POV Nick Fury
"After a close vote, it has been decided that you will remain in your position of Director. But we're watching you closely," the French seat says.
"I thank the council for its fair judgment. I will use this chance to help keep the world safe," I reply calmly.
"Related to that, we wish to know if you have found any info on what happened?" the British seat asks.
"Nothing. There are no traces. No, leads. Nothing. Whatever, saved the world did so secretly and without revealing itself," I explain.
"Sigh. We thought as much. Now, what about the effects it has left behind?" the Chinese seat asks.
"From what I have gathered, this is the list of nations unaffected. Now, my agents have gone through the list and have found a possible criterion that might explain why all those nations lost their fossil fuels," I say while sending the files.
"Hmm, then it is a nearly global incident?" the US seat asks.
"Indeed. So far, only 3 countries are confirmed to be unaffected. They are Mongolia, South Korea, and Japan. All 3 countries have never had any reported Xenomorph infections. Nor did they launch any nuclear weapons. We also have a slightly unconfirmed report that North Korea might also be unaffected, but it will take some time to confirm it," I report.
"Dear god," the Russian seat says.
"This will shatter the world if word gets out," the Chinese seat comments.
"You're correct; however, it won't remain secret for long. Even as we speak, the US Government has already spread the news amongst its parties. We don't have the manpower to keep the secret, and anyone with eyeballs can see that the Middle East has been reduced to an endless dry wasteland. Even the sand is gone. Africa, on the other hand, seems to have returned to its ancient state, with the massive change of the Saharan Desert being replaced by a massive forest. That's not even mentioning the global temperature reduction and signs that the atmosphere has been massively changed," I report.
"Changes? Are they dangerous?" the US seat asks.
"No, if anything, it's a good thing. While temperatures across the globe have decreased, this was caused by the massive reduction of carbon, methane, and other similar greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. I dare say Earth has been given a fresh start, or maybe time has been reversed. As for the changes in Africa, time will tell whether they have any negative effects. For now, it doesn't seem to. The Middle East is another story. The land is useless to everybody. It has nothing of value as far as any of my agents can tell. Not even water. Even mountains are gone. It's now a massive flat field full of dead soil. And don't even get me started on the religious issue this will cause," I report.
"What does religion have to do with this?" the Chinese seat asks.
"Well, seeing as several major holy sites are now gone from the face of the planet, I'd say we might have some tension. Mecca, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Medina, you name it, and it's now gone. Israel will likely try to move in to reclaim what they lost, but hard to say how that will go," I report.
"I see. We shall try to deal with that when the time comes. For now, your priority should be developing weapons to erase the Xenomorphs from Earth," the US seat comments.
"And what weapons do you expect me to use? Anything we used was only moderately effective," I reply.
"Those old Hydra weapons did well," the US seat replies.
"They worked for a week before becoming basically useless. Not to mention, we lost 90% of those weapons that were deployed. And from the reports I have received, the main hive is still very active, and I don't have the firepower to destroy that hive," I reply.
"What firepower do you need?" the Chinese seat asks.
"A nuke at least. The hive took a thermonuclear warhead without a scratch, but my guess is the inside isn't so durable," I report.
"Not going to happen," the Russian, Chinese, and US seats respond simultaneously.
"I'm not asking for your WMDs. Surely Russia and China can force North Korea to turn over its WMD," I comment with a slight upturn of my lips.
They go one mute to discuss amongst themselves.
"We will consider it," the Chinese seat responds after their discussion.
"That's all I ask," I reply.
"In the meantime, we expect you to use your agency to start eliminating any and all Xenomorphs you can," the Russian seat orders.
"I will do my best," I reply.
"Hmm, see to it you do. And remember, we are watching you, Director. This cannot be allowed to happen again. Earth was lucky this time; we won't be so lucky next time," the US seat replies.
"We've done the best we could, given the circumstances. But I seem to recall that it was the Council's decision to forgo the creation of S.W.O.R.D., which was made to handle extraterrestrial threats. You said it wasn't needed. Then you said that you would make a department yourself. Neither seems to be true," I refute.
"And that decision still stands. It is your job, so do it," the French seat orders.
The call ends, and I am left to deal with the mess of the situation. I could already feel the migraine coming, but I chose to deal with it as I went.
POV Shift Gravik
"Are we certain that this world is viable for invasion? Or even habitation for that matter?" I ask.
"What do you mean?" Grelod replies.
"The Xenomorphs! While I admit that the humans managed to survive, we cannot ignore the fact that when a planet faces one infestation, another is not that far behind. Even if we take advantage of the weakened humans, we would then be required to handle the coming Xenomorph infestations. Not to mention, we still have no idea what caused such a massive reality alteration. It just feels like this world is becoming too hot to handle," I reply somewhat nervously.
"While I admit there is a risk of reinfestation, we have to acknowledge that we've already put a lot of effort into infiltrating Earth. And humanity is at its weakest right now. If anything, we should use this chance to take over," Grelod refutes.
"And how do you propose we manage that? Not only is the Allfather still alive, but even the Ancient One is still around, and despite their reputations, we both know there is no way they were responsible for such drastic changes, which strongly suggests there is another powerful being on this planet. Then there are the Mutants, which could mass-awaken at any moment. And we've even gotten reports that Kamar Taj has been acting far more proactively recently. Even attacking people they never did before. And while I'll admit our operations against the Vampires went extremely well, that was because many humans had a reason to want to erase them. It just seems like there's far too much risk for little reward," I reply with annoyance.
"I... Okay, I can't deny, you have a point. But we've managed to survive much worse, and where will there be a better option than Earth? I mean that idiot Fury has been helping us get to the highest levels of power," Grelod replies.
"Talos has been making massive progress in the new homeworld. And the Kree don't dare move too heavily in the Milky Way. Not with their tense standoff with the Shi'ar and Nova. So why not take this chance to leave Earth and rebuild our homeland?" I reply.
"Sigh. I hate that you're right. But ultimately, the choice lay with Lord Kl'rt. Only he can decide if we leave or stay," Grelod replies.
I agree, and we send the message to Lord Kl'rt and then explain our situation to him.
"You're right. We shall abandon our plans on Earth for now. Leave only a single squad to observe the situation. Perhaps if there is a chance, we can return to take over, but for now, we shall move on to better options," Lord Kl'rt orders.
"Yes, Lord Kl'rt," We both respond.
The call ends and begins the evacuation procedures.
POV Shift Luigi D'Antonio
"What you did was unacceptable!" Leonardo, the seat for the 'Ndrangheta organization, yells.
"Whatever, I just moved to claim the weak members of the table. If they weren't strong enough to protect themselves, then they deserved to be destroyed," I reply halfheartedly.
"Mr. D'Antonio, you destroyed three of the other seats; that is a severe violation of the rules," Katia Jovonovich, the seat for the Ruska Roma, says with annoyance.
"Don't give me that self-righteous bullsh*t; we're all rivals in one way or another. What I did was nothing beyond what anyone else would have done in my situation," I refute.
"You worked with outsiders to remove the Five Families. That is against the rules. Against the sacred rule. No outsiders can harm a member of the High Table. That is the issue," Don Alexei, the head of the Russian Mafia, says.
"And you have proof?" I ask with a smug smile.
"No, but we don't need it. Get your affairs in order, as it will be decided by a duel," Katia Jovonovich says.
"What kind of duel?" I ask.
"Leonardo, and the 'Ndrangheta have volunteered to take all you own. We approved of that; however, keeping with traditions, it shall be a duel between your two groups. Last one standing remains on the High Table," Murata Takashi, the head of the Yakuza, says.
"Fine, bring it on, my men are ready for any challenges," I say confidently.
"Very well, then you two may leave and resolve your dispute," Don Alexei says.
POV Shift Katia Jovonovich
"Now that they are gone, what is next to be discussed?" I ask.
"The resource shortage. We don't have the needed fuel to operate anymore. Operations might become far harder to do," Don Alexei says.
"There's not much we can do about fuel. But we have the resources to switch to renewable energy quickly. All in favor of using the High Table Funds to start the conversion?" I ask.
Everyone raises their hands.
"Good, next?" I ask.
"My group is suffering severe losses at the hands of the Ghost Rider. I would like to request some assistance," Joaquín, the seat of the Sinaloa Cartel, says.
"You must be desperate to ask for help after so many other seats have been lost recently. How bad are your losses?" Murata Takashi asks.
"90% or more of my guys have been erased. And it's not just my gang, but basically every gang in Central America has taken a massive hit. Though you can argue that some of the gangs in South America are worse off due to them getting annihilated by nuclear fire. I do have some rivals that are cutting into profits, but for the most part, the Ghost Rider has been wiping out everyone," Joaquín replies.
"You've lost that much!" I said with honest shock.
"The Ghost Rider is no joke. That damn demon is unaffected by everything we throw at him, and now, with the loss of fuel and the like, things are gonna get much worse. So yeah, I'm asking for help, though if you feel like you want to take over my business, then go ahead and try, but I assure you it ain't gonna go too well," Joaquín replies defensively.
"If you can't deal with him, how do you expect us to help?" I ask skeptically.
"I dunno, find Holy Water, or whatever else there is to send the demon back to hell where he belongs," Joaquín says.
"Fine, I'll send over what extra supplies I have from the Vampire situation," I offer.
Several other do the same, but none of us offer our people to him, as it was far too unstable right now to risk our personal troops. After that, the meeting was adjourned as we talked about what needed to be said. Though we did announce the changes in the High Table, so the hotels and their staff were aware, and to avoid unnecessary losses due to the fighting between the Camorra and the 'Ndrangheta.
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Author's Note:
Here is a list of the members of the High Table so you know what changed from the original story. And remember this is an AU. And they aren't refilling the seats because that means more power sharing.
High Table Seats Ranked By Power:
1. Russian Mob
2. Ruska Roma
3. Yakuza
4. Triad
5. Sinaloa (Crippled)
6. 'Ndrangheta (Temporary Out)
7. Camorra (Temporary Out)
8. The Elder (Defunct)
9. The Five Families (Defunct)
10. Cosa Nostra (Defunct)
11. Albanian Mafia (Defunct)
12. Vampires (Defunct)