In Marvel With Guild System

Chapter 29: New Loyalties & Lingering Shadows

With the immediate threat of Project Insight neutralized and Hydra exposed, a quiet calm descended, allowing Adam to assess the fallout and plan for the inevitable next wave. The Guild, having pulled off a near-impossible feat, felt more cohesive, more like a true family. The spike in loyalty confirmed it.

Adam opened the Guild Master Store, his GP reserves healthy again. It was time to reward and reinforce his key players.

"Wanda, Pietro," Adam said, opening a comm link to them. "That stunt you pulled with Helicarrier Three? Brilliant. Controlled chaos. I'm seeing significant increases in your combat effectiveness. Time for some upgrades."

[Guild Master Store – Item Purchased: Enhanced Stamina Serum (Wanda) – 40 GP] [Guild Master Store – Item Purchased: Enhanced Speed Serum (Pietro) – 40 GP] [Guild Master Store – Item Purchased: Psionic Focus Amulet (Wanda) – 35 GP] [Adam Stiels – Guild Points (GP): 470.75 - 40 - 40 - 35 = 355.75 GP!]

"Wanda, a Psionic Focus Amulet. It will help channel your energy, reduce the risk of another 'glitch.' Pietro, an Enhanced Speed Serum. Go break the sound barrier properly this time."

"Thank you, Adam," Wanda said, her smile genuine. Pietro was already a blur, probably testing the serum.

"Yelena," Adam continued, "your work inside the Triskelion was flawless. Surgical precision. What do you need?"

"A proper vacation, ideally," Yelena quipped, though her tone held warmth. "But realistically… better intel tools. The ones I have are good, but I need something that can track ghosts."

[Guild Master Store – Item Purchased: Advanced Reconnaissance Drone (Yelena) – 60 GP] [Adam Stiels – Guild Points (GP): 355.75 - 60 = 295.75 GP!]

"Consider it done," Adam replied, sending her an 'Advanced Reconnaissance Drone' – a silent, miniaturized drone with thermal and spectral analysis capabilities. "For tracking those lingering shadows. Like the Winter Soldier."

He then focused on Erik Selvig, who had been tirelessly poring over the Mind Stone data from The Castle and the Helicarriers.

"Erik, you mentioned an echo," Adam prompted. "A larger, singular power source."

Selvig, eyes wide, launched into a rapid-fire explanation. "Yes! The energy signatures from the Helicarrier devices were derivatives! Like a powerful current being siphoned off a massive generator. The true source… it's distinct. It emits a unique, subtle pulse that wasn't present in the Chitauri Scepter Loki had. It's… it's the power of thought itself, condensed. Pure psionic energy. And it's not where it should be. The energy I traced from Loki's Scepter was different. The real Mind Stone, the one Wanda and Pietro sensed in Sokovia, is still out there. And it's humming. Growing."

Adam felt a chill. His meta-knowledge screamed: Loki's Scepter, currently with Baron Strucker, contains the Mind Stone, not the one that powers Insight. The MCU had played a clever trick, making people assume the Insight chips were powered by the Tesseract/Space Stone. But it was the Mind Stone, currently in the Scepter, that was the true power source for Hydra's experiments. And it was exactly what Ultron would need.

"So, the power they were drawing from wasn't the original gem," Adam summarized, connecting the dots aloud. "It was a… a copy? A harnessed fraction of its power?"

"Precisely!" Selvig exclaimed, invigorated. "Like a battery drawing from a nuclear reactor. The reactor is still elsewhere. And it's immensely powerful. And it feels… unstable. Not physically, but in its very nature. It affects thought. It influences."

Adam knew what it influenced: minds. Ultron. Vision. He had to get that Scepter. And he had to get it before Tony Stark and Bruce Banner cracked it open, unwittingly unleashing Ultron. This was the next major crisis.

"Erik, this is critical," Adam said, his tone serious. "This 'true' Mind Stone… we need to track its exact location. And we need to secure it. This is our absolute top priority. Can you refine your tracking protocols for this specific energy signature?"

"I can try," Selvig replied, already buzzing with scientific excitement. "It's a challenge, but fascinating. Truly fascinating."

Adam terminated the calls, leaning back. The immediate threat was gone, but the next one had already materialized. And it was far more insidious, lurking beneath a thin layer of artificial peace. He had to prevent Ultron. He had to secure the Mind Stone. And he had to do it before fate caught up with him.

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