The acquisition of Namor, however tenuous the alliance, was a paradigm shift for Elias Thorne. He now possessed direct links to two Prime Conduits of immense, albeit wildly different, power. Logan, the embodiment of terrestrial, feral fury; Namor, the avatar of oceanic, elemental might. The System, practically thrumming with the influx of new potential, began to unlock further latent sub-routines: [Advanced Conduit Synergy Protocols: Active – Host may now attempt to draw upon ambient or passively shared energies/attributes between integrated Prime Conduits, even when geographically separated, for minor personal enhancements or deeper System understanding. Warning: Conflicting energies may create instability.] This was revolutionary; Elias might be able to subtly benefit from Namor's aquatic resilience even while on land, or channel Logan's predatory focus while analyzing intelligence from Finch. The System was becoming less a simple bestower of powers and more an intricate energy matrix with Elias at its nexus.
The immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor threw the United States, and by extension the world, into a frenzy. America, enraged and unified, declared war on Japan, and within days, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, officially making the conflict a global mêlée. For Elias, this meant his carefully laid plans for influencing American industry and intelligence had to accelerate.
His Feral Striker pack – Dubois, Macgregor, and Beaulieu – along with Thomas MacIntyre, arrived back in Montreal via a circuitous route involving multiple neutral ports and discreet "Blackwood Shipping" transfers. They brought with them not only firsthand experience of the Pearl Harbor attack but also the profound, unsettling memory of Namor's power. They were hardened, their loyalty to Elias solidified by the successful, high-stakes operation. Their combat data significantly boosted the [Feral Striker Evolution Sub-Routines], allowing Elias to refine their training for urban warfare and encounters with unusually resilient or energy-wielding opponents. His Prime Essence Shard count, after their encounter with the Japanese special forces (some of whom, the System noted, had undergone rigorous, if non-supernatural, physical and mental conditioning that left a faint "enhancement echo"), crept up to [3.5/5.0] for the next Striker unit.
Namor, meanwhile, was a more complex challenge. Elias established a secure, clandestine communication link with him aboard The North Star as it made its slow, "engine-crippled" journey towards a neutral South American port (its actual destination was a hidden Thorne-controlled islet in the Caribbean, equipped with basic living quarters and advanced sensor arrays to monitor Namor without provoking him). Through Thomas, who possessed a unique, stoic rapport with powerful, difficult individuals, Elias began a delicate process of information exchange. He fed Namor validated intelligence on Hydra naval operations, on German U-boat wolfpacks preying on civilian shipping (a violation of the "laws of the sea" that Namor, despite his disdain for surface dwellers, found abhorrent), and on Japanese imperial expansion that threatened Pacific island chains potentially sacred to Atlantean lore.
In return, Namor, grudgingly, began to share fragments of information about his own past, his captivity, the nature of Atlantean society (a proud, ancient civilization wary of the "air breathers"), and the deep ecological damage the surface world's wars were inflicting upon the oceans. He confirmed Hydra's interest in Atlantean artifacts and their attempts to capture other "sea people."
[Conduit Integration (Namor): Progressing (18% - Shared Intel, Common Enemy Focus). Unlockable System Sub-Routines: "Elemental Hydrokinesis Principles (Basic)" and "Atlantean Physiology Data (Partial)" nearing threshold.]
Elias was learning, absorbing, his System cataloging the unique biology and energy signatures of an entirely different branch of sentient, powerful life.
While Namor was being managed, Logan, Miller, and O'Malley continued their relentless pursuit of Hydra in Europe. The fall of Adlerhorst and Zola's capture (even if by the Soviets) had thrown Hydra's Western European operations into disarray. Remaining cells were either going deep underground or attempting to exfiltrate to more secure locations, perhaps even back to Germany. Logan, guided by Anya's intelligence network, became a hunter of these fleeing serpents. His operations grew bolder, his targets more high-profile within Hydra's remaining command structure. He dismantled a Hydra counterfeiting ring in occupied Paris that was destabilizing Allied currency, assassinated a ruthless SS Kommandant in Belgium who was overseeing the forced labor of "undesirables" for Hydra V-weapon components, and even managed to intercept a shipment of "occult research materials" (ancient, disturbing texts and strangely glowing crystals) being transported from a hidden Bavarian vault towards neutral Spain.
Each success brought more [Prime Essence Shard Fragments] (Elias's total reached [4.8/5.0] – enough to empower two more Feral Strikers or one significantly upgraded variant if he chose to wait) and further deepened Logan's grim satisfaction. His loyalty climbed to [73% (Vanguard Against Hydra; Trust in Host's Strategic Acumen Absolute – Volatility Controlled by Constant Combat)]. He was less Elias's reluctant asset now and more his willing, if still fiercely independent, spearhead.
With America now fully in the war, Elias accelerated his plans there. Dr. Finch, using his "Blackwood" persona's credentials and the immense profits from their Canadian wartime industries, began establishing legitimate business fronts and philanthropic organizations in key American cities – New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, and critically, Los Angeles, with its burgeoning aerospace industry and proximity to Pacific operations. These entities weren't just for profit; they were listening posts, recruitment centers, and conduits for influencing policy and acquiring technology.
Anya Petrova was "seconded" from London to establish the Washington D.C. intelligence hub, under the guise of a cultural attaché for a neutral Swiss foundation. Her mission: to penetrate the newly formed Office of Strategic Services (OSS), America's nascent central intelligence agency, and identify individuals within it who might be sympathetic to "Mr. Blanchard's" methods or possess knowledge of American "special projects" similar to Project Riptide. Penny Worthington, in London, provided some discreet, initial introductions, seeing Blanchard as a useful, if deniable, auxiliary in the global fight.
The System provided Elias with a new, overarching directive: [Global Meta-Narrative Influence: Active. Current Phase: Consolidate Power within Key Allied Nations, Neutralize/Subvert Rival Superhuman Programs (Hydra/Soviet/Potential Others), Identify and Secure Additional Prime Conduits. Ultimate Objective: Ensure Host Survival and Supremacy in Impending Post-War Power Vacuum.]
The scope was breathtaking. Elias Thorne was no longer just reacting to events; his System was now actively guiding him to shape the future power balance of the entire planet. He was juggling two volatile Prime Conduits, a growing pack of Feral Strikers, an international intelligence network, a burgeoning industrial empire, and the constant, grinding demands of a world at war.
His personal power, constantly augmented by the passive synergy with Logan and Namor and his own advancing healing factor (he could now recover from broken bones in hours, deep lacerations in minutes), was reaching truly formidable levels. He felt the raw, primal energy of the Wolverine and the deep, elemental surge of the Sub-Mariner as distant but tangible echoes within his own being, his System acting as a buffer and a conduit. He could feel the faint pull of the [Unlockable System Sub-Routines] associated with Namor drawing closer.
The year 1942 dawned with the world fully engulfed in flames. From the frozen steppes of Russia to the burning sands of North Africa, from the U-boat haunted Atlantic to the contested islands of the Pacific, humanity was locked in a death struggle. And within this chaos, largely unseen, Elias Thorne and his network moved, manipulating, striking, gathering power. He had two Primes, an ocean apart, both chafing under his influence yet bound by circumstance and shared enemies. He had his Feral Strikers, a nascent pack of super-soldiers loyal to his will. He had intelligence, resources, and an alien System guiding his hand. The war would be long, brutal, and full of horrors. But Elias Thorne was prepared to ride the crimson tide, and reshape the world from its ashes.