Marvel: The Awakened One

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At this moment, it was afternoon in the Eastern Hemisphere and morning in the Western Hemisphere.

7:00 AM, New York time.

A streak of golden light, unseen by anyone, shot through the sky with a quiet whoosh and landed perfectly in the backyard at 521A Palm Street, Manhattan.

It was only after the golden light had fully dissipated that the alarm systems deep within the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York Command Center finally tripped, blaring to life.

”S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites detecting a massive energy discharge.”

”Cross-referencing energy signature!”

”Scanning.”

”We have a match.”

Hiss!

”Energy signature matches profile: ’Phoenix’!”

”The Phoenix has returned.”

”...”

By the time Hawk’s profile picture appeared on the main screen at S.H.I.E.L.D., he and Gwen were already inside their living room.

Gwen flopped down onto the sofa, sinking into the cushions. She closed her eyes and let out a long, contented sigh. ”Space is amazing, but there’s really no place like home.”

She opened her eyes and watched Hawk walk toward the wet bar. ”Did anything happen while we were gone? Is everything okay here?”

Hawk stepped behind the bar and pulled a bottle of bourbon from the cabinet. He glanced at her. ”Westview is fine. George and Helen are fine.”

He had left a failsafe before they went on their honeymoon.

If anything had threatened Westview or Gwen’s parents, he would have known instantly.

Not that he had expected any trouble.

After all, he was just on his honeymoon; he wasn’t dead, and he wasn’t gone forever. Anyone with half a brain would know better than to try anything while he was away.

But better safe than sorry.

As everyone knows:

Marvel’s Earth has a severe shortage of common sense, but an absolute surplus of ambitious madmen and lunatics. So, before leaving, Hawk had left a microscopic sliver of his consciousness at both locations. If anything triggered it, it would act as an instantaneous alarm.

But the alarm hadn’t tripped.

And now that he was back, those fragments of consciousness had fulfilled their purpose, naturally dissipating the moment he broke through the atmosphere.

Gwen nodded. She was about to say something else when her wrist computer chimed softly.

Her eyes lit up. She hopped off the sofa. ”Where are the things we brought back from Xandar?”

Hawk, sipping his drink, pointed toward the garage. ”I put it all out there.”

Gwen flashed him an ”OK” sign and headed for the garage.

It was time for her scheduled nutritional intake.

However, just as she stood up and started walking, the doorbell rang.

Gwen stopped near the garage door. She looked at the front door, then turned back to Hawk. ”Sharon?”

As a general rule:

Every time Hawk returned from a trip, Sharon Carter was always the first to call or the first to show up at his door.

So, hearing the doorbell, Gwen’s first thought was naturally Sharon.

Hawk’s eyebrow shot up.

”No.”

”No?”

Gwen blinked, confused. She stayed where she was, watching as Hawk walked over to the front door.

He opened it.

Standing on the porch was a man Hawk had never seen before. He had slicked-back hair, wore a sharp black suit with a conservative tie, and appeared to be of mixed race.

Hawk didn’t know the man, but he recognized the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent standing behind him.

Agent Grell, the same agent who had been involved in the Amy Chloe case.

Hawk actually liked Grell. He was a straight shooter.

Just then.

The slick-haired man offered a polished, professional smile and extended his right hand. ”Mr. Phoenix. I’m Jason Harris. I’m the new Commander of S.H.I.E.L.D. New York. I’ll be your primary liaison moving forward.”

Hawk looked at the outstretched hand, listened to the rehearsed introduction, and studied the man claiming to be his new ’liaison.’

The next second, he laughed.

Gwen, still standing near the garage, heard the dry, humorless sound of his laugh and felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly stepped out where she could see the door, eyeing the slick, overconfident man on their porch. ”Where is Sharon?”

Jason Harris kept the plastic smile plastered on his face as he looked at Gwen.

”Sharon Carter is wanted for treason. There is a global warrant out for her arrest.”

”Treason?”

”Yes, ma’am.”

Jason Harris smiled wider. ”I’ll be handling all communications with you two from now on. I look forward to a very productive partnership.”

As he spoke.

He turned his attention back to Hawk. ”Speaking of which, Mr. Phoenix, our team is ready.”

Hawk’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.

”Ready for what?”

”To debrief you on your recent journey. If it’s convenient, we can head back to the office right now and compile all the data and intelligence you gathered during your trip.”

”...”

Hawk stared at this Jason Harris, who seemed to have entirely too much unearned confidence. His voice was deathly calm. ”I don’t know you. Get off my porch.”

As everyone knows:

Hawk considered himself a reasonable man. No matter how much someone was asking for it, he usually gave them one chance to walk away alive.

But people rarely appreciated the gesture. They always mistook his restraint for weakness.

This guy was no exception.

Hearing Hawk tell him to get off the porch, Jason Harris’s smile stiffened. He met Hawk’s cold gaze, his own tone taking on a condescending, warning edge.

”Mr. Phoenix, this is a direct directive from the World Security Coun—”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A beam of pure golden light erupted from Hawk’s eyes. In less than a fraction of a second, Jason Harris—who had been standing arrogantly on the porch—was vaporized. Not even a pile of ash remained.

Gwen watched the man evaporate, her brow twitching slightly, but she didn’t say a word. She simply turned and walked back inside, heading for the stairs.

Before Hawk started killing, she could try to smooth things over.

But once Hawk crossed that line? Gwen knew the only thing she could do was stay out of his way and not hold him back.

Besides, this Jason Harris was practically begging to be killed.

Seriously.

Partnership?

Since when did Hawk have a partnership with S.H.I.E.L.D.?

From day one, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s role in Hawk’s life had essentially been that of an overpaid janitorial service.

The only reason they even had a working relationship was because Sharon Carter understood him. She had treated him with respect, and over time, they had become friends. Because of that friendship, Hawk was willing to do Sharon—and by extension, S.H.I.E.L.D.—a few favors.

But there had never been a ’partnership.’

And...

Ready to compile the data from his trip?

Jesus Christ.

Gwen seriously suspected that Jason Harris had been day drinking before he knocked on their door.

Why else would he spout such absolute garbage?

How much liquid courage does it take to get that drunk, and then try to use the Security Council to intimidate Hawk?

What was he thinking?

You couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried.

As she walked upstairs to find her phone and call Sharon, her mind raced.

Treason?

There was no way Sharon would commit treason.

She and Hawk had only been gone for a month. Not a year.

The golden light faded from Hawk’s eyes. He looked at Agent Grell, who hadn’t moved a muscle, though a slight twitch near his eye betrayed his tension. Hawk offered a grim smile.

”Who appointed that idiot?”

”The American Councilman.”

”Which one?”

”David Harris.”

”His father?”

”Yes, sir.”

”Heh.”

Hawk let out a short, derisive scoff, shook his head, and gestured for Agent Grell to come inside for a drink.

A minute later.

Agent Grell took the glass of bourbon Hawk handed him. ”Thank you, sir.”

Hawk picked up his own glass, clinked it against Grell’s, took a sip, and got straight to the point. ”Tell me what happened while I was gone.”

Grell took a drink, set his glass down on the bar, and gave Hawk a concise, unfiltered briefing on the events of the past month.

It was a long story.

But it could be summed up in a single, familiar title.

Captain America: Civil War!

Yes.

The plot of Civil War had still played out. While it appeared to be a clash of ideologies between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, the root cause was the Security Council’s absolute terror at having unregulated superhumans operating on Earth.

To the men in power, an uncontrollable force was an unacceptable risk. It couldn’t be allowed.

So...

Even though Hawk’s previous actions meant the Sokovia tragedy never happened, the Security Council had still drafted and pushed through Resolution 117: The Sokovia Accords.

The Accords required all superhumans to follow UN oversight and only act when and where the UN said so.

The rest of the plot had unfolded almost exactly as Hawk remembered.

Tony Stark, haunted by his past as a weapons manufacturer and the guilt of his creations falling into the wrong hands, believed oversight was a necessary evil.

Steve Rogers, having witnessed firsthand how easily a massive bureaucratic system like S.H.I.E.L.D. could be infiltrated and corrupted by Hydra, believed that surrendering their autonomy would only slow them down and prevent them from doing what was right. He refused to sign.

And so, the conflict erupted.

Because he refused to sign the Accords, Captain America officially became an enemy of the state. And anyone who helped him became a traitor.

”Clint Barton. Hawkeye.”

”Natasha Romanoff. Black Widow.”

”Agent Sharon Carter was also discovered aiding Captain Rogers by the American Councilman. Director Maria Hill and Commander Victoria Hand tried to fight the charges, but to spare them the political fallout, Agent Carter chose to resign and go on the run.”

”The American Councilman then issued a global warrant for her arrest on charges of treason.”

”The Accords have also severely restricted S.H.I.E.L.D.’s operational autonomy. Any domestic operation now requires direct approval from the Security Council.”

Agent Grell delivered the report with flat, professional detachment, adding no personal commentary or spin. He just stated the facts as he knew them.

What he didn’t know, he didn’t speculate on.

If he didn’t know it, he didn’t say it.

For instance, he mentioned hearing rumors that Iron Man and Captain America had engaged in a massive brawl on a remote island a few days ago, but he couldn’t confirm the details.

Hawk listened to Grell’s briefing, his expression remaining completely neutral.

Until—

Grell finished the main report, paused, and then looked at Hawk, as if remembering a crucial detail.

”Oh, one more thing, Mr. Phoenix.”

”After Commander Jason Harris took over, he completely replaced the detail Agent Carter had assigned to monitor Westview.”

”...”

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