Chapter 47: Deterrence S.H.I.E.L.D Mission Completion

"An abnormal energy reaction occurred in the Atlantic Ocean, with an entire island and sea surface spanning over 300 kilometers frozen by mysterious energy," reported the S.H.I.E.L.D agent.

Maria Hill listened carefully as her agents described the situation. Her expression darkened. If this energy surge was man-made, the threat level was beyond catastrophic. If such power were unleashed in a populated city, it could freeze an entire urban area within minutes.

"We need to find a super-ability user capable of this," Hill ordered, prioritizing man-made over natural disasters. Such a force in the wrong hands would be a global catastrophe.

With her S.H.I.E.L.D clearance, it didn't take long for Hill to find the information she needed. The database held a wealth of intelligence on Mutants, super-ability users, and other anomalies—Mutants being the most heavily monitored due to their numbers.

"Found it," Hill said to herself. "There are two possible suspects: Iceman, a known Mutant, and the recent super-ability user born in New York, the Ice Demon."

Hill quickly dismissed Iceman. "He doesn't have the capacity for such massive energy output."

Her focus turned to the Ice Demon—Ethan Hayes. Nick Fury had been keeping a close eye on him, clearly aware of the potential threat posed by someone with such devastating abilities. Hill suspected that Fury's long-term goal was to either recruit or neutralize Ethan before things got out of hand.

"Maintain surveillance on the Atlantic anomaly," she instructed. "Classify this as a Level 8 secret, code-named Ice Age."

An animated movie popped into her mind, but this was no joke. If the anomaly persisted or escalated, it could trigger a global environmental disaster. Earth would be thrown into a new Ice Age.

As her agents confirmed Iceman wasn't behind the event, the focus shifted entirely to Ethan. Many in the S.H.I.E.L.D aircraft carrier had their suspicions and were already digging deeper into Ethan's whereabouts. With satellite positioning, they were replaying his every move from the past 24 hours.

"Agent Hill, you need to see this." One of the agents brought forward a grainy satellite video showing Ethan entering the water near Long Island and disappearing. His Long Island villa had already been flagged by S.H.I.E.L.D and was under continuous satellite surveillance.

"Keep this video classified," Hill said, noting Ethan's face in the footage. She knew this confirmed Ethan's involvement, even if there wasn't direct satellite footage of the Atlantic event.

Hill had seen firsthand what Ethan was capable of when he turned Hell's Kitchen into a frozen wasteland. His control over ice and snow was as terrifying as it was powerful.

And now, this high school graduate had displayed powers on a scale that rivaled natural disasters.

No wonder Nick Fury hadn't made a move yet. There was no guarantee any of S.H.I.E.L.D's agents could survive an encounter with Ethan. They had no way to counter his abilities—not yet, at least.

As Hill pondered this, the other agents aboard the carrier were already whispering amongst themselves, staring in shock at the satellite images.

That morning, Ethan woke up feeling refreshed. "Another beautiful day," he muttered, smiling to himself as he brushed his teeth.

But as he checked his system panel, several unread notifications flashed across his vision. His eyes widened as he saw familiar names like Maria Hill, Barton, Phil Coulson, Nick Fury, and Natasha Romanoff.

"Mission completed?" Ethan muttered in disbelief. "That easily?"

[Task: Establish Prestige 2 – Contact S.H.I.E.L.D, form a deterrent to their agents, obtain desire value of 200,000, and show them what power is! Mission Level: Blue.]

[Task completed.]

Ethan realized that his stunt in the Atlantic had drawn the full attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. They had undoubtedly tracked his actions and deduced his involvement.

Looking up at the ceiling, Ethan understood the scale of S.H.I.E.L.D's capabilities. Their global satellite coverage, energy detection systems, and constant surveillance meant he was always being watched. The sheer reach of their technology was mind-boggling.

"S.H.I.E.L.D has been dealing with alien civilizations for a while now," Ethan murmured, thinking back to all the times the agency had intervened in events beyond human comprehension. "No wonder their tech is this advanced."

But even though S.H.I.E.L.D had caught on to him, Ethan remained calm. His power spoke for itself.

Beep Beep.

The doorbell rang. Ethan, still in his pajamas, was surprised. There weren't many people who knew his location—Jessica Jones rarely visited unless invited, Gwen was probably still angry with him, and his real estate agent, Julia, had her own matters to attend to.

Opening the door, Ethan found himself face-to-face with a striking woman with burgundy hair.

"Ms. Natasha Romanoff," Ethan said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I didn't expect a visit from my high school psychology instructor this morning."

Natasha smiled sweetly. "I'm not your instructor anymore."

Standing in front of him was none other than Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. Behind that smile was one of the most dangerous agents on the planet. But Ethan wasn't intimidated. He knew what S.H.I.E.L.D thought of him.

Ice Demon.

That was what they called him."An abnormal energy reaction occurred in the Atlantic Ocean, with an entire island and sea surface spanning over 300 kilometers frozen by mysterious energy," reported the S.H.I.E.L.D agent.