We Are the Mobile Task Force!
16: A Founding Avenger Inspired?
We Are the Mobile Task Force!
Seeing this, Natasha stepped forward with a trace of heroism in her expression.
“Let me go with you.
I can help.” Skye immediately refused to be left behind.
“I’m coming too.” “And me!” Hearing Tony speak up, Ethan looked at the battered Mark I armor that was already barely functional and couldn’t help shaking his head with an amused expression.
“Agent Romanoff, your primary mission was to rescue Tony.
You’ve already accomplished that.” “Containing anomalies isn’t your responsibility.” “But it is mine.” “If we don’t go in, more people will die.” “If we really fail, then you can enter afterward with the remaining Foundation reserve forces.” Ethan looked toward the entrance of the nest.
“Because we’re the Foundation.” Because we’re the Foundation?
Natasha and Skye both froze.
They looked at the Foundation soldiers around them.
Every one of them was fearless.
Their morale was extraordinarily high.
For some reason, both women felt that even if an endless abyss opened directly in front of these soldiers, they would march into it without so much as a frown.
Even S.H.I.E.L.D., an organization that constantly spoke of protecting the world and serving the greater good, couldn’t guarantee that every single one of its agents would willingly stake their lives on its ideals.
To borrow a saying from the Warhammer universe, every soldier was a coin in the Emperor’s hand.
The only question was whether that coin was spent well.
Natasha understood this feeling better than most.
She had been trained as an assassin by the Red Room from childhood.
And with her Russian background, even after the collapse of the seemingly unbreakable Soviet Union, she still retained a vague understanding of what it meant to devote oneself completely to a belief.
Even so, after spending years in S.H.I.E.L.D.
and living in the United States, Natasha knew that American culture placed individualism and personal interests first.
That was why surrender in battle wasn’t necessarily considered shameful.
Life was valuable.
And because of that, even S.H.I.E.L.D.
agents couldn’t always throw themselves into certain death without hesitation.
Especially when they knew in advance that their chances of survival were extremely low.
Once the Foundation soldiers entered the nest, they would lose their air support.
Their armored vehicles would be useless underground.
Inside those cramped and complicated tunnels, all they could rely on were the weapons in their hands…
And their own flesh and blood.
Skye was equally shaken.
Although she was Chinese American and had received a standard American education, she had always cared about her heritage.
Because of that, she had looked into Chinese history and culture before, even if her understanding remained somewhat superficial.
But today, watching Ethan and the Foundation soldiers calmly face the possibility of death, she felt something strike deeply at her heart.
She couldn’t even bring herself to stop them.
Because she remembered an old saying from the land of her ancestors: To give one’s life for what is right is an honorable death.
Tony was equally stunned.
At this point, he hadn’t yet undergone the complete transformation he experienced in the original timeline.
Dr.
Yinsen was still alive.
Because the Atala organization had deployed a large portion of its forces to deal with SCP-939, Yinsen had managed to escape the base after Tony drew most of the remaining fire.
Tony himself had accidentally crashed near SCP-939’s nest after activating the Mark I’s jet propulsion system.
Without Yinsen’s death, Tony hadn’t yet experienced the event that would completely change his outlook on life.
But now…
He watched Ethan.
A Foundation agent.
A commander.
Someone who could easily have remained safely behind.
Yet Ethan didn’t hesitate for even a moment before preparing to enter SCP-939’s nest alongside his soldiers.
Tony’s lips trembled slightly.
He murmured under his breath, “Secure.
Contain.
Protect…” “We walk in darkness so that others may live in the light…” His eyes gradually sharpened.
“I get it.” “This is what the Foundation is.” Tony didn’t try to stop Ethan.
Instead, that familiar Stark grin suddenly returned to his face.
“If you make it back alive…” He hesitated for a moment.
“And if the Foundation ever needs Stark Industries to sponsor something…” “Uh, I’m guessing you probably do.” Tony held out his fist.
“Think you could give me the honor of becoming one of the Foundation’s sponsors?” Ethan stopped walking.
A broad smile appeared on his face.
“No problem.” The two bumped fists.
Then Ethan turned around and gradually disappeared into the darkness.
The nest of SCP-939, “With Many Voices,” was dark, cramped, and oppressive.
The underground tunnels were so narrow that only about three people could advance side by side.
After putting on such an impressive display outside, Ethan had to admit that he was actually rather nervous now.
More than anything else…
The atmosphere down here was genuinely terrifying.
The soldiers of the Foundation’s Air Assault Company weren’t actually members of the Foundation’s most famous primary containment forces.
They weren’t true Mobile Task Force personnel yet.
At most, they could be considered MTF reserve troops.
The Foundation maintained a standing military force specifically to identify and train suitable personnel who could eventually join its Mobile Task Forces.
Although these soldiers were technically only reserves, they had long since regarded themselves as future MTF operators.
One belief had already been deeply engraved into their wills: Secure.
Contain.
Protect.
Until death.
If they successfully contained SCP-939 today…
Then they would finally be able to proudly declare: We are the Mobile Task Force.
Green glow sticks had been placed throughout the underground tunnels, casting an eerie light across the walls.
From somewhere farther ahead, bursts of gunfire occasionally echoed through the passageways.
Reports from the forward teams continued coming through the radio.
Although these soldiers were entering SCP-939’s underground nest with nothing more than their own bodies and weapons, their MTF-E11 assault rifles proved extraordinarily effective.
The SCP-939 offspring couldn’t stop their advance.
In fact, within such cramped passages, recklessly charging the Foundation soldiers was practically the same as delivering themselves directly into their line of fire.
The advance continued smoothly.
Until the tunnel system became more complicated.
Passages began branching off in every direction.
The formation finally stopped.
“Sir.” The soldier at the front looked back.
“We have multiple branching tunnels ahead.” Ethan took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“I’ll take point.” “I’ll use an anomaly detection radar to locate the correct route.” A system notification immediately appeared.
[Would you like to spend 1,000 Rumor Points to exchange for an auxiliary item: Basic Foundation Agent Anomaly Detection Radar?] Exchange.
[Exchange confirmed.] The company commander immediately frowned.
“But, sir—” “No buts.” Ethan cut him off.
“I understand the risks.” His gaze swept across the soldiers around him.
“Right now…” “We’re all MTF.” For a moment, the Air Assault Company commander felt his blood surge.
He gripped his weapon and activated the unit-wide radio channel.
“Secure!
Contain!
Protect!
Until death!” His voice thundered through the tunnels.
“We are the Mobile Task Force!” Almost immediately, countless voices answered him.
“Secure!
Contain!
Protect!
Until death!” “WE ARE THE MOBILE TASK FORCE!”