I was involved in had to be with express permission from NASA and working only as a consultant with most of the profits going to NASA. So this was a good opportunity to mingle with the crowd. With nothing else to do, I shut down the lab and decided to return back home.

My trip back home ended up being a nightmare as Sharon dragged me into going shopping with her. After three hours of dress hunting, I was bored out of my mind with nothing to do. I couldn't even spend this time reading an E-book as my phone and all electronic devices were confiscated prior to this nightmare.

"How do I look?" Sharon stepped out of the dressing room in a black strapless gown

"Isn't that the same thing you picked up a few hours ago?" I asked genuinely confused

"No! Look this has silvery designs on the hem and the sides. The other one was plain black with a touch of glittery silk at the top." Sharon said like that made some obvious difference

"You should save the black one for my funeral. By the looks of it, I will be having one out of sheer boredom!" I said and was promptly smacked on my head by her for my cheek

"Just stop moping around and help me find the perfect dress and you can escape from here that much faster." Sharon said in exaggeration

"Does this same design come in creamy white colour?" I asked the lady who was helping Sharon with the dresses

"Yes, of course!" the lady said with excitement in her eyes that was frankly disturbing me somewhat. She must have drunk a whole lot of coffee to be this much excitable, I thought.

"Then try that and lose the black one." I said

Sharon and the lady went back to the dressing room to try the new one. Fifteen minutes later Sharon stepped out of the dressing room in a creamy white gown with gold stitching along her sides.

"How do I look?" Sharon asked as she made a small twirl for my benefit

"This is it! You are beautiful!" I said dramatically but for the moment she took my obviously eccentric reaction in stride. Thankfully the shopping in hell stopped before my mind snapped and we were on our way back to my home. Halfway on the road, I pulled up the car to a nearby street.

"Why are we here?" Sharon asked as she stepped out of the car

"That's why!" I said as I nodded in the direction of a black SUV parking right behind my own car and Agent Coulson stepped out into the street

"You want to talk over a coffee or something?" I offered

"Coffee will be alright." Agent Coulson agreed

A little while later Sharon and I were sitting opposite to Agent Coulson who was nursing his coffee a little too much in my learned opinion.

"So, what brings you to Houston Agent Coulson?" I asked starting the conversation

"Let's just say that SHIELD has certain interests in your extracurricular activities Mr Heavens." Coulson flashed a brief grin before he began to take a few sips from the hot coffee in his hands

"Really! I thought it was a healthy mix of desperation and intrigue that sent you my way Agent Coulson?" I prodded light

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Coulson smiled

"Look over there…" I said pointing at the screen at the far end of the café where the news was reporting the burning FBI holding cells as well as the evidence storage stronghold.

"A few burning buildings do not unsettle our organization Mr Heavens." Coulson said losing the smile

"I am sure that's no problem for you but when you are unable to trace the culprit whatsoever then your organization like any other intelligence agency in the world gets unsettled. That's why you are here Agent Coulson else you would be sitting opposite to the culprit behind all of that." I said pointing at the TV

"Fair point and I feel we will be running circles around each other for no reason if we continue like this. So let's put all our cards on the table and speak frankly. SHIELD would like your assistance in this matter in your capacity as your alternate self." Coulson said but I was conscious of the trap that was being spun around even before Sharon discreetly kicked me on my legs under the table

"I don't know about cards but you can surely turn off those mini-parabolic microphones as well as all those little gadgets on your person Agent Coulson?" I said with a raised eyebrow

Coulson sighed and raised his wrist to his mouth and said: "Abort!". After that, I watched in amusement as Coulson switched off all transmitters one by one on his body and he nodded in the direction of the SUV. The window of the black SUV came down and they made a showing of switching-off their gadgets and began dismantling it one by one.

"Nice but let me assist you guys a little bit." I said as I pulled back my left sleeve and pressed a small black button on my wrist band. Immediately all wireless networks in a 50m radius became jammed.

"I see, you were well prepared." Coulson said as he looked up from his phone which was a dead fish by that point

"Need a few tricks up my sleeve if a guy has to make a living in the kind of world we live in!" I said which made Sharon chuckled a little bit

"Ha..haa… literally, up your sleeve." Sharon controlled her laughter as Coulson threw a look at her.

"I will be having some words with you later Agent 13." Coulson said which managed to take the edge out of Sharon and then he turned on me. "Now you, on the other hand, is tech-savvy and I knew that before I came here. But thanks for confirming that by the way."

I shrugged unconcernedly at that as I was bound to expose some of my gadgets along the way. Taking my nonchalance in stride Coulson continued,

"I am sure by now you must have deduced why I am here."

"You need the info that I took from the warehouse as you have lost all the data that you need to pursue this case for some reason right!" I inquired

"You could say that." Coulson replied without giving away anything

"So, you want something from me but I also want something from you."

"Ask away..." Coulson said still not even blinking

"I agree to hand over the info provided you give me carte blanche on any legal issues because of my extracurricular activities as you put it and I want to be in the loop regarding this case. But most of all I want my identity to be completely anonymous. No matter what do not connect me to Archangel and I will throw in some extra help whenever you ask completely under cover from my side." I offered

"So literally you want to be an Agent of SHIELD with no strings attached. That is a dangerous amount of trust you are asking from us Mr Heavens for very little in return." Coulson said

"True, but I offer more in the future. Besides a little leap of faith must be extended from both parties in this case. I am trusting you with my identity here and that's something isn't it?" I asked

"What do you think about being a consultant to SHIELD Mr Heavens?" Coulson asked

"I have a better proposal. How about you take Archangel into SHIELD and leave Gabriel Heavens out of it?" I suggested

"I see. I will have to check in with my superiors for that to happen." Coulson said with a frown

"That's alright. Inform me when you come to a decision and I will be ready to hand over the data that you need and any help that you may require." I said as I switched off the jammer and stood up from the seat closely followed by Sharon who was oddly silent throughout the conversation.

"You don't approve my decision to work for SHIELD do you?" I asked Sharon as we hit the road

"I warned you once about SHIELD and that's it. If you want to get tangled up with the organization then that's your problem. This is not like the CIA or FBI or any other intelligence agency in the world. SHIELD will play ball with you until they find something to hold over you and then use you in any way they want. If you think your political connections and resources alone will be enough to deter SHIELD then you are wrong. Trust me when I say if they really want to they will be able to break the safety net that you have spun around yourself." Sharon warned

While she was warning me about SHIELD my mind was bombarded with another piece of information and that was a memory of a conversation between Steve Rogers aka Captain America and Dr Zola. It was a very brief memory and thankfully I didn't lose control of the car that I was driving. The revelation that SHIELD was hosting HYDRA within and the fascist organization has complete access to the world's most powerful nations was a hard blow to my mind. The fact that the USA has succumbed to a fascist organization was a hard pill to swallow. I realised that HYDRA has evolved beyond fascism and adapted some of that into their ideology to grow but never the full deal else that would have never stayed hidden so long in SHIELD or the halls of power in the US government. If the US is compromised then so is the European Union and the UN for good measure. How many HYDRA operatives could have come in contact with me and my family all these years? The answer is I have no idea especially considering the fact that my mother was one of the prominent members of the GOP. The consolation I have is that my father and mother were definitely not with HYDRA else I would have already been in that circle by now.

This invisible bogeyman was forcing me to re-evaluate some of my plans regarding the ZPE and bringing in Dr Foster into the project. If my memory serves right then Dr Foster was a member of SHIELD but has retired and now worked as a professor and researcher. I still have one whole night to properly think about this and make a decision and that's what I was planning to do.

XXXXXX

Next day the party was in full swing and I had to endure a lot of attention from both politicians as well as journalists. Nowadays I think there is not much difference between those two as both of these strange groups intends to suck people dry until all there is left is the dust from our bones. My efforts to stay out of the limelight in the last decade seems to be biting me in the ass as my return to the company seems to have attracted all the vultures and sharks. It was something that I expected but it seems I will be really needing a press secretary to handle all these dramas if I need some peace of mind. Somewhere along the way, Sharon has been whisked away from my hand by my mother to show her off to her friends. This was how I ended up being in the company of one miss Evangeline Brown of the New York Times. Unfortunately for me, she is a familiar face who was with me in school.

"I see you are back together with Sharon." Eve commented

"Yes." I answered a little uneasily

"You look like you are in front of a shark that is going to take a bite out of you." Eve laughed

"Am I in front of a shark? I would really like to know." I said

"If you read my columns you would know whether I am a shark or not." Eve said with a wink

"Then I am definitely in front of a shark."

"I am honoured that you think so highly of me Gabriel." She patted my arm and then took out a small recorder

"Alright since you are a friend I will cut you a deal. Speak honestly and I won't bite…much!" she smiled at me and I don't know whether she was joking or not.

"Alright! Shoot." I squared myself for what was about to come

"You have been nicknamed as the boy-genius in your teenage years for your contributions in the telecom industry, electronics and coding. You were practically behind the revolution of Android development and smartphones through Illuminum. But a short while later you vanished from the public eye. What happened?"

"There is this tradition in my family. It's not a tradition per se debut my grandfather started it actually and he compelled my father as well. My grandfather was supposed to take over the family business but he was later constricted in the army for the Great War. At the end of the war, he came back home and took over the business and later became a successful businessman. My father was on the same boat as in his time he joined the army in WW2. He participated in the invasion of Germany at a very young age and after the war, he returned back home and took over the family business. When my time came I served the country in my own way. I served in NASA and served with intelligence agencies. I know it is not flashy as the other two but I did things my own way." I said with a shrug and it was mostly truthful

"That's an interesting tradition. What did you learn in this time interval if you don't mind sharing it with me?" Eve asked

"To stand on my own two legs without any entitlements." My answer was spot on and true because that was the reason this tradition existed in the family

"Mm…that's good. There have been some rumours that your father is stepping down because he can't compete with Stark Industries. Is this true?" Even asked and she went right for the jugular

"Anyone can fabricate some story and make people believe whatever they want. All it needs is a good narrator and a convenient target. In this case, my father is a convenient target and in hindsight, this may look like the truth. But the truth is Stark Industries is not the reason my father is stepping down. For the better part of his life, he has been running this company and he was adamant that I take over the company right away after I graduated college. It was my own stubbornness that has extended this ceremony till now." I answered that question with a healthy dose of half-truths

"As the new CEO of HI what will be your opening move? Whether you admit it or not Stark Industries is slowly gaining ground in civilian technology." Eve said

"I am glad you said SI is 'slowly' gaining traction. There is nothing wrong with increasing competition in the market. A competitive market is always good for the consumer as it will ensure high-quality products will be available at the best price. Besides, more competition means more innovation and that's how all market economies evolve further. The fact is, a well-reputed company like SI entering the civilian sector expands the market and increase the influx of customers which is good for all business." I answered diplomatically

"That's an interesting perspective. But many experts are predicting with SI's Arc Reactor technology in play SI will make leaps in attracting more customers. There is also the fact that HI is a heavy investor in Oil which will be on the decline as Arc Reactor technology ensures clean energy."

"Oh, I won't worry about that too much. If Arc Reactor is the trump card of Stark Industries then there won't be any problems for HI." I said with a confident smile

"You seem awfully confident all of a sudden Gabriel and I know you enough to know that you are hiding something. Are you pursuing clean energy through an alternate method?" Eve asked as she smelled a good story

"Let's just say that Stark Industries won't be alone in clean and efficient energy production within a month. I will reveal more details in the Stark Expo next month. Now if you excuse me I see a someone that I have been dying to meet. I will talk with you in detail later I promise." I kissed Eve on her cheek and immediately moved around her and approached Dr Bill Foster who was chatting up with Deborah Collins who was the creator of Calisto.

"Dr Foster I was not sure that you would come but thank you for being here." I shook hands with the large man who is one of the leading experts in Quantum mechanics

"Deborah why don't I introduce you to Miss Evangeline Brown of the New York Times." I smoothly handed over Deborah to Eve with a wink and whisked away Dr Foster

"I was a little surprised to receive the invitation but here I am." Dr Foster said with a shrug

"You are right. I didn't really invite you for the sake of this party specifically. I wanted to ask a question regarding a dilemma that I am having and I believe you are the guy that I should talk to." I know that I made him a little confused so I continued

"Hypothetically speaking say I managed to somehow access energy from the quantum realm and stored it in a device. Would it be possible for you to exactly calculate the degradation rate as well as suggest precautions against any potential problems down the line because of said degradation?" I asked taking him by surprise. He took a full gulp of a glass of whisky and set the glass down

"I should be able to. Are you saying that you have done what I think you have done?" Dr Foster asked

"Indeed doctor! I have successfully harvested energy from the sub-space. In return for your assistance, I will even help miss Ava Starr with her condition among other things." I offered

"How do you know about Ava?" Dr Foster asked in obvious surprise since only very few people in even SHIELD knew of Ava's existence much less her affliction

"The 'how' doesn't matter Dr Foster. Whenever miss Ava is ready I will be able to cure her of molecular disequilibrium. So when will you be available Dr Foster?" I asked knowing that he will be jumping at the first chance he could get and I was not disappointed with his answer

After discussing some details we parted ways and I found myself back with Sharon. I greeted her with a quick peck to her lips and pulled her aside to a secluded corner.

"You look really beautiful tonight." I said as I once again went for the kiss but she blocked me with her palm

"Coulson contacted me a little while ago." She whispered as she adjusted my tie

"What did he have to say?" I asked while my hands were playing with her silky hair

"He wants to meet you tomorrow. He will contact you with the time and place. Are you sure you want to do this?" Sharon asked with some concern

"I am not sure about everything but I have a feeling that I should do this." I said trusting my instincts and my special memory to guide me through the storm that is about to hit

"Alright, I trust you know what you are doing. Anyway, I will have to leave tomorrow at the earliest as my two weeks leave is coming to an end." Sharon said and I had forgotten all about that

"Can't you extend that leave for a few more days?"

"I have overstayed my welcome. Don't worry, I am sure we will be reunited soon." Seeing my downtrodden face she pulled me out of the corner into the dance floor. Our conversation has made me miss the official launch of Calisto but who cares about that when I have a beautiful woman in my arms.

XXX Somewhere in New Mexico XXX

Ryan Caffrey walked through a building that was protected by an army of men. Even though he was a feared drug dealer and a silent human trafficker with a whole lot of other illegal businesses he answered to a higher authority. That's why he was in this place which he and everyone around here commonly referred to as the Tomb. Don't know why it was called that but the name sticker with him and he was not changing it. It certainly feels like a giant tomb and knowing what he did about the place it was an apt name for sure. After walking through a long tunnel he came face to face with a circular iron door guarded by two large heavily armed men.

"Gents open up please…" Ryan said as he showed them an inverted pentagram tattoo on his left shoulder and one of the guards pressed a button and placed his eyes on a retinal scanner. The iron door opened inwards with a hiss and Ryan walked inside. Heavy metal music was blaring inside and he carefully moved around a whole lot of people on the dance floor. He saw a red door on the opposite end and walked down the flight of stairs to another large hall. At the far end of the hall, he saw who he was looking for.

"Welcome back Ryan." The man at the far end greeted never taking his eyes away from the glass window. Ryan moved a little closer to the man or should he say the boss.

"It is done, William. The feds won't be able to track the shipments again. All the evidence that they collected has gone up in smoke." Ryan said as he stood next to his boss and friend William Klemp

"Have you found the leak?" William asked

"It was not from our side. I will have to check in with the Russians. We will probably have to step hard on them soon enough." Ryan said

"Remind them of what happened when the Irish defied us. The Russians will operate on our terms else they will be removed from the board. Remind them they are not the only gang in town so to speak." William said and Ryan nodded in agreement

"Shall we stop the shipments for the time being?" Ryan asked

"Why? You said the leaks have not been from our end and all the evidence has been destroyed." William turned on Ryan with a raised eyebrow

"That may be but we don't know who this 'Archangel' is! Could it be one of 'them'?" Ryan asked with a healthy dose of fear

"No, they are all dead. I have a feeling this masked moron is just playing the hero. Increase more security with the shipments for now and tell them to use deadly force. If this masked guy shows up I want him to be given a warm welcome." William ordered

"I will take care of that. A lot of our funds have been investigated from the warehouse. We need fresh funds to pay-off the Russians for the next shipment." Ryan reminded his boss

"Don't worry my friend. The funds are on their way. Keep in mind that this place is a very important stronghold for our Lord. No stone should be left unturned for the security of the Tomb. One small error and we lose everything. Keep that in mind and keep that image in your head at all times." William said as he pointed outside the glass window where five pipelines were spilling blood into one large hole. The entire place was lit in red colour giving the image of dried blood in the large underground tunnel they were all in.

AN:

Phew! This took a while to complete. Finally, I am on track with the plot regarding Archangel. The Intagiability is still leaving me at a quandary. I have not yet made a decision but with action scenes coming along in the next chapter I will have to make a decision. Perhaps I can introduce it later in the Avengers plot during the invasion! I am still mulling it over.

qwertypous: Thanos destroying the Infinity stones was a foolish idea. He did attract the Avengers to his position by precisely doing that. There is also the fact that he could have safely hidden the stones somewhere no one could easily access. The reality stone stayed hidden for more than 5000 years. That's a record if I ever saw one and Thanos could have really killed off the Avengers if he had the Infinity stones in the first place. There was a lot of things he could have done with the Infinity stones but he just sort of destroys it which is foolish. The Universe might have just blown up from the destruction of Infinity Stones for all we know and Thanos would have been responsible. There are many reasons why it was a foolish move and I can't possibly argue all of them here.

stylo1: You should really read what I wrote more carefully. I never said Gabriel's energy had to siphoned off while he flies a space ship! What is wrong with you? I do know what a smart metal is and that's not what I was referring to when I said regeneration. I was mentioning the regeneration of energy. As for flying in front of SHIELD watchers, he was a little over-excited. Everyone makes mistakes every now and then right!

ashenerden: Gabriel is not a do-gooder. He is just mindful to stack his cards on the right side of the law. He is a former CIA agent and he knows to play the long game. Look what happens to Spiderman, Daredevil, The Punisher and all those superheroes that get fucked over time and time again because they don't play ball. No matter what good they do at the end of the day they are still violating the law they are so desperate to protect. They are all just vigilantes. The Avengers may have gotten a lot of bad press initially but they were politically shielded by Fury and SHIELD.