Camp Lehigh, New Jersey.
The old World War II base, abandoned for half a century, was now surrounded so tightly by dozens of black armored vehicles bearing Vought International's logo that nothing could get through.
Boom!
Without warning, a thick rainbow pillar of light tore through the clouds and slammed into the overgrown lawn at the center of the camp, carrying a terrifying dimensional pressure.
Violent shock waves exploded outward in a ring, sending great swaths of sand and gravel flying.
The dozens of elite Vought task force operatives stationed around it instinctively raised their specially designed pulse rifles, their infrared targeting lasers instantly locking onto the center of the pillar.
A second later, the pillar dispersed, revealing Lucian's tall, straight figure.
The instant they recognized his face, the tense, murderous atmosphere abruptly froze.
Click!
Dozens of fully armed, cold-blooded warriors lowered their weapons and stood at attention in perfect unison, their deep shouts echoing through the empty camp:
"Boss!"
"Not bad, you lot. Quite the reception."
Lucian answered offhandedly. He hadn't expected that old rascal Heimdall to treat him like a precision-guided missile and airdrop him straight onto his own construction site.
Whoosh!
A silver afterimage streaked over with a piercing sonic boom, arriving in front of Lucian almost the instant he finished speaking.
His abruptly braking feet plowed two deep furrows in the ground. With his short hair blown into a complete mess, Pietro gesticulated excitedly:
"Boss! How are you so well informed? And you even brought your own entrance effects! We were just discussing down below whether we should file a report and trouble your venerable self to come keep things under control!"
"Cut the chatter. You can't even stand properly."
Lucian glanced at his future brother-in-law, who couldn't keep a single part of himself still.
Just