Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

"We don’t know when the invaders will return.

"But we know they will."

The speech was taking place amid the ruins of what had once been a popular Chinese-American café in New York.

When the Chitauri invasion began, the restaurant had been directly beneath one of the portals. People had been sitting inside, enjoying an ordinary afternoon, when the sky opened and hell came raining down.

Iron Man had done everything he could to stop the destruction.

It hadn’t been enough.

Now the ruined site was surrounded by a massive crowd.

Hundreds held white candles in remembrance of the dead. Others raised banners bearing the face and name of the man standing at the center of it all.

General Ross.

A makeshift stage had been erected among the rubble, and Ross stood upon it delivering his speech with the confidence of a man who had discovered his second life.

He was still wearing his camouflage uniform, but there were no military insignia on it.

Ross had formally submitted his resignation from the armed forces.

As everyone had predicted, he was going into politics.

The military had made no attempt to stop him. His resignation had been approved without difficulty, and several senior officers had even offered their support.

Why wouldn’t they?

A promising political star made a much better friend than an enemy.

Ever since footage of Ross’s actions during the Battle of New York had gone public, he had become a household name across America.

More importantly, he was practically the only figure connected to the U.S. government who had come out of the battle looking competent.

The White House needed him.

The country was grieving. People were furious. Confidence in the government was shaken.

Ross was the perfect symbol of strength and competence.

So Washington cleared every obstacle from his path.

The Eredar Twins helped as well, providing twenty million dollars in political funding. With that kind of money behind him, Ross could rent venues across the country, print mountains of campaign posters, and keep himself in front of the public.

As for his old scandals?

They had been buried so thoroughly that digging them back up would have required an archaeologist.

The President had personally made his position clear: anyone who tried to drag Ross’s old scandals back into the light would have the full force of the administration coming down on them.

At this point, Ross was far too valuable.

The government’s credibility was hanging by a thread.

Ross was holding the other end.

His political message was equally straightforward.

Alien threats.

He insisted the Battle of New York had merely been the opening move. Somewhere out there in the depths of space, the defeated aliens were waiting for another invasion.

Humanity had survived once.

It needed to prepare for the next time.

"It’s not enough for the people of the United States to stand together!"

Ross pointed toward the crowd, his voice ringing across the ruins.

"The entire world must stand together!"

His expression hardened.

"No matter what religion we follow! No matter what race we belong to! No matter what political system we believe in!"

His finger swept across the crowd.

"When the aliens come, we have only one identity.

"Human."

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"That’s why we must unite!"

Ross raised his right fist.

"Set aside our differences! Work together! Advance together! Stand together!"

His voice rose with every sentence.

"And when the aliens return, they won’t find helpless prey waiting to be slaughtered!"

His fist drove into the air.

"They’ll find a fire of vengeance ready to burn them to ashes!"

"ROSS! ROSS! ROSS!"

The crowd exploded.

Several carefully planted supporters had started the chant at exactly the right moment. Once it caught on, everyone joined in.

People raised banners.

They lifted photographs of Ross above their heads.

They shouted his name until their voices broke.

By the end of the speech, Ross had a small army of devoted followers.

He finished with a line inspired by John F. Kennedy:

"Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country!"

The crowd roared its approval.

Ross then descended from the stage and walked into the crowd, shaking hands and exchanging words with supporters before finally making his way to his waiting car.

The moment the door closed behind him, the heroic expression vanished.

The firmness disappeared.

The smile disappeared.

Ross lit a cigar.

He took a long drag and leaned back in his seat.

Who would have thought I could come back from that?

Not only had he recovered, he had climbed higher than ever.

Not long ago, people had treated Ross like a walking political liability.

Now he was one of the hottest names in American politics.

And Ross knew exactly who had made it possible.

The two demonesses.

And the company standing behind them.

His respect for the Eredar Twins had grown considerably.

Ross understood that his current position was something most politicians could spend their entire careers dreaming about.

But to him, this was only the beginning.

He would need the Twins’ support for everything that came next.

And there was another truth he had not overlooked.

Ross narrowed his eyes.

If they had the power to give him everything he had now, then they also had the power to take it away.

Oddly enough, that didn’t bother him.

This was America.

Politicians working with wealthy corporations and powerful financiers was hardly unusual. Politicians being influenced by them was practically part of the system.

Even if Ross eventually became President, what then?

At most, he’d serve a few terms.

The names in the White House changed.

The people with money endured.

Why destroy a relationship that could support him for decades just for a few years of political independence?

Ross took another drag from his cigar.

He intended to enjoy the arrangement.

"This is going far better than I expected."

Evenson laughed and clapped his hands.

"I knew Ross would make progress, but this is ridiculous."

"The power of a role model is incredible."

Salora looked entirely too pleased with herself.

"And in a country like America, where personal heroism is practically a national religion, the effect seems to be even stronger."

Evenson gave her an awkward smile.

"So when exactly are you meeting the President? And what are you planning to discuss?"

"The President will meet Ross aboard Air Force One."

Aureseus tilted her head.

"We’re going along as part of his entourage. The exact schedule hasn’t been revealed yet."

A faintly mocking smile appeared on her face.

"Apparently, important people like to keep their movements secret."

"And this is only the first meeting," Salora added.

"The discussion probably won’t go very deep. But it should be enough to pique his interest."

"That works."

Evenson nodded.

He understood that this couldn’t be rushed.

Meeting the President once and expecting him to immediately become their devoted ally was fantasy, even by his standards.

This would have to be done gradually.

"By the way," Aureseus said, suddenly remembering something, "weren’t you about to tell us what you discovered?"

Evenson’s expression darkened.

"Bad news."

He paused.

"Very, very bad news."

The Twins were still riding high on their success and immediately became bold.

"How bad could it possibly be?" Aureseus challenged.

"Go ahead. Tell us something that will actually keep us awake tonight."

Evenson raised an eyebrow.

You asked for it.

"Fine."

He stopped smiling.

"I found traces of the Naaru on Earth."

The Twins froze.

Evenson continued.

"Those giant glowing weirdos have been here before."

Silence.

The confidence vanished from both women’s faces.

"You’re... certain?"

"Absolutely."

Evenson nodded.

Aureseus immediately raised a hand.

"Wait."

She pulled out her phone.

Then, with practiced ease, she traced a string of magical runes across the screen.

The device hummed softly.

"Hello? Agatha?"

She waited.

"Yes, it’s me."

Another pause.

"Do you have any fel-powered ships available for hire?"

Her expression remained perfectly serious.

"I need one for an interstellar trip."

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