"Stand down, Colonel Bridge! I won't tell you again!"

The UN commander looked at GW Bridge, who stood there with Excalibur backing him.  His weapon was drawn and there were many armed UN soldiers about facing down a multitude of SHIELD agents. The Helicarrier was flanked by aircraft and below warships were beneath the vessel.

"And I won't let you do this," said Bridge, his voice even. He had never though the day would come when SHIELD and the United Nations would beat such a standoff, but here it was over one thing, one being called Genesis. The computer programme that had the capacity of the creation of Forge called Shrapnel and a piece of the soul of Forge himself was the SHIELD Director now. He had used the Hydra Crisis to gain more anonymity for SHIELD and the Security Council were responding, but SHIELD were loyal, thanks to impassioned pleas from Timothy Dugan and Bridge himself.

"I am with the authority of the UN and you are a UN operative," said the commander. "All of Excalibur are operatives of the United Nations and subject to the orders of the Security Council."

"Perhaps you didn't hear," said USAgent. "We quit. We're working for SHIELD now."

"Yeah," said Union Jack. "So why don't you and your people go away, before it gets messy?" Excalibur had had their asses saved by Forge in the Caribbean and they had a loyalty to him. Yes, Genesis had done things in a way they hadn't been one hundred per cent up with, but he had done it and if the UN had screwed up, it was their fault.

"Maybe they'd prefer to face us than Doom," said Sabra. "With this many people gunning for SHIELD, nobody's keeping an eye on him. There's no telling what he could do."

The Commander and his troops looked at Bridge and his agents and he knew he was at a standoff. "Don't make me do this," he said, but Bridge shook his head. 

"It was always going to be like this," his voice was soft, and he regretted what was going on. The UN were afraid, afraid Genesis would become like the Vision, or Ultron or any of the other artificial intelligences that had gone mad, but there was a core to them that had been mad anyway. The soul of Forge was a balanced one, a powerful one. Forge had known that he wasn't coming back from the fight and had made sure his work was carried on.

For any of those who had worked with him, trusted in him, to do anything less than back what he had planned - that was a betrayal of everything SHIELD were, of everything they stood for and it all depended on what happened now... 


Two weeks earlier

Bridge went down to the psychiatric ward at the SHIELD medical facility in Dallas. Nick Fury was still there, and the doctors were working to save his mind, in the same way they had done to save his body after he'd been shot. Whatever the Shadow King had done to him, it was still there and Fury still believed that he was Praetor of Hydra and that they would rule the world some day.

The doctors were doing everything they could to try and bring him back to who he was but the influence of the Shadow King ran deep. It had been two weeks since the fall of Hydra and most of the terrorists had ended up in SHIELD custody. It had been a long procession of paperwork and such, and Excalibur had been withdrawn from the auspices of SHIELD while the situation with Genesis was debated. There was a lot of ill-feeling out there, but at the same time the Security Council were hesitant to take on SHIELD while they were sorting out the Hydra Crisis.

It meant that Excalibur were on a downtime, which suited Bridge. He was still a SHIELD agent, it wasn't something he had resigned and he had spent a lot of time working on people to make sure that they worked and it also meant he could check on Fury. The two of them had been friends for such a long time and it helped Bridge thinking that his presence might make a difference. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be, but it was the way it had turned out.

"How's he doing?" he asked one of the doctors.

"I think we're making progress," the doctor said. "He no longer thinks that the Shadow King is the dominant force, and he has been mourning the death of Wolverine." Bridge nodded. Logan was a good connection, having known Fury a long time.

"When do you think I can see him?" Bridge asked. He needed to do something/

"Not just yet," the doctor said. "We let him know you visit, but he's not receptive to you just yet. Give him time, Colonel."

"Sure," GW said, looking through the fake wall, the glass shielding him from Fury's view, where the former director was sitting there, writing things down. "What's he writing?" Bridge wondered.

"His memoirs," said the doctor. "It gives him something to do and we let him because it shows us what's going on inside his head."

"Clever," Bridge said and his pager bleeped. Genesis was calling. "Excuse me," he said and headed for a conference room and connected to Genesis. 

"Thank you, Colonel," the holographic image said. "I know these visits mean a lot to you."

"Not a problem," said Bridge, thinking how weird it was to talk to Genesis like this, because he still saw Forge, but he had spoken with him a lot of late and he knew that Genesis was Forge, even if he wasn't human any more. "How can I help?"

"X-Force: SHIELD Executive," said Genesis. "Or XSE. You and Forge spoke about it a while ago."

"And I said I'd back him," Bridge remembered. "I see you have the acronym accounted for now."

"Yes," said Genesis. "Forge was looking for something clever a little too clever, however I am saying what it is - a special executive of SHIELD, based on the X-Force project."

"What's the problem?"

"I have put the project in to place. San Fiorentino Island is being refitted to accommodate the proper facilities."

"Is that a wise move, considering the situation with the UN?" Bridge said. The wisdom behind this was questionable.

"That is what I need you for," Genesis said. "You and I have spoken at length and you know me pretty well. My question is this - do you trust me?"

"Yes," Bridge said. "I do."

"I need you to convince people then," said Genesis. "The United Nations are going to attack SHIELD with the intention of shutting me down and bringing them back in to the fold."

"Fools," muttered Bridge. "SHIELD isn't supposed to be contained as they think we should be - have they learnt nothing?"

"No," said Genesis, "they have not and they are afraid of the unknown, the challenge that we represent, that I represent."

"You can see why," Bridge said. "I was apprehensive at first..."

"I know," said Genesis, "however you came around. That is why I am asking you, and Timothy Dugan."

"Dum Dum?"

"Yes, he is like you in many, many ways." Bridge smiled.

"Go figure," he said. "What about X-Force? Can they not help?"

"They're co-ordinating the Illuminati agenda. We have learnt a lot, and we've shut down several Illuminati operations."

Bridge whistled. "That's a good result, considering we knew nothing about them until you got in to the NSA computers."

"Will you help?"

"Yes," said Bridge. "I'm in it until it's over. I don't know that I can fix things the way you'd like, but I'll do what I can."

"That is all I ask," Genesis said. "Thank you, GW." Genesis faded away and Bridge looked at the empty space. It wasn't going to be easy, but he believed he had a way of getting the ball rolling. He had a favour to call in...


One week later.

"I thought we were out of action," said John Walker as the members of Excalibur met in the offices of Tachyon, secured for them by Savitar. 

"We are," said Rock, as he poured a cup of coffee. "But Bridge asked us to come and here we are."

"It is very strange," Ruth Bat-Seraph asked as she looked about the room at the others, her friends and colleagues. "He was very secretive, when he has been a lot more forthcoming."

"I know," said Rock, and he looked over to Hellios. "Did he say anything to you?"

The Greek hero shook his head. "No," he said. "However he did mention a choice needed to be made."

"I think he said something like that to me," said Honey Lemon. She had spent a few weeks in the care of Stephen Strange who had ensured that she was restored to normal. He had kept her under observation, as there were issues regarding her restoration he had not liked and once he had been satisfied she was in full health and there was no more of Set's evil inside her, he had let her go. "It was interesting. I thought he might mean something to do with Hauptmann."

The room fell silent, in memory of the missing member of the team who had succumbed to the draining of his life force by Mjnari and he had died in the battle with Hydra. He had been given a heroes burial, but it was another member of the team that they had lost. Then the door opened and in walked Neal, Bridge and Laynia. The team were assembled.

"Thank you for coming," said Bridge.

"Thank you?" said USAgent. "That's a new one."

"I know," said Bridge, "but I'm not here as Armory, or the Excalibur leader. I'm here as GW Bridge, Agent of SHIELD."

"What's going on, GW?" asked Rock. "What's this about, the secrecy, the caution?"

"The United Nations are going to attack SHIELD," said Bridge. "They are currently working on ways of diverting resources from the Latverian operations to focus on SHIELD."

"Genesis," said Nyoko. "They really don't like him."

"Yes," said Bridge. "I and a few others have been working and we've managed to get the majority of SHIELD on board with the idea that Genesis is a decent being."

"You're saying he's more than a computer programme?" said Hellios.

"Yes," said Bridge. "That's exactly it. A piece of Forge's soul is in Genesis, and that gives him a sentience. The thing most people in SHIELD feel is that if Genesis treats them the same way Forge did, then there's no problem."

"And what if he goes rogue?" said Sabra. "I am playing devil's advocate."

"Then we shut him down," said Bridge. He looked at them. "Genesis has considered that and I have the codes that are needed to delete the files, and restrict Genesis to Sanctuary. It is a code that three others have and two of us are needed to use it."

"He gave you that?" said Savitar, and Bridge nodded.

"It comes down to trust," he said. "Genesis trusts me, I trust him. I need you to trust me."

"Why?" asked USAgent. "What are you asking?"

"Quit Excalibur, join SHIELD and stop this before it gets out of hand," Bridge said. "Genesis has hired forty eight law firms, in twenty sic countries to fight this legally. A war between the UN and SHIELD needs to be nipped in the bud before it gets out of hand."

"That's a no-brainer," said USAgent. "Why us?"

"Because we're high profile," said Bridge. "And the President of the United States thinks we'll mke the difference."

"You called the President?" said Rock. "That's pretty big stakes, boss."

"What did he say?" Hellios asked.

"He said the United Nations are not subject to the dictates of the United States, but Excalibur saved Washington and if they were on the same side as SHIELD it would give him a lot of weight and the ability to work on the UN."

"So you have his support, if you have ours?" said Darkstar. She wasn't sure how well this would go down in Russia...

"Yes," said Bridge. "Now I can't order you to do this, I want it to be because you want to do it."

"I'm in," said Walker. "The UN made this happen, made Excalibur happen. We had no choice - it's time we showed them that the freewill thing they like to talk about applies here as well." He put his hand on the table. "Who's with us?" He looked at Bridge and nodded and Bridge smiled. He'd thought that Agent would have been the hardest to convince and slowly the others put their hand on the table and Bridge followed suit.

"That's it then," said Bridge. "Excalibur is disbanded. Now we wait..."


Now

"Please," the Commander said and Bridge and the others stood there. "We will open fire..."

"No, you won't," said Genesis, as he appeared in-between them. "SHIELD is standing down, Commander, however you will not be retaking the Helicarrier, nor will you be taking any of SHIELD by force. I have just been in contact with the United Nations."

"Yes," muttered Bridge. He had hoped for this.

"My lawayers have spoken with their lawyers and it has been decided that this is dealt with in the courts."

"Sir?" The commander didn't understand. "How did you convince them of that?"

"Well, I had some friends pull some strings," said Genesis, thinking of Bridge, of Pete Wisdom and some others who had leaked things to the press that the United Nations. The UN had been asked for comment and they had been forced to say that they were pursuing legal options. "However military action has been suspended."

"I will have to check," the commander said and Genesis nodded and turned to his people.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you for defending me, for defending SHIELD. You did not have to, but you did so anyway. Thank you all." He looked at Bridge. "You know what happens now?"

"Yes," said Bridge. He and the team had discussed it and the eleventh hour suspension had come as they thought it would. They knew that they would have to go back with the military, to take up residence at the United Nations as the Excalibur Project. They needed to be separated from SHIELD until this situation was resolved. "Good luck."

"I just hope you have better lawyers than they do," said Rock and Genesis nodded looking at each of the team. They had been brought together as strangers, not wanting to be there but they had become something more. They had been forged in to a team, respecting each other and what they stood for. No matter what happened next, he knew that what had been achieved was due in no small part to Excalibur, and it was a shame he couldn't have them in the XSE but that wasn't to be.

He knew he was going to have to fight the United Nations, and if they won the XSE dream would die and everything the Maker had put in to it would be gone, as would the rest of it.

"The orders have been confirmed," the Commander said. "We're pulling out, but..."

"You have to take us with you," said Bridge and he and the rest of Excalibur stepped forward.

"One moment," said Genesis. "Please turn around." Bridge looked at him and then Genesis smiled. Bridge was stunned. He had never seen that happen before and he did so as did the others following suit and they were faced by the SHIELD agents, all saluting the team.

"Bloody hell," said Rock.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," answered Hellios and the team saluted the SHIELD agents back, then they turned back to Genesis, who also saluted.

"I'll see you all again," he said. "One way or another." Then Excalibur walked away from SHIELD and back to the United Nations soldiers. No sound was uttered, but the silence spoke volumes and no matter what happened next, they knew that they were exactly what the Nick Fury has envisaged when the team was commissioned so long ago, and what ever came next they'd deal with it together.