(A/N: I do not own any of the pictures used in this ENTIRE story, they were found on Pinterest or Google, they belong to the creators and deserve the credit. Or made with AI art.)

(A/N: I do not own the videos used in the ENTIRE story, they were found on YouTube, the creators deserve the credit)

(A/N: Also I do not own any of the series, animes or games used in this story, they belong to their respective owners and deserve the credit)

Morvekia Airspace, 300 Miles from the Capital Cityh of Kryostag

In the air a few hundred thousand meters above the country of Morvekia, a C-17 Globemaster was flying over the area as it tried to avoid detection from Russian radar and being shot down. Inside it, there was a standard crew of three for the plane, while in the loading bay of the plane, there was a group of 5 young adults, 3 males and 2 females, among them was a young military officer in civilian clothes

This man was young, around his late 20's, with short black hair in a crew cut, with crystal blue eyes and white skin, plus a little stubble on his chin. He wore regular black tennis shoes, baggy blue jeans, a blue shirt and a leather jacket. On his waist was a side arm holster, in it was a Glock 27 Long Slide, a KBAR knife on his thigh, and lastly a ear communicator in his left ear

This was Lieutenant Mikey Rickshaw, a seasoned soldier from his time in Iraq. Across from him was Team Vanguardian, a young and rising team of heros in the Global Heroic Alliance Commission, or the GHAC.

There was Ethan Kalder, the leader of the team, who went by Bravestrom. He had the ability to control and manipulate the weather, even using certain elements in battle around him. He wore a blue and grey suit with lighting shaped marks across his body, a white and blue scarf and eye mask. He stood in front as he had his arms crossed, waiting for the mission details

On his right was a beautiful girl with dark skin, she had short black hair that reached her shoulders and hazel colored eyes. She was Rachel Fairchild, she had Vector, Kinetic and Gravity Manipulation and Earthquake generation, she was the power house of the team, also very scary. She wore a orange and light blue spandex suit, with a seismograph-like symbol on her chest with a mask

Next to her was a boy, with pale like skin, shaggy light hair and dark grey eyes, this was Henry Lazarus. He was seen wearing a black and indigo bodysuit, with a hooded cape and a face mask. He was reading a book with strange writing in it, it was actually a grimoire, a book of magic. His powers were just magic, but his signature weapons was the Chains of Azrael, the family heirloom

On the other side, another girl with a goddess like body, porcelain like skin and lilac eyes, she was speaking with the last member of the team. She was wearing a white and light pink bodysuit, with a diamond-shaped on her chest. She was Alice Aveline, she was the beautiful lady who can be mistaken for a supermodel or goddess

The last one was a young male with tan skin, dark red hair and had pale blue eyes, this was Joshua Santiago, the healer of the team. He was wearing a red and purple suit with a purple star of life symbol on his chest, on his face was a hazmat suit mask. He was reading a book of known plants, diseases and viruses in the region of Morvekia, which is a few

"Okay team, here's a simple mission debrief," Mikey said as he held a clipboard,"this is a serious mission, and we're treading on thin ice."

"I thought we weren't allowed to operate anywhere near Russia or Ukraine," Joshua asked as he closed his book,"ever since the war started, Russia declared if any forces operating even close to Ukraine."

"Yes we were told that, but some believe that wasn't the official Russian government. Cause when Ukraine was invaded, Morvekia was suddenly invaded right after Ukraine, and the soldiers were bearing no flag or insignia."

"So some section of the Russian military is using a mercenary force," Rachel asked,"I thought Morvekia was a Soviet controlled state?"

"It was until 1994," Alice said to her,"after years of oppression from the Soviet Union and the Russian soldiers, Morvekia declared independence against Russia and in 2011, they were declared independent and established their own government."

"The Morvekia Federation, which has been successfully for the last 13 years," Henry said as he looked at the others,"they have a standing army of 1,00,000. It's been holding these enemies forces off, but the cracks are showing in their defenses."

"So whats are this guys target," Ethan asked Mikey,"cause you just don't send in a large mercenary force just to overthrow a government and subjugate the people."

Mikey nodded as he pulled up a map of Morvekia, which was right above Russia, stretching from east to west, ending just at the border between Russia and Norway. It showed Kryostag, the main capital of Morvekia, covered in blue while much of the land going south was red, showing the unknown forces.

Morvekia:

"Show far the enemy forces have managed to reach close to Kryostag," Mikey said,"but for some reason they haven't pushed in deep into Morvekia territory, just set up a massive defensive line along the area."

"Why haven't they pushed onto the capital, if they took that much why not press in," Rachel asked

"Cause we believe they already have the territory they want," General Johnathan Smith said over a video screen,"we just received a communication from the Morvekian government, one of their scout forces has located the command of the enemy forces."

"Where," Alice asked

Soon a holographic image of a massive tower was seen, it was 380 meters tall, in an almost hexagon formation. It was made from cinder blocks and other materials, but it gave off a vibe it was made from the Cold War era, as it just looked depressing.

"This is the Iron Cage," Smith said,"it was constructed during the end of World War II, when Stalin had taken the country over during that time."

"I thought Morvekia wasn't in the war," Henry said, already not like this

"Stalin attacked immediately after, it was easy given back then Morvekia didn't have a military to defend itself back then. Just ragtag militia's to fight against a massive military force during its time."

"Shit, feels like bad luck after bad luck with them," Joshua said,"so I guess we're try and enter the Cage?"

"Indeed, your mission is to hook up with a Morvekian scout force and enter the Cage," Mikey said as he showed the map,"enter, find the commanding officer and see why they're there in the first place."

"This is will be an easy mission for you, given your history since coming to our world," Smith said on the screen,"but still, be safe and find out what is going on, Command out."

The Vanguardians nodded as they walked to the back ramp, where it was lowering down, making them see the afternoon light showing the many forests. Beyond it were massive snow covered mountains, which was called the White Iron Wall, properly named cause the ice was hard as iron. They looked at one another and soon each jumped from the ramp, falling down to the earth, with Ethan easing the landing with his powers

They soon started running towards the rendezvous point where to meet the Morvekian scout team, there they'll move onto the Iron Tower. They soon came to a massive clearing, there they waited until a bird noise was heard, making Ethan respond with a bird song, which was the response for the squad. Soon multiple figures in random clothes and Kevlar vests, holding M30 Morvekian Assault Rifles

"Sergeant Kasparov," Ethan asked

"Da Comrade," Kasparov said as he walked up,"we have scouted the area and we may have found a way in the Iron Tower."

"Good, do you have an estimate of their numbers," Henry asked as they moved to the tree line

"About 5,000 foot soldiers and around 200 tanks, they're spread around the area, they're holding it hard."

"So they haven't moved anywhere close to the capital," Rachel asked,"cause isn't that normal when trying to invade?"

"True," a female soldier named Nadya said,"but they've been more interested in the Tower, seems like it's all they care about."

"Must have research in there they want," Joshua said,"cause experimental tests were conducted in places like this."

"It was normal during the Cold War, thats when the Augments rose in their Prime," Kasparov said,"many children were taken from their homes for these tests, and many were found dead in the ditches."

"Sorry to hear that," Alice said as they took cover

Kasparov handed Ethan some binoculars to look at the enemy defenses, seeing a lot of machine gun emplacements, tanks and sees some placing landmines around the field. He hummed as he looked around as he soon heard a helicopter coming in from the south, so he tuned to see it coming in. It was a Mil Mi-8 transport helicopter, it bore no insignia so that didn't help

The helicopter landed on top of the top, then the back door opened and soon multiple occupants walked out, all wearing black clothing but some had their own. The one leading the group was an older man, with shaggy white hair, brown eyes and a bit chubby at the stomach. He walked ahead in front of the others, who all looked around the Vanguardians ages

Though one in the back soon turned around, and as if she was looking right at Ethan, winked in their general direction. Ethan soon gasped and jumped back, quickly making a Electro Blade, a small blade made from lightning generated from his body. He panted as he didn't expect someone from that distance to see them, and now they could be compromised

"Shit," he said

"Whats up, you look like your heart spiked," Rachel asked him

"Yeah, just dodged a bullet I guess."

"Metaphorically," a young Morvekian soldier asked, getting some laughs

"Yes you идиот(idiot)," Kasparov said as he slapped the kids head,"now silence, if we're exposed, then we need to move fast."

"Agreed, Alice want to get us close," Ethan asked her

"Sure thing, though I've tried to open a portal inside the prison, but something is blocking me," Alice said,"I can get us in close, but no directly in the Tower."

"Not much, but its best we can work with," Henry said as he looked at Ethan,"I can't sense magic, but I can sense something off about this place, its odd."

"Well we have to move, we'll investigate it later," Ethan said as he looks at Alice,"open the portal, get us in close and we'll handle the rest."

"What about us," Dimitri, a rookie, asked them

"You guys stay here, cover us if things go south, cause if it does we'll need to make a quick get away. Okay Alice, pop one open and let's head in."

Alice nodded as she opened a portal and soon the team jumped through, soon landing in the middle of the invading army. They were at a side door, which was thankfully covered by an overgrowth of bushes, thanks to the many years of not trimming. There they all got a closer look at the Tower stood as a monolithic reminder of a forgotten age, its Cold War-era design an imposing blend of brutalist architecture and haunting silence.

Layers of concrete walls lined with rusted metal reinforcements stretched upward into the dimly lit void, the faint hum of flickering lights providing the only soundtrack to their infiltration. Ethan motioned for the team to follow, his hand gesturing a silent command, their usage of hand signals was thanks to years of combat in their old universe .

The Vanguardians moved in a single file, their footsteps muffled by the dust-coated concrete floors, though the smell was horrible. The prison was eerily empty, its cells devoid of prisoners, but the dark stains inside them gave them a clear picture of what happened here back in the day. Each barred cell held nothing but decay, rusted bed frames, shattered glass, and an overwhelming sense of abandonment.

"Geez, this place makes depression look like a mild fever," Rachel said,"it feels...dead

"Too dead," Henry whispered, his voice tense,"it's like they cleared this place out before we even got here."

"Keep it down, we're not alone," Alice said

Ethan led them past rows of empty cells, each step echoing faintly in the cavernous halls. The air was stale, the kind that clawed at their lungs with every breath, rusted pipes snaked along the ceiling, dripping condensation onto the floor in irregular rhythms. Occasionally, the group passed outdated propaganda posters plastered on the walls, their colors faded but their messages of control still clear.

They reached a fork in the corridor, the path splitting into two shadowed directions. Ethan glanced at Joshua, who had been lingering at the rear with his usual gaze of precognition and alertness, but Joshua managed to still be nonchalant about it. They have been through much, much worse then this

"Hey Joshua, left or right man," Ethan asked with a smile

"Meh, I say left, t smells less like despair," Joshua shrugged, his voice hinting with sarcasm

The team suppressed from laugh laughing, a usual thing with them when they cut up jokes, so no Ethan led them left. The corridor narrowed, leading to a set of heavy steel doors marked with faded Cyrillic letters. Beyond the doors, the space opened into a wide chamber dominated by a strange, suspended object.

The chamber was stark and clinical, a relic of old-world engineering, at its center, a human-sized capsule floated in midair, suspended by a web of cables and glowing magnetic fields. The capsule's was metal, with clamps around it from letting anything from getting in...or out, it didn't let them see inside it, but from thew way the room was and the eerie feel, it didn't settle right with them

"What the hell is that," Rachel asked

"Looks like something straight out of a sci-fi horror flick," Henry said,"though this one looks way better then those cringe ones

Alice crouched near the edge of the platform, inspecting the glowing mechanisms holding the capsule in place. She touched it and she could feel the power of the technology, it felt like it was the one helping keep the capsule, she hummed as this was way beyond Soviet Union, hell even human technology

"This tech is decades ahead of its time, it's not even human," she asked,"what were they doing here?"

"Whatever it is, it's not our mission to figure it out," Ethan said,"but we'll look later, right now let's keep moving."

The group skirted the edges of the chamber, their eyes darting between the capsule and the shadows beyond. Ethan looked up to see their target, the control room perched on an upper level overlooking the chamber, which should hold their answers. A metal staircase led the way, its steps creaking under their weight, thankfully they managed to get there with no problems.

The control room was as utilitarian as the rest of the Iron Tower, steel consoles with outdated knobs and dials, dim monitors showing static, but there was a bunch of modern technology, computers and such. Rachel moved to the largest console, her fingers tapping on the main laptop, and soon say a bunch of options and clicked the one to power the old console

"Let's see what they were hiding," she said,"give me a minute, this tech is advanced."

Henry stood guard by the doorway, he eyes scanning the dark corridor they'd come from. Alice was seen looking at old files that were stacked to the side, all in Russian and some in code she couldn't translate. Ethan and Joshua looked outside of the main window, seeing the main capsule in the air, and the coldness of the room was finally getting in

"Make it quick, I don't like how quiet it's gotten," Ethan said,"we haven't seen a soul since we've gotten here, especially those people who were in top of the tower.

Joshuas leaned over Rachel's shoulder, watching the screen flicker to life. Rachel typed rapidly, navigating through ancient systems, seeing a bunch of files, schematics and something called, Project Augment and Bloodhound

"Anything useful," he asked her

"I'm in...there's a file on the capsule," she said,"looks like some kind of...subject containment. It's encrypted, but—"

Her words were cut off by the sound of boots, eavy, deliberate footsteps echoed from the corridor. Before anyone could react, the door burst open, and a squad of soldiers stormed in, weapons raised. The Vanguardians froze, their hands instinctively moving to activate their, but the soldiers were faster. Guns clicked as they were pointed directly at the team.

"Drop your weapons, now," a gruff voice told them,

Ethan slowly raised his hands, glaring at the squad leader, same with Rachel as she couldn't believe how fast they closed in. Henry and Alice were side by side, each looking around to see an opportunity to mover Joshua, standing at the rear of the group with his arms half-raised, broke the tense silence with a sarcastic quip.

"Well, this went exactly as planned," he said sarcastically,"so who wants to take the first bullet? I'm feeling generous."

A soldier scowled, jabbing the butt of his rifle into Joshuas stomach, making Rachel glare at the soldier. But the wall of guns made her stay still, she could kill them all but they'll hit her first, she hated being in a position like this. Ethan stayed silent as he looked the troops, they wore all black armor and clothes, they had helmets and goggles, covering their faces

'Whoever they are, they want to stay hidden, can't place ethnicity or culture,' Ethan thought,'smart, but the squad leader definitely sounds Russian, must a local.'

The team exchanged tense glances as the soldiers closed in, soon they hear more footsteps and there they see the people from the top of the Tower. There Ethan saw the man from the helicopter, he was around his early 60's, short white hair, a little chubby at the stomach and brown eyes. He wore brown slacks, tan pants and white shirt with a cotton vest over it, and a black trench coat

Behind were 5 individuals, 3 males and 2 females, just like them. One of them was the girl Ethan saw, who winked at him, she was tanned, black short shoulder length hair, green eyes and had an athletic body with a medium chest. She wore black boots, pants and sweater, and a jacket they reach to her midriff, she was beautiful to be honest

Next the two looked like twins, both had tanned skin, though the girl had blue eyes, with long blue hair, while the boy had red eyes and red spiked hair. They wore the same thing the first female wore, though the boy had dark orange lines on his while the girl had blue. The girl was average height, while the male was around 6'4, and muscular enough to put Captain America to shame

The other male had a striking presence, with short-cropped black hair streaked with silver, dark eyes with a faint metallic sheen, and a sharp, chiseled jawline. He wore a sleek, tactical suit reinforced with metallic accents underneath his jacket, which had metal blades inside it. His gloves have magnetic nodes embedded in them, making Ethan believe he had control over metal.

The last one wild, spiked white hair that crackles faintly with light blue electricity. His eyes glow an intense electric blue, and his skin bears faint, lightning-shaped scars that pulse, as if he was either struck by lighting as a kid. He wore a sleek, bodysuit with glowing blue accents, he wore black boots and pants at the bottom, while he wore a jacket on top

"Seems we have some unexpected guests," the old said as he hobbled to the middle of the room,"hmm Americans, always sticking their noses in places where it doesn't belong."

"Yeah well it happens when you invade a country," Alice said with a smirk,"so care to tell us what you're doing?"

"Be silent," the blue hair told her, her voice cold and detached,"no questions, this isn't your problem."

"At least why attack, the Soviet's were forced out when Morvekia declared independence years ago," Ethan said,"why come back after all this time?"

"Reclaiming was is rightly ours," the old man said as he tapped away,"it was place here to be punished, then those peasants rose against us, their rightful rulers, hmph! Independence, they are weak alone."

"Well they have friends in high places," Henry said, then eyed the others,"so who are these guys, makes me feel like they aren't cheery campers."

"Keep talking and I'll roast your face off," the male with red hair said, flames coming out of his hands

"Happened to me once, let me say it's very refreshing."

The girl with short black hair walked out, looking at the Vanguardians, this made Joshua look to see hearing-aids in her ears. She looked around as she made a few signs to the one with the white hair, who nodded. He walked to the old man, tapping his shoulder

"We are running out of time, Morvekian forces are closing in," he said

"How could they tell," Ethan whispered

Morvekia was planning a counter attack to force the Russians out, and Kryostag was miles away massing their forces. He looked at the girl with the hearing aids, he speculated that she must have enhanced hearing, her powers must have enhanced her hearing so much she needs the hearing-aids to control the noises. He turned back to the old man who tapped faster

"Hmm almost there," he said,"AH! There we go."

The final keystroke echoed like a gunshot in the still room, soon a sharp hiss followed as the glowing mechanisms holding the capsule aloft flickered and dimmed. The magnetic field that had suspended the cell for decades began to falter, and the capsule began its slow descent. The web of cables and lights disconnected one by one, retreating into the machinery above.

"This isn't good guys," Rachel said

"No kidding, whatever they're after must be important," Alice said

The capsule descended with a groan, the weight of its history pressing down on everyone in the room. The old man stepped back, his face etched with a mixture of glee, pride and joy, as if he finally got something he has killed for. The ones who followed him all stared at the capsule, some with anticipation, neutrality and even some fear of what may be inside

Finally, the capsule touched the ground with a heavy metallic thud, groaning as the metal settled. The machinery around it went completely silent, the humming lights above flickering out one by one until only the faint glow of emergency lighting remained. A hiss of decompression filled the room, and a thin layer of frost spread from the capsule's seams, crawling across the floor like a living thing.

The soldiers had moved down to the floor with the capsule, moving and stepping forward cautiously, their weapons at the ready. One of them, the squad leader, barked an order to the others, all who were tensed as hell.

"Stay back," he yelled,"nobody moves until we confirm what's inside!"

"Hahaha," the old man chuckled,"after so many years, the Soviet Union will return and he will lead us back."

"He, who's he," Ethan asked,"let me guess, you  froze Stalin after his death?"

"Oh you'll see young man, this weapon, he is more powerful then that fool."

The capsule's surface began to frost over completely, the temperature in the room plummeting as condensation turned to ice on the walls. A crack echoed through the air as the capsule's front panel split open, a wave of freezing mist spilling out like an unearthly breath.

Inside was a figure, who soon coughed hard and fell to his knees, it was a male teen. Dark skin, crimson blood eyes and a muscular figure. He wore skin tight leggings, which was made from a strange material, as it seemed to be warming his body after so many years in that capsule. He coughed and puked up some white suspense, which seemed to clear his lungs

"It was a cryo cell...," Alice said in shock

"And whoever they were keeping in it, is now awake," Ethan said, as he stared at the old man who only smiled darkly

"He's awake," he said