C137 I’m Star-Lord (Patreon)

Over the next couple of days, the atmosphere at the Red Room was one of relentless activity. The cleanup of the battlefield was a monumental task, requiring the combined efforts of the Jedi, Peter's crew, the mutants, and the few agents of Shield that Peggy trusted. Each member worked tirelessly, ensuring that every trace of the recent battle was meticulously cleared.

In the forest below, the wreckage of the Kree ships lay scattered, their advanced technology a potential goldmine for anyone who could get their hands on it.

Recognizing the immense risk of these ships falling into the wrong hands, Peggy made a decisive move. She coordinated with the Jedi to transport the Kree ships to a remote location, known only to her. This secrecy was crucial, as Peggy was acutely aware of Hydra's infiltration within Shield.

Peter, Yoda, and Windu played pivotal roles in this operation. With the aid of their ships, they carefully lifted the massive Kree vessels and transported them to the hidden site.

Throughout the process, Peggy remained vigilant, her eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of interference. She knew the stakes were high. If Hydra learned of the whereabouts of the Kree wreckage, they would stop at nothing to acquire it.

Back at the Red Room, the remaining Kree equipment, weaponry, and other technological marvels—at least by this planet's standards—were meticulously cataloged and stored.

The Red Room’s storage facilities were soon filled with the alien tech, each item carefully preserved for future study and potential use. The Kree technology, though formidable, was now safely out of Hydra's reach—at least for the time being.

As the days passed, a sense of guarded optimism began to permeate the Red Room. The successful relocation of the Kree ships and the secure storage of their equipment was completed without any significant disruption.

————

With the forest emptied and devoid of any wreckage that could fall into the wrong hands, Peter, Yoda, and Windu walked the halls of the Red Room. Their destination was clear: find Professor Xavier and figure out if he’d finished extracting all the information from Alexander Pierce’s mind.

After all, he’s been at it for almost three days now.

The halls were quiet, the echoes of their footsteps the only sound. As they approached the room where Xavier had been working, a sense of anticipation hung in the air.

When they entered the room, they were met with an unexpected sight. Alexander Pierce was awake and talking on the phone, a calm and assured look on his face. Professor Xavier sat in front of him, his expression concentrated and intense. Peggy stood to the side, observing the interaction closely.

"Yes, the situation is under control," Pierce spoke smoothly into the phone.

"You've been out of contact for days, Pierce. We need assurances," the voice on the other end demanded, his tone harsh.

Pierce replied. "I understand the concern. But securing the wreckage is taking longer than expected."

"Why?" the voice pressed.

"Interference from local authorities as well as the fact that there’s just so much of it," he explained.

Peter raised an eyebrow, his confusion evident. He was about to ask what was going on, but Peggy shot him a glare that clearly communicated: Keep your mouth shut.

Confused, Peter looked around the room. His eyes landed on another Alexander Pierce, passed out on a bed. Realization dawned on him. He turned back to the awake Pierce, who locked eyes with him and smirked. For a brief moment, his eyes flashed yellow.

‘Mystique…’ Peter thought, suddenly understanding the ruse. Mystique had transformed into Pierce to cover up his absence over the past few days.

Feeling much less worried, Peter watched and waited, listening in on the conversation. Mystique, in the guise of Pierce, was smoothly talking to other member of Hydra, explaining his lack of contact and assuring them that he was still collecting all of the alien technology.

The tension in the room was palpable. Peter, Yoda, and Windu remained silent, observing the deception unfold.

Suddenly, the person on the other end of the call asked a question they had been dreading.

"What’s your identification code again, Pierce? I need to confirm it’s you," the voice on the phone demanded. “Not the code you used with the operator. The one you use with me…”

The atmosphere turned tense immediately. Both Peggy and Mystique turned to the Professor, a silent question in their eyes.

Xavier, after days of rummaging through the real Pierce’s mind, closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment before nodding to Mystique.

"Seven-nine-alpha-delta-four-two-zero," Mystique repeated the code he transmitted into her mind, her voice steady and confident.

There was a tense silence as they waited for the response. After a few moments, the voice on the other end finally replied, "Alright, that checks out." He started talking more candidly with Mystique.

"Pierce, I know you always get the job done, but you need to hurry things along. The other heads are getting impatient. We need that wreckage. Doctor List is eager to start reverse-engineering the technology," the man said, his impatience evident.

“!” Peggy's eyes widened at the mention of Doctor List. List is a known and distinguished scientist within Shield, discovering that he was secretly a Hydra operative was both shocking and terrifying.

"I understand," Mystique responded smoothly. "We're moving as quickly as possible, but as I said, there's a lot to transport. It will take some time."

The man on the other end huffed in frustration. "We don't have time, Pierce. Project Insight needs to be accelerated. The technology from those ships could provide the breakthroughs we need."

Mystique’s eyes flickered with a hint of annoyance, but she kept her voice steady. "I’m aware of the urgency. Rest assured, the operation is under control. We'll get everything to Doctor List’s lab as soon as possible."

"You'd better," the man warned. "Don’t keep us waiting too long. The future of Hydra depends on this."

"I won’t disappoint you," Mystique replied, her tone icy.

The call ended abruptly, and a collective sigh of relief filled the room. Mystique, still in Pierce’s form, turned to face the group. "Well, that was close," she said, her voice shifting back to its normal tone.

Peter nodded, his expression thoughtful. "Good work, Mystique. We’ve bought ourselves some time."

Professor Xavier looked weary but relieved. "We need to keep this ruse up for as long as possible. Hydra cannot be allowed to suspect anything."

As Mystique put down the phone, she began to shapeshift back into her normal form, her features morphing fluidly from Alexander Pierce’s visage to her own. The transformation left both Windu and Yoda visibly shocked.

Yoda’s eyes widened slightly. "A mutant, you are?"

Peter nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yes, she is. Mystique has an ability similar to the Skrulls."

Mystique raised an eyebrow, curiosity evident in her eyes. "Skrulls?"

Peter explained, "Skrulls are an alien race that can shapeshift just like you. Unfortunately, they are close to extinction these days, thanks to the Kree, who waged a genocidal war and completely conquered their empire. Now, what few Skrulls are left are spread out throughout the galaxy, trying to survive."

Mystique frowned, a sad look crossing her face. "That’s... horrible."

Peter nodded in agreement, his thoughts drifting to R'Klll, the sexy Skrull milf he had met some time ago. ‘Maybe I should call her soon and set up a date,’ he mused, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

“?” All eyes shifted to Peter, noting his sudden change in expression.

Noticing the attention on him, Peter cleared his throat and turned to Peggy. "So, what’s Project Insight, and why does Hydra want to use Kree technology to speed it up?" Of course, he already knew the answer.

Peggy's expression tightened, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Project Insight is a high-level Shield secret. I can’t talk about it..."

Before Peter could press further, Professor Xavier, who had been silently observing, spoke up. "Project Insight is a secret Shield operation," he began, his voice calm and clear. "The project involves three linked flying Helicarriers that would patrol Earth from the sky. With the use of an algorithm that evaluates an individual's behavior, they would eliminate anyone who could poses a possible threat to the world."

Windu’s eyes widened in shock. "Eliminate? You mean kill?"

Xavier nodded grimly. "Yes. Hydra, in their attempt to start and enforce a new world order, plan to use Project Insight to eliminate anyone who could potentially pose a threat to them. They intended to control the world by preemptively removing any resistance."

“How do you…?” Peggy muttered, her eyes widening as she realized Xavier had been gathering information from Pierce for days. Of course, he would know what Project Insight is. He probably knows much more as well…

Peter nodded, relieved that everything was unfolding as he had hoped. "So they plan to use Kree technology to accelerate production and enhance these Helicarriers, making them even more lethal."

"Exactly," Xavier confirmed. "Hydra's goal is to ensure their dominance by any means necessary, and Project Insight would give them the ability to do so on a global scale."

As the gravity of Project Insight’s implications sank in, Yoda and Windu turned their attention to Peggy, their expressions reflecting a mix of confusion and disapproval.

Yoda spoke first, his tone calm but firm. "Explain, you must, why Project Insight, you thought, was a good idea. A way to kill people, it seems, before doing anything wrong, they have."

Windu nodded in agreement, his gaze intense. "From what we've heard, it sounds like you were setting up a system to punish innocent people based on what they might do, not what they have done. How can you justify such a method?"

Peggy sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly under the weight of their scrutiny. "I understand your concerns, truly. But our world is growing more dangerous by the day. I’ve seen countless heartbreaking events that could have been prevented if we had just known ahead of time."

Yoda shook his head slowly. "Understand, we do. But to punish innocent people for something they might do, wrong it is."

Windu’s voice was steely. "What if that person wouldn’t have done anything wrong and would have just lived a happy and quiet life? You would be killing an innocent person. Is that the kind of justice you want to stand for?"

Peggy looked down, clearly struggling with their words. "It’s not about justice, it’s about prevention. We want to stop threats before they become real. The algorithm is supposed to help us identify potential dangers and neutralize them before they could harm anyone."

Xavier, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up. "But that’s the problem, Peggy. You’re talking about killing people based on what they might do, not what they’ve done. That’s not prevention, that’s preemptive murder. And it’s not something that I can stand by and allow, especially now that it’s being used by people like Hydra."

“…” Peter stayed silent throughout the entire argument. He didn’t really object to Project Insight, aside from Hydra's attempt to hijack it for their own purposes. ‘As long as the algorithm is proven to work with an extremely high accuracy, then I don’t see why it’s so bad…’ he thought. However, he kept his opinion to himself, especially in the presence of Professor Xavier and his Masters.

Peggy turned, locking eyes with Xavier. "You have to understand, that Project Insight was never meant to be a tool for Hydra. But now that it’s becoming just that, I realize it was doomed from the start..." she admitted, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

Yoda nodded, his expression softening slightly. "Understand, we do, the desperation to save lives. But a dangerous path, this is."

Windu crossed his arms, his gaze unwavering. "You need to find another way. One that doesn’t involve sacrificing innocent lives for the sake of potential threats. The Jedi believe in justice, but true justice, not preemptive judgment."

Peggy took a deep breath, her resolve hardening. "Alright, we’ll dismantle Project Insight. But we need to find another solution to protect the world from the threats it faces. Look at what’s happened already—a literal alien invasion. We need to be prepared to deal with these things."

Peter nodded in agreement, already knowing what needed to be done. ‘Is it almost time for the Avengers Initiative?’ he wondered as he spoke. "We’ll figure it out together. But for now, let’s focus on stopping Hydra and ensuring that no one else gets hurt because of this."

A/N: 2104 words :)