CHAPTER 138 — RETRIBUTION UNLEASHED
The base was quiet now, except for the faint hum of alarms that hadn't fully shut off. Smoke lingered in broken hallways, and the air was thick with dust and the sharp tang of blood.
Gaius stepped out of the room where he had eliminated the corporal. His movements were calm, precise, completely collected.
Behind him, the remnants of destruction stretched down every corridor: soldiers fallen, machines disabled, fires burning in small pockets. He didn't glance back. His mind was already moving to the next objective.
There was no rush, no hesitation. Every decision, every step, was methodical.
He paused briefly to survey the wreckage. Rubble from walls that had tried to resist his passage lay scattered across the floor. Broken machinery, shattered consoles, and fallen weapon racks marked the scene of a military base utterly defeated.
His expression remained unchanged, unflinching. The destruction before him stirred no emotion. In his mind, there was neither sadness nor pride, these enemies were nothing more than ordinary humans.
Gaius' optics flickered as he scanned for the missile silos. His systems quickly locked onto their positions, mapping each one with precise accuracy.
Though the military base lay in ruins, no soldiers remained, only the personnel in the missile silos. He considered finishing the job, reducing the base to nothing, just as he had said before. It would be wiped from the map.
He moved immediately, heading for the silo locations.
With a deliberate motion, Gaius approached the first silo. His fist struck the reinforced steel and concrete entrance, the impact echoing through the structure like a heavy drumbeat.
The materials gave way as if they were paper, dust and debris filling the air. Alarms blared violently, echoing through the halls as personnel scrambled to respond.
The chaos was immediate and complete, but Gaius moved with precision, unhindered and undistracted. His eyes scanned every corner. When personnel got too close, he fired without hesitation, eliminating them instantly. The rest scattered, fleeing instinctively, after all, they were mere personnel, not trained soldiers.
He reached the center of the silo, near a missile that hadn't been launched.
From his parcel system, he retrieved a melta grenade and placed it carefully at the base of the missile. He set the timer for one minute, fully aware of how long he had before detonation. Every second had a purpose.
Every movement was calculated. Without hesitation, he retreated toward the exit, moving with measured speed. The alarms continued to wail behind him, and the shouts of Personnel rang out, but Gaius did not break stride.
He reached the open sky, jetpack activating smoothly, lifting him with precise efficiency away from the imminent detonation.
The explosion came exactly one minute later. A tremendous blast consumed the silos, igniting the remaining missiles and amplifying the destruction beyond the initial effect.
Flames shot into the sky, black smoke rising hundreds of meters, carrying debris, scorched metal, and the sharp scent of destruction. The entire military base vanished in a fiery roar, the force magnified by the remaining ordnance that had yet to launch.
Gaius watched calmly from above as the explosion consumed the base, the entire event meticulously calculated and executed with minimal risk to himself.
After ensuring the destruction, Gaius flew back to Metropolis.
Tony Stark and Diana were, discussing the second Mother Box obtained from the Amazons.
Tony said "By the way,"
Voice casual but tinged with curiosity, "it said there are three Mother Boxes. Where is the last one?"
Diana answered evenly, her tone calm. "It's in the kingdom of Atlantis."
Tony froze mid-thought, blinking. "Atlantis? You mean the civilization that sank beneath the ocean? The one everyone talks about in legends?"
Diana shook her head. "No. Atlantis isn't just a legend, it's millions of years old. According to the records, the three Mother Boxes were split among the three races: Amazons, Atlanteans, and humans."
Tony's expression softened into thoughtfulness.
He stared into the distance for a long moment, almost trance-like. The revelation sank in slowly, the implications vast. "Why was it divided?" he asked.
Diana's voice carried clarity and calm authority as she said, "After the New Gods failed to invade Earth, the three races made a pact to separate the boxes, hide them far apart, and guard them so they could never be used together again."
Tony's brow furrowed as the words sank in. "The New Gods… what exactly are they?" he asked. He had heard the term before, back when they were in the rural area Swanwick had brought them to, Diana had mentioned it before, but he hadn't had time to ask. This time, he asked, his curiosity tinged with concern.
Before Diana could respond, a sudden sharp "woosh" cut through the air, immediately drawing their attention upward. Both of them turned instinctively.
Gaius was descending, his approach unmistakable. The air around him shimmered slightly from the speed and precision of his flight.
He landed with a heavy thud, the impact cracking the concrete beneath him.
Tony raised an eyebrow as Gaius came to a complete stop. "How was it?" he asked casually, unaware of the full scale of Gaius' actions, expecting a simple answer.
"I have destroyed that base," Gaius replied evenly. His voice was calm but carried weight. "There are no survivors. And I want to ask you one thing."
Tony, seemingly unconcerned by the implication, nodded. "Sure, what is it?"
Gaius' expression did not change, his tone firm. "I want to broadcast a message to this country."
Tony raised his eyebrows, both impressed and slightly curious about what Gaius would do, but he complied. "Okay," he said slowly.
Gaius considered his limited manpower and the scale of retaliation. He had no time for back-and-forth. He could bulldoze through the country with ease, nuclear bombs wouldn't touch him, and most modern weapons were ineffective, but he didn't want to waste time. He was here to punish this nation and take the opportunity to gather supplies to reward his crew.
Earlier, inside the White House, politicians and military staff were watching satellite projections of the missile attack.
Silence filled the room, heavy and tense, as every eye followed the screens. They had hoped the superheroes, perhaps Superman above all, would handle the retaliation.
They had believed he wouldn't strike, wouldn't escalate. But now the satellites showed the first signs of action, Gaius was flying straight toward the military bases responsible for launching the missiles.
The general's voice cut sharply through the tension. "Prepare! There are enemies incoming!" he barked into a phone, reaching the military base responsible for the missile attack. The colonel acknowledged quickly.
The call ended, leaving a room full of quiet figures clinging to the smallest sliver of hope. They were hoping, just barely, that Gaius might fail.
The satellites tracked every movement. Gaius had reached the base. He had entered. The footage showed soldiers scrambling, walls collapsing, fires erupting. And then, as predicted, Gaius emerged, jetpack igniting, leaving the base behind.
Moments later, the detonation reached its full effect. The base exploded into a massive, towering fireball, consuming everything. Smoke and debris rose into the sky, spreading a storm of chaos across the surrounding area.
The room fell silent. Fear mixed with disbelief, eyes wide, breaths held. Someone whispered softly, almost in hope: "Is this the end of it?"
They hoped the retaliation would end here, that he wouldn't take any further action.
But no one spoke further. Most dared not, too aware of the scale of what they had just witnessed.
The secretary's expression shifted abruptly as she received an emergency report, concern giving way to shock. She rushed to the president and, with a few swift commands, changed the screen to show what the entire country was seeing. "Pr-President, look at the screen!"
The image flickered to Gaius, helmet removed. His face solemn, serious. Black eyes, devoid of emotion, met the camera directly. A deep, measured voice filled the room:
"You launched missiles without knowing who you were attacking. That decision was ignorant."
The room froze. Politicians, military staff, everyone in the White House watched in silence.
~~~
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