Capítulo 55: Situation Changes
Though the members of the Inner Demons were mentally controlled by Mister Negative, this didn't mean they had lost the ability to think for themselves. While they were forced to remain loyal to him, facing the black maw of the Vulcan cannon, none of them chose to resist to the death.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents quickly ascended from the lower floors, cuffing the surrendering Inner Demons one by one with magnetic handcuffs. These cuffs were much tougher than standard iron restraints, and they also suppressed the negative energy within the captives, preventing any chance of explosion.
Once the situation stabilized, Peter immediately rushed to Captain Rogers, filled with excitement at meeting his idol.
"Hello, Captain America! I'm, I'm, I'm... I'm Spider-Man! I've always admired you!" Peter blurted out, visibly starstruck.
"Nice to meet you, kid. It was great fighting alongside you," Rogers replied warmly, though he was used to having fans, meeting a superhero fan was definitely a first.
"Can we take a picture together? Can I have your autograph? Oh my God, this is just so exciting!" Peter rambled, fumbling over his words as he searched his suit for his phone, desperate to snap a selfie with the Captain.
Realizing his phone was still in Miss Stark's office, Peter's face fell with a disappointed expression.
"Enough, kid. You'll have plenty of chances to meet him in the future. You two can be glued together every day if you want," Miss Stark interjected, cutting off Peter's fanboy moment.
She switched the Quinjet to autopilot, allowing J.A.R.V.I.S. to position the ship by the building's shattered window. Without hesitation, she leaped down from the open hatch, landing on the office floor below.
"How's the new suit? Not too shabby compared to the one my father hand-stitched for you, right?" she teased.
The iconic new Captain America uniform Rogers wore had been tailored by Miss Stark herself. The materials used were no longer traditional Kevlar, but an advanced micro-nanotechnology fabric she had developed.
"To be honest, it feels light, comfortable... but, how did you get my body measurements?" Rogers asked, bouncing lightly on his toes and stretching his limbs to test the suit's flexibility.
"You know, Rogers, I was the one who pulled you out of that ice block, so..." Miss Stark responded with a playful shrug and a mischievous smile.
Rogers opened his mouth to respond but then realized the truth. Nick Fury had told him she was the one who had brought him back from the Arctic. Back then, when he was still frozen, he was entirely vulnerable.
Though he didn't know exactly what Miss Stark might have done while he was unconscious, he felt a bit awkward thinking about it now.
By now, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had escorted the Inner Demons out of the Osborn Industries office building, and the hostages were being led out by the NYPD for debriefing. Only one person remained inside—Charles Standish, the interim CFO of Osborn Industries.
"Alright, enough fooling around. Let's get serious. Mr. Standish, why were they after you?" Miss Stark asked, her tone shifting to a more focused, serious manner.
"Or should I rephrase the question? How much do you know about 'Devil's Breath?'" she added, narrowing her gaze.
Charles Standish was a balding, middle-aged man, wearing a somewhat shabby-looking suit. The moment Miss Stark mentioned "Devil's Breath," a flicker of surprise crossed his face. However, a man in his position was skilled at masking his emotions.
"I'm sorry, Miss, I've never heard of anything called 'Devil's Breath,'" he said, wiping the cold sweat from his brow, but it was clear to everyone that he was only pretending to be calm.
"As the largest shareholder in Osborn Industries, I have every right to know where my investment is going," Miss Stark pressed on, her sharp, probing gaze locked onto Standish.
"Fine. Damn it, I'll talk," Standish sighed, realizing there was no point in keeping up the pretense under her intense scrutiny.
"Osborn Industries has secretly established some biological genetic engineering labs. When the board appointed me to this position, Norman approached me and asked me to maintain the funding for these labs," he confessed, a look of reluctance flashing across his face.
"He paid me a large sum to keep quiet, forbidding me from telling anyone about the labs, or I'd lose my job—and my family might be in danger."
Hearing Standish's explanation, Miss Stark smirked, a trace of disdain flickering across her face. It seemed Wilson Fisk was right—Norman Osborn was hiding something from her. Something he thought was important, though she wasn't so sure.
"I don't know what 'Devil's Breath' actually is or what results they've achieved," Standish continued, "but the Inner Demons came here, took me hostage, because they wanted to find out the identity of the project lead."
Miss Stark frowned and strode toward Standish's office desk.
"Let's see here... the head of the genetic engineering project—Dr. Isaac Delaney from Empire State University?" she muttered.
Sure enough, the computer on Standish's desk hadn't been shut down. The Inner Demons had retreated hastily, but they had already uncovered the information they wanted.
Miss Stark wasn't sure if Mister Negative had gotten the info or not, but she had to assume that they now knew about Dr. Delaney.
"The Inner Demons are after a professor at Empire State University. Do any of you have any leads?" Miss Stark asked, though her gaze was already focused on Peter Parker's mask.
Among everyone present, only Peter had any familiarity with Empire State University, being a recent graduate.
Peter thought for a moment, then rushed to Miss Stark's side and pulled up a webpage.
"If I remember correctly, tonight is the university's Halloween party. I'd bet the professor is at the school right now," he explained.
The webpage was the university's official site, and a Halloween party invitation popped up the moment the site loaded. From the looks of it, the school had likely been preparing for this event for quite some time.
Seeing the information on the screen, Miss Stark sighed in frustration as she walked past the group.
"Well... looks like it's going to be a long night. Maybe we should crash the party—what do you say?" she joked, brushing her hand over Rogers' shoulder with a mischievous smile.
For Steve Rogers, the word "dance" felt like a painful reminder, almost like a curse. He stared at Miss Stark, momentarily dazed, as memories of a war-torn era flooded back.
His mind wandered to Peggy Carter, his old flame, who had once invited him to dance in much the same way. The similarities between Miss Stark and Peggy were uncanny—the youth, the beauty, the confidence.
But as he gazed into Miss Stark's auburn hair and her deep brown eyes, he snapped back to reality. She wasn't Peggy. She was Howard's daughter, bearing not only her father's features but also his penchant for playful mockery.
Rogers finally realized that she was simply toying with him, using his unresolved feelings as fodder for a joke.
"The Inner Demons' next target is Dr. Isaac Delaney, a geneticist at Empire State University," Miss Stark said, activating her Bluetooth headset to communicate with all the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
"He's a key figure at Osborn Industries, possibly connected to the 'Devil's Breath' project we discussed in our previous briefings."
"The Inner Demons are likely already on their way. We can't let them succeed. All units, move out immediately."
"Uh, ma'am, we have a problem—our convoy's been blocked by Silver Sable's people," Rumlow's voice chimed in, interrupting Miss Stark before she could finish.
Miss Stark's brow furrowed, and she rushed to the shattered window to look down at the street below.
Sure enough, armored vehicles with a silver paint job had blocked the cross streets on both sides of the building.
"The Russians... what are they doing here? What is she thinking?" Miss Stark muttered, bewildered.
With questions swirling in her mind, Miss Stark led the group into the elevator, descending to the street.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s convoy had been blocked from both the front and back by the mercenaries, who showed no sign of moving.
Following Miss Stark's orders, Rumlow instructed his men to hold back and avoid escalating the situation.
The standoff continued until Miss Stark and her group finally emerged from the building.
Silver Sable International was a complicated entity. They had come to the scene under direct orders from Norman Osborn, surrounding the building at his behest.
The situation in the city had escalated far beyond what Osborn, as mayor, could contain. The disturbance had grown too large for him to cover up, and under pressure from the city council, Osborn had been forced to call in Silver Sable.
"We're agents of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," Miss Stark announced as she strode toward the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle, opening the door and grabbing the PA microphone.
"The Inner Demons are targeting Dr. Isaac Delaney, a geneticist at Osborn Industries. We need to get to Empire State University and stop them. If you're willing to help, stand aside and let us through."
"If you insist on blocking our way, we will take armed action under federal law," her voice boomed through the police speakers.
The Silver Sable mercenaries exchanged glances, unsure of how to proceed. They had been ordered to deal with the Inner Demons, but when they arrived, they found S.H.I.E.L.D. had already handled the situation.
Eventually, the order to stand down was given, and the armored vehicles finally moved aside.
"Everyone—get in the cars. We're heading to Empire State University," Miss Stark commanded.
Captain Rogers was about to climb into one of the vehicles when Miss Stark grabbed his arm.
"Captain Rogers, to prevent any mishaps, you'll be flying with me in the Quinjet," she said.
Miss Stark didn't want to risk the Inner Demons reaching their target before S.H.I.E.L.D. could intervene. To ensure they arrived first, she took Rogers aboard the Quinjet, which had landed nearby.
The aircraft ascended slowly, its cloaking system re-engaging as it disappeared into the night sky, heading northeast toward the university.
"Hey, wait—Miss Stark! Did you forget about me?" Peter's voice rang through her earpiece, bringing her to a brief moment of hesitation.
"Go home, kid. You've done enough for today. Get some rest," Miss Stark replied, though she wasn't about to admit she had actually forgotten about him.
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