The smell of the ocean and the sound of waves and machinery permeated the darkness of night. Within the darkness, a single figure made its way through the container terminal on the docks. The Figure scuttled around the cargo containers and weaved around the light silently thanks to the design of the armor which was akin to modern military equipment overlaid with a pure black metal.  Its dark clothes also included a hood which slightly covered The Figure’s comedy theater mask that covered their face.

The Figure slowed and blended into the darkness as stealth became more critical due to the ever-increasing number of armed security guards. Even when The Figure could safely cross out of their view, there were many security cameras placed around the area.  However, The Figure did not appear on any of them.  

Undercover from a large pile of containers, Th Figure stopped to observe its surroundings.  There were many guards in the area, strange given it was out of the way compared to most of the freight.  Though the guards all wore the correct clothes, many carried illegal submachine guns. However, that wasn’t the only thing that made the area suspicious. 

Instead of vertical stacks, the cargo containers were stacked up like a triangle.  This was to support the height at which the stack of containers reached. These containers were placed in such a fashion for a simple reason; they were not individual containers.  Instead, it was one giant facility that was disguised in a location where transportation was regular. With the massive world trade, not many would be surprised by the quantity of shipped freight to and from the docks.  

The Figure began to make its way up the fake containers.  The height of these containers would make it impractical for any ordinary individual to make the top of one.  Much less silently, any average person who was weighed down as much as The Figure would typically not be able to climb up in the first place.  However, given the current state of the world, rational logic had become more and more skewed.  

Without much effort, The Figure jumped up and grasped the top of the crates to slow down and softly land above in an attempt to minimize noise.  It was only after The Figure reached the second to last the freight crate that it stopped. In the darkness, The Figure remained motionless. Convinced that no others were around, The Figure drew the sword at its back.  The sword itself was a simple longsword, but its pure black color was abnormal. The guard of the sword was also unique in that it only extruded out of one side of the sword. The unique part of the sword was its sheath.  It also appeared to be made of metal and was far larger than necessary. The Figure tried to open the container but was unable to do so normally as the container itself was fake. The Figure pressed something on the back of its swordhand and waited for several seconds as the sword began to glow white with heat.  Silently, cautiously, painstakingly, a triangle was cut out of the container.  

After The Figure gently set what was cut out down, it once again pressed something on the back of it swordhand and patiently waited as the swords glow faded before it was returned to its large sheath.

The Figure made its way down and through the now empty facility. The lack of personal, apart from heavy security, alluded to the possibility there was a mole.  To top this off, the guards all appeared to be on edge, as if they expected company. However, they were not expecting the said company to come from above, so The Figure found the computer room without issue.  

The Figure gingerly attached a device to the computer with a quiet *click* before it turned towards the keyboard. *fwish* *daka-daka-daka-daka-daka*

Bullets bombarded the place The Figure stood just a moment before, destroying the device in the collateral damage.  Perhaps by luck or by design, The Figure had angled itself so only part of its body was visible through the door. However, it was also possible that the assailant had targeted the device as it was shot to pieces.

“Intruder!” A voice rang out.

The Figure dashed through another doorway and came face-to-face with another guard.  With skill, The Figure drew and slashed at the guard’s weapon, which rendered it worthless before It struck the guard to knock him out.  Unfortunately, the planned exit was on the other side facility. The Figure made a quick dash through the facility and utilized the shadows for cover.  However, the ground shook as a bipedal tank appeared some distance in front of The Figure. With no hesitation, The Figure slapped his swordhand before it returned the sword to its sheath.  Once in, The Figure twisted the sword until a click was heard. Then, in one swift motion, The Figure removed the sword with the sheath as it began to glow white hot. Suddenly, it dashed diagonally to avoid the tank’s arm cannon and prepare to bisect the bipedal tank.  The sword barely slowed as The Figure sliced through the tank’s cannon and used the momentum of the strike to continue Its run. Just before The Figure reached the end of the facility, it heard a voice.

“You bastard!” The tank driver shouted as he fired a gun.  But this gun was different. It seemed as though it was a hybrid between modern firearms and science fiction.  In the next instant, a green light shot from the gun. It was slower than a bullet as it could be followed with the eyes, but its speed was still too great for The Figure to dodge completely.  Luckily, the projectile struck The Figures breastplate and was deflected off.

“No way, Adamantine Armor?” The security guard who had fired asked in disbelief.  Before he could fire another shot, The Figure hid behind one of the support pillars and carved an exit.  Gunshots could be heard as the fake security guards fired toward the dimmed glow of The Figure’s sword. However, none could reach their intended target.  The Figure made its way to the extraction zone to a large, sleek, and solid black electric motorcycle that had been hidden earlier. Silently, The Figure got on it and disappeared into the night.

“That was the partial success signal.  I guess M’s agent got out successfully.” A beautiful young woman said with a sigh as she looked at her phone.  Her long blonde hair blew in the wind of the night. “We stayed up late for nothing.”

“It cannot be helped, Helen.” A young man of Indian descent who always kept his eyes closed said to her. “We were asked only to assist if it was necessary.  I am glad that M’s agent is a competent one.”

“I suppose.  I still don’t understand why we couldn’t do it ourselves.”

“Because it is not an official mission and we have achieved a level of power that we can’t expose unless it would be necessary.  If we did, we would only cause fear in the populous. We can not act except in the worst cases. At least, for now.”

“That makes sense for you because you are Rank SS- and still rising. I’m only Rank S.”

“A Rank S that I’m not confident I can beat. I’m only confident I can’t lose.”

“Not that you will ever find out. I’m never going to fight you again.” Helen said with a sigh. “Indrajit, did you ever hear from Hammon?”

“No, he disappeared through a green portal.  It seems as though he was Abducted again.”

“Again?” Are you sure he didn’t just leave on his own?  This is like the 12th time for him.”

“He doesn’t strike me as the type who would run away from responsibility.”

“Possibly, but then again, how well do we know him?  He keeps getting abducted, so we haven’t spent much time with him.  At this rate, he will end up an old man given that he is supposed to be around ten years old right now.  Ending up in worlds with a different flow of time is such a pain. Anyway, I’m going off to bed. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Indrajit barely replied before Helen streaked off like a lightning bolt in the sky.

...

Roughly half an hour later, one of the security guards mulled through the wreckage of the computer room.

“This is unfortunate.” An electronically modified voice said behind him.  In a panic, the security guard turns around before he immediately gave a Roman Salute.  The person he saluted didn’t pay the security guard much heed, the owner of the voice began to pick up the remains of a device attached to a computer. “You let whoever it was get away?”

“Legion, sir, the… the intruder escaped.” The security guard replied as his face paled, and both his voice and body shook.

“No matter. Until we identify M’s identity, we will most likely be on the defensive. Even we aren’t capable of hacking SUMA so efficiently. What can you tell me about the intruder?”

“The intruder could not be identified as he or she wore a mask and was equipped with adamantine armor.  A plasma bolt bounced off of said armor during the escape, Sir.” 

“Yes, I saw the security feed.  Strangely, the intruder did not appear until he was seen in the computer room.  His sword was also made of adamantine which was heated. It’s the only thing that could so efficiently cut through that much metal.  No matter. We were never at any risk. There was nothing on these computers, and they are no longer connected to our private network.” The masked man continued as he examined the computer.  

As he did so, the computer froze.  On the desktop showed the insignia for Hydra, the multi-world crime organization which had taken root on earth.  As he looked at the screen, the insignia changed. At the bottom lay all the heads of the beheaded Hydra as smoke rose from their stumps.  Instead of SPQR in the middle, they were the letters VVV. The Eagle was beheaded with its head pierced through one of them.

“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?” The masked individual asked with a chuckle. “You came, you saw, but you did not conquer, Sir. Adamantine Knight.”