"O brave new world, that has such people in't."
- William Shakespeare, The Tempest

---

"Damn it all to hell," he muttered as he walked the ruined corridors, shaking his head as he did so. This was not what he had wanted to see, but then again he'd been warned that it was like this. He could see the blast marks on the walls, the damage that had been done and he imagined what it had been like, seeing the screen flare to life as the alien ships advanced.

SHIELD would have mobilised everything they had, contacted the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the other heroes of the world and let them know what was coming but he knew that it would be too late. Earth wasn't exactly a player in galactic politics, but they had made their presence known and there were many races out there that had already tried attacking the Earth and been driven off. The Phalanx, the Z'Nox, the Kree, the Dire Wraiths, the Brood, and those were the ones he could name off the top of his head. He'd seen a lot more than the planet were aware were out there. The people of Earth were not naïve, but they were not as informed as they thought they might be.

Earth had been targeted time and again, but the heroes had prevailed in the end. They had even made Galactus withdraw, so what made the heroes think that the next invaders wouldn't have made preparations before striking at the Earth again. It wouldn't have been too difficult to find out the defences, the weaknesses and exploit it all. He watched as thin beams of sunlight came through what had once been windows, now nothing more than twisted metal frames. There was a definite orange hue to the sky out there and he knew there was something burning. The question wasn't what was burning, it was what wasn't burning. The Martians were systematic, and he knew the heroes were doing what they could to help.

He also knew they were going to fail, and that this generation would not survive to see the next. That was why he was here, sent to alter the flow of time itself. Not a man from the future, not even a man from the past or present, he was a man out of time in a world he didn't know and the world did not know him. It was the only real advantage he had but it had it's cons as well. He had no history as such, no resources and that meant he wasn't going to be able to function like he'd once been able to. At least not yet, and when he did they would not be what he had been used to.

However he did have certain knowledge that would help, knowledge of systems and procedures and as far as he could tell it wasn't too different to his own and he made his way to the control room, pausing only slightly to look at the part of the ship that once upon a time would have been his office. It belonged to someone else now, or at least it had.

The room was as desolate and destroyed as much as the rest of the vessel and there was a certain sorrow to it. Once upon a time he couldn't have cared less, he'd believed SHIELD to be an international ring of over-armed control freaks who are suffering from a deficiency in childhood toilet training. It was still too, but he actually quite liked being a part of it. There hadn't been too many jobs out there for him and this one suited him - running around with the SHIELD resources, taking on bad guys and blowing stuff up. Though the latter part they weren't so fond of him doing, being a secret organisation. He'd gained a grudging respect for what they had done, what they stood for, and that's because he knew as well as anyone that it needed doing and here he was doing it.

The bridge of the Helicarrier was sealed, and he took a card out of his pocket. He didn't quite expect it to work but he swiped it anyway and whatever energy in the power cells was left unsealed it. For him and he stepped on the bridge. There was a lot of debris, and there was a definite smell of death in here. People had died here and there'd been no chance for any burial rites. Sadly the world was at war, and the SHIELD agents who'd died were just some of the casualties. However there was just one thing he needed and he'd been assured there was still power left. Not much, but enough to get up to speed on what had happened and to install the programme disk he had been given. He picked up a chair, and sat down at one of the few terminals that was left in tact and then he flipped the switch.

Nothing happened so he slammed his fist down on the terminal and it flared to life. The technical solutions were always the best he thought to himself as he tried a few codes. They didn't give him much access, but then he'd not thought they would. However there was one he could try and he tapped it in. The computers came to life, accessing the protected databanks that were stored deep underground, away from anything too obvious. The Martians hadn't managed to destroy the data store and that was one thing he was thankful for. He inserted the disc and the system read the data and went to work. He shook his head at what was being done, thinking it would have been easier to travel back in time and set things up, but that was against the rules, even though the rules weren't exactly being followed at the moment. Soon it was done and he smiled. That was it, he was set up. A new identity, new resources and the like and he knew that he was only just beginning. There were Martians to fight but he needed to know the state of play, which meant a bit of field-work.

His own hacking skills were quite good and he went to it, and soon he had the files he wanted. How had the aliens gotten like this without anyone knowing? There wasn't life on Mars as such, but then again he knew they were using it as a staging ground for the invasion. He didn't know the race and he wondered if, behind the barrier, there was something in Dream Nails II that would help out. He knew there was going to be one, because that was the way they operated. He wouldn't be too surprised if they had sold the planet out, but they were as stuck behind the wall as everyone else.

He typed a few commands, looking through the logs and searched anything to do with the alien invasion and related entries. He could see the files he wanted to view - the operational logs of SHIELD Director Nick Fury. He opened the first one.

SHIELD Files 127 452 03
Reporting Officer: Fury, Colonel N J

The tidal shifts continue, and the weather's still all to hell. Thor and Storm are doing what they can to control things, but they're fighting an eco-system, but we've had a breakthrough.

It was first though that it was to do with the expansion of Barrier, but Reed Richards has determined that there is another cause, and that there are some strange readings coming from the Moon. The Fantastic Four were going up to investigate further, seeing as they're the ones with the close ties to the Inhumans and the alien Watcher seems to quite like them as well, but Black Bolt is going to do it in his place, and send Reed the data. They are family after all. Plus I think there are things on the Moon that Bolt wants to keep secret. Can't prove it one way or the other, but I've a gut feeling.

My gut is also telling me that something's wrong here, because surely these people, who are supposedly our allies, would have told us what was going on already. Well, maybe not the Watcher, but the Inhumans certainly. Yeah, this doesn't feel right in my bones.

Unless it's just the strange weather patterns, but I doubt it.

"The moon," he said as he read the text that went with the audio files. "I thought these buggers were from Mars." He mused on that then opened the next.

SHIELD Files 127 564 02
Reporting Officer: Fury, Colonel N J

I knew it. I hate to say that but I knew it.

The Inhumans have found out there's a ship behind the moon, being masked by the satellite. Richards has concluded that it's not the moon, but this ship that's creating the problems, interfering with the gravity or something, which is why we have weird weather.

I've gotten on to Starcore wanting to know why the hell they didn't know about this, but they're as shocked as I am. The real issue is that the ship isn't on any of the lists of alien races that we've encountered over the years. Between the X-Men, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the other teams, we've been unable to identify the vessel or the species. That worries me. What worries me more is that we've had no contact with them.

Richards has used the data to determine something though. For them to get this close undetected would have required a trajectory that brings them from Mars. I'm putting SHIELD on full alert status, as comms are breaking down across the planet, just when we didn't need them.

He lit a cigarette and knew that it was getting to the info he wanted. "Now we're getting somewhere."

SHIELD Files 127 564 62
Reporting Officer: Fury, Colonel N J

Starcore's gone. The alien vessel sent a shot out, past the station. The wormhole that allows transport quickly and easily to the other galaxies - to our interstellar allies - was destroyed, creating a solar flare that destroyed Starcore. It's gone and fifty people are dead.

Worse yet, the Inhumans haven't been heard, but Reed Richards has enough data to confirm that the ship came from Mars. We're trying to get an expedition together, made up of a range of heroes. I don't want Earth's mightiest going up there, just in case they're needed down here, but I've got a team assembled in the place of the Avengers. Of the X-Men we've got Cyclops and Wolverine and Phoenix, as they've got the experience and the muscle. Then we have Moon Knight, seeing as the Moon is his turf, and Scarlet Witch, Vision and Captain America. That way we have representatives of the hero community and those who some could consider amongst the most powerful.

I hope they can do the job.

"Interesting line up," he said, as he flicked some ash. "If they pull this off, they might make the ones who aren't Avengers in to full time members." He shook his head. Still, it didn't matter. He knew how this was going to go and he knew that it was going to be bad. The next entry from Fury was audio only.

SHIELD Files 127 565 14
Reporting Officer: Fury, Colonel N J

I have to get this down as I give orders but everything's gone to hell. The heroes who were going to investigate Mars are dead, shot out of the sky as they took off. If there are any survivors then we didn't see it, except the Vision. Then they all appeared in the sky, bypassing every defence we had as if they weren't there.

The Avengers Mansion, the Xavier Institute, the Alpha-Annex, the Baxter Building, all the major points of defence for the planet were taken down in a strategic strike. Right now, SHIELD is mobilised against the enemy. We were ready, we were watching and we still didn't see them coming.

The heroes of the world have been attacked in a surgical strike - this was planned, co-ordinated. We've no allies who can get to us quickly, and we're out-gunned. We'll fight until we've got nothing left but…

NO! Give the evacuate command, now! I'll set the self destruct. GET OUT. May God have mercy on us all.

There were no further entries, but it seemed obvious that the self-destruct hadn't been activated. He finished the cigarette, wondering what the hell had happened here. It had been an impressive opening assault, taking down the headquarters of the major teams. That would fragment it all. Then there were the Inhumans. How had such a powerful group of people not been able to do anything. Surely the aliens had known about what was on the Moon?

"Unless they'd planned it that way?" he said, to himself. The aliens could have known about the Inhumans, and they would have an in-depth knowledge of the world, the heroes that inhabited it. Considering the possibilities - Crystal was a member of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. She also had ties to the X-Men in the form of Quicksilver. Then there was how the aliens had struck so easily - Karnak could have seen the weaknesses in the defences and they could have just gone right through.

"Oh bloody hell…" he said with a deep sigh, exhaling the smoke. It made sense, but was there proof? He had no idea, he just knew that the aliens were here and how would be tabled for later. What he needed to do now was gather information, find out who was left and where they all were. These systems weren't going to help that much, the information in them wasn't going to be current enough. Luckily, what he'd put in to the system should infect the global information systems, based on the old X-Men programme that had removed them from all the records, except this was a modified version and it added him and a make-shift history. The rest would follow in time, but the only remaining issue he had now was that he was transmitting the data and would have put him and the Helicarrier on the map. However he knew what he had to do.

He went down to the power core. It was still slowly humming and he took some explosives he had recovered from the weapons store on the way down and placed them on the core and activated the timers and then he ran and ran quickly, getting out of the stricken ship. He turned to look at it and shook his head as he watched the vessel explode in a mighty plume of flame and broken metal. Then his instincts told him something was wrong and he turned to where there were six people standing, dressed in SHIELD combat gear, their weapons pointed at him.

"Hi there," he said, but then something hit him on the back of the head and he lost consciousness.

---

He awoke to find himself in some kind of bunker, his arms tied together behind the back of the chair and he knew he was a bit stuck. His head also hurt, but he had to push past that and focus. He'd been through too much to let it go like this again. Fool me once, he thought to himself and then a light shone in his eyes.

"So," a voice said and he shook his head, knowing the voice almost at once. "What were you doing aboard the Helicarrier?"

"Oh that is just typical…" He looked over. "Colonel Bridge, I'm…"

"I know who you are," Brideg said. "Though you were still behind the Black Mass Barrier. How did you escape Pe…"

"Pen Dragon," he said without skipping a beat. "My name is Pen Dragon." Yeah, he thought, that sounded almost as dumb now as it did when she came up with it. "Agent of SHIELD."

"You're no agent I know of," Bridge said. "And then there's your face…"

"I know what and who I look like, Colonel," Dragon answered. "However I'm an Agent of SHIELD. I've been working undercover trying to infiltrate the organisation known as Black Air, on the direct orders of Colonel Fury."

"Fury?" The sceptical tone in Bridge's voice told him enough. "Convenient, seeing as the Colonel himself hasn't been seen since the attack."

"Yes, isn't it?" Pen sighed. "Fury himself hired me to do a job, and I've done it well. I've worked for the enemy at times as part of what I've had to do, yes, but I am who I am." Bridge folded his arms and nodded to someone in the shadows. They came over and whispered something to him.

"Your story checks out on the files," Bridge said after a moment. "However that could mean anything. Your face, your 'name', your DNA. I know who you really are."

"You have no idea." Dragon looked him in the eye. "Believe you me."

"What were you doing on board the Helicarrier?" said Bridge, going back to his original question.

"My former mission parameters were completed and I needed to know what to do next. I figured the best place to start was the Helicarrier and use my command codes to find out if there was a message left to me by the Colonel. There was - he wants me to fight the Martians."

"You're not one of them," Bridge admitted, but he put his hands on the back of the chair, going eyeball to eyeball with his prisoner. "However there have been a lot of sympathisers, betraying us and the rest. The Arena…" He shook his head. "Too many people have been lost, too much has been captured, so much we'll never get back. Assuming I believe you, what difference do you think you can make?"

"One or two things," he said and the manacles that held him fell off and he stood up, making the others jump up. "SHIELD security is one thing, but using it on an agent who knows how to bypass it is another matter."

"How did…"

"Trade secret," he answered. "As I said I report directly to Fury. I went to the Helicarrier to find out what he wants me to do. I got the message - assemble a strike force and do what we can to disrupt the enemy - in this case the alien invaders."

"There wasn't time. He didn't know about the aliens…"

"He never said aliens. He said the enemy, and that I would know who they are. It could have been Hydra, AIM, anyone with a grudge. Access the files, use access code XF9-40/050701-122103. Follow up with personal code K2M." The numbers were entered and the message came up on screen, an image of Colonel Nicholas J Fury.

"Commander Dragon, if you're watching this then SHIELD and perhaps the world have fallen to a new threat. Your mission parameters are as follows - disrupt the insurgents as you have been doing for me with Black Air for the past several years. This will not be easy and you have my authority to gather whom you need, and use whatever resources you feel are necessary. I hope to see you again so we can discuss this face to face, but circumstances may dictates otherwise. Good luck, Pen. Give 'em hell."

The image dissipated.

"Believe me now?" asked Dragon.

"We'll check it out and let you know," said Bridge. "For now, you will be our guest. One question - why blow up the Helicarrier?"

"Simple. If I can get that information, the aliens can as well."

Bridge shook his head. "They hadn't so far."

"And they haven't conquered the world yet either, but it's getting closer. Look around, Colonel. We're not winning this war. We're barely holding our own. You said it yourself - too many people have been lost, too much has been captured."

Bridge still was unconvinced. "Why now though, why not appear before?"

"My mission wasn't finished," he said softly, almost wistful about the life he had lost. "There's someone else taking care of business now. It's not my job anymore."

"I don't understand," Bridge said, with a frown. "Maybe you should explain."

"I can't," Dragon replied. "Not yet. Lives depend on it. Make your checks on me, my story and come back to me when you're convinced of who I am and what I say." He sat down.

"There are others I have to talk with first," Bridge said as he shook his head. Then he left the room. Dragon sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Oh, Kate, what have you got me involved in now…"