Marvel's Speedster

The scene of Ross and the girls embracing affectionately was faithfully recorded by a nearby camera and transmitted to tens of millions of TV viewers. At this moment, the program was watched by not only ordinary citizens and social elites, but also some real big shots, such as 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC The owner of the white sandstone building on the 1st, sat patiently in the Oval Office to watch the live broadcast, then manipulated the remote control to pause the show and turned to look at his cabinet members.

"Very well, everyone, this is another heavy blow since I took office. Can anyone tell me where the 40 billion annual intelligence budget has been used by you? There was no intelligence report in advance, no early warning, and the response was slow after the attack. Could it be We can only watch similar incidents happen again and again?" The president is a middle-aged white man with a resolute appearance, who has always been known for his calm and tough style, but now his words are full of irony in his anger, as hard as invisible slaps The slaps on the faces of the subordinates made these high-level bureaucrats who are usually shrewd and capable lose face.

Among the heads of several intelligence agencies, the CIA is responsible for searching around the world for targets that may pose a threat to the United States. It has less responsibility for this. S.H.I.E.L.D and the FBI have overlapping responsibilities. Being abroad, the director of the FBI, who is mainly responsible for the detection of domestic criminal cases and intelligence collection, had to come forward and explain.

"Your Excellency," the head of the FBI coughed, and handed over a document that had just been delivered, which densely listed the incident and the suspect's personal information.

"As far as we know, this incident is a criminal act caused by a normal commercial merger and acquisition..." In his explanation, the details of Green Goblin were revealed little by little. The merger and acquisition of the aerospace industry, the betrayal of the major shareholder... everything was fully presented, and even the files of those South American mercenaries were dug out.

"Here's everything we've learned. Norman Osborn was caught by the New York police on the run after murdering a competitor and a member of his own board of directors after dangerously transforming himself to prevent the company from being taken over, then retaliating. , the secret service team under the leadership of New York Police Commissioner Stacey took great risks to severely injure Green Goblin, but when they were about to succeed, a man nicknamed Bullseye took the opportunity to assassinate the suspect, and he disappeared. Now we A wanted warrant has been issued across the United States for Bullseye and others involved."

"What's the origin of Bullseye?" The president frowned and looked through the report, not being very satisfied with not being able to catch the main culprit.

"A killer, Kingpin's former chief assassin, we are tracking Osborn's private relationship with Kingpin, but it is clear that he assassinated Green Goblin to avenge his former employer. The preliminary autopsy report has come out, a dagger directly passed the vision A nerve stabbed into the cranial cavity and killed Green Goblin. There were similar wounds on the corpses of other criminals at the scene. Although no fingerprints were left behind, this was Bullseye's personal habit. According to the criminal database of S.H.I.E.L.D, Bullseye's original name was Lester, who once worked for the CIA's secret operations team in the Americas, has a strong anti-detection ability." The head of the FBI looked at his colleagues who were standing by with no expression on his face, and casually revealed an embarrassing secret.

The president ignored the infighting below, dropped the materials and fell silent.

"Although there are results, how do we explain them to the public?"

"The public doesn't need the truth, they just need entertainment." The staff in charge of public relations stood up without losing the opportunity and made the final conclusion for the incident. "We can set up Osborn as an enemy of the country and give them to vent their anger, and the touching story of Director Stacey makes them shed tears, which is enough for most citizens..."

"But after that?"

Before the staff could finish speaking, a fat officer interrupted him unceremoniously. This was a colonel who was specially named by the president. He was about to enter old age. He had thinning hair and a sloppy appearance. His eyes were fixed on the White House think tank, which made him a little embarrassed.

"Six months ago, the Statue of Liberty collapsed, and you said that you need to be cautious. Not long ago, the road was blocked by someone, and you said that you need to investigate. Today, super criminals publicly attacked the crowd of parades, and you wanted to be perfunctory. You need to be cautious in handling domestic affairs. I can understand the concerns, but please tell me, what should we do if a similar incident occurs tomorrow or the day after tomorrow and we fall into a passive position?"

No one can answer that question, and no one can take on the responsibility.

"Colonel Stryker, what's your opinion?" the President asked after scanning their faces.

"I think unprecedented risks are brewing! Please think about it, Green Goblin, Lizardman, Spider-man... Who has heard of these things before, but now they appear one after another, can we make such a judgment, That is, with the development of science and technology, the probability of mutation is quietly increasing, and there is also a Mutant organization that is more threatening. Through the interrogation of the criminals in the Liberty Island incident, we know that there is a Mutant school in north-central New York, and they recruit super-ability people from all over the world. , train them, and have advanced jet flight aircraft, such a force is a more dangerous hidden danger than Osborn, we must take precautions in advance so as not to mess up like today!" Stryker waved his hands excitedly and called out loudly.

"But the annual budget is almost used up, and we don't have any extra funds in our hands." The financial advisor looked embarrassed.

"It doesn't take much money." Stryker said without looking back. "I've been working on Mutant for decades. We've been relying on meager grants to maintain our research. Now just a little more investment, just a little bit, can keep us going. Compared with national security, I think this A little investment is nothing."

"So what are you going to do about it?" the security consultant asked.

"Don't worry, I won't start right away. It will take some time to prepare before then. I will make a plan safely, confidentially, and firmly until we achieve our desired goal without leaving any trouble." Stryker stared at the president closely , and now just waiting for his reply.

The president pondered for a while. Although Stryker's words were selfish, they did speak to his heart. Before the next general election, he must do something to make voters fall for him again.

"Colonel, do you promise prudent and effective action?" asked the President.

"I won't let you see the dead Mutant kid on the six o'clock news in the morning," Stryker replied.

So the President stood up, leaned forward and pressed his hands on the table, looking deeply at Stryker.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Your authorization." Stryker replied without hesitation.

***

Coming out of the president's office, Stryker ignored the others and went straight to several high-level officers who were talking, and found a lieutenant general among them.

"General Ross?"

This General Ross has nothing to do with Ross definitely. His name is Thaddeus E. Ross. He is an active lieutenant general in the army. He is independently in charge of the army's secret research and development base, and his status in the military is quite detached.

"Wilhelm Stryker?" The general turned sideways from the conversation with his colleagues, and looked down at the squat colonel with a somewhat indifferent expression.

"If you don't play with your dangerous deformities, why do you care about me?"

The general's tone was mocking, and Stryker had no choice but to endure.

"They are indeed deformed, but they can be very sharp knives if handled well."

"Really?" Seeing that the general was noncommittal, Stryker didn't intend to play around with him anymore.

"I heard that Osborn's body was taken by your men?"

"That's right." The general said casually. "That is the recovery of Army assets. Osborn Industries has received help from the Army, and now we have the right to demand the recovery of resources that were misused."

"Then general, can this part of the resources be shared within the army? If we join forces, we can create a more stable and powerful force to deal with enemies at home and abroad." Stryker suggested hopefully, but was immediately rejected.

"Coca-Cola and Pepsi are both American companies. Why don't they share the formula?" The general asked back. He is not the president whose term is coming, and he doesn't intend to get involved with Stryker, a guy who has been a mercenary and has been stained in history.

"I think your strategic direction is wrong. The target you want to hit is not consistent with what the Army wants to achieve. This is a fundamental mistake. So no matter what reason you find, you accept the supervision and leadership of the Ministry of Defense without reservation. Before, as long as you continued to insist on the wrong strategy and your goals, my people would not cooperate with you."

After General Ross finished speaking, he turned and left surrounded by his subordinates.

Watching the general's back disappear into the corridor, Stryker's eyes gradually cooled down. Although he has been authorized by the president, he has little effect on these high-level generals who come from famous military families in the east. Compared with the lieutenant general who has three silver stars on his shoulder, he can only wear a small silver eagle which symbolizes the rank of colonel. Moreover, Stryker is close to 62 years old this year, and he will be retiring in a blink of an eye. Compared with the general who is already a senior general in his early fifties, his future is even more bleak.

It gave him a sense of urgency, a reminder that he must achieve his goals before stepping away from power.

"Mutant...I will find a way to deal with you."

Stryker thought, turning and disappearing down the corridor.