Chương 27: Has the Prophecy Come True?!
S.H.I.E.L.D. worked quickly. Two days later, I found myself staring at Captain America—Steve Rogers himself—lying unconscious on a hospital bed in front of me. His star-spangled shield rested beside him, as though he'd never been missing. The good news? He was alive. His body had thawed, and it seemed like he could wake up at any moment.
I looked down at him, my thoughts swirling. The expression on my face must have been changing constantly because I couldn't wrap my head around it all.
Could it be true? Could Jason Walker, the artist who depicted this exact scenario in his comics, really be a prophet?
I tried to reason it out. Sure, if Captain America's frozen location had been leaked through some sort of intelligence, I could explain how the comic got it right. But the *exact* coordinates, the very spot where an expedition stumbled upon him? That couldn't be a coincidence, could it? It wasn't like someone planted him there and just waited for a lucky expedition to pass by.
I shook my head. That idea was even more ridiculous than believing Walker was a prophet. As absurd as it sounded, believing in Jason's abilities seemed more plausible than the alternative.
My thoughts were interrupted when the door to the room swung open. Phil Coulson walked in, holding a folder of documents.
"Director, take a look at this," Coulson said, his face serious. "Jason Walker's in trouble again."
I frowned, already irritated. "What now? I haven't even sorted out the fact that he's been casually illustrating state secrets. What could he possibly be involved in this time?"
Coulson handed me the file, and I scanned it quickly. "Tony Stark is missing? What does that have to do with Walker?"
Phil looked a little caught off guard by my question, then seemed to realize what I didn't know yet. "Haven't you read *Iron Man*?"
"I've skimmed it. I know the basics. Why?"
Phil handed me a copy of the comic. "Just read this part. Trust me."
I flipped through the pages, confusion giving way to shock. Walker had *predicted* Stark's kidnapping. The events in the comic mirrored Tony's real-life disappearance, down to the location.
"It was him again!" I muttered, my eyes narrowing.
Three days after Marvel released *Iron Man*, Tony Stark disappeared, just as the comic had shown. The circumstances matched perfectly. As I pieced this together, a chill ran through me. I had to face the reality of it—Walker wasn't just guessing. He couldn't have drawn these events unless he had some kind of extraordinary ability. The scary part was that he had finished this comic *before* Tony vanished.
"Could Walker really be a prophet?" I wondered aloud. The idea gnawed at me, even though my rational mind wanted to reject it.
Phil interrupted my thoughts. "There's no way he's behind the kidnapping. Nobody's that reckless—drawing up a kidnapping they participated in themselves. But the military doesn't see it that way."
I put the comic down, rubbing my temples. "How's Walker holding up?"
Phil responded quickly. "Because of Tony's disappearance, the lawsuit's taken a back seat. But now that people have seen how his comics are lining up with reality, things are escalating. The military thinks he's involved in the kidnapping because of how accurately he depicted the events."
I cursed under my breath. The military only cared about their budgets and new weapons—aircraft, missiles, you name it. Now that Tony was missing, they were understandably losing their minds. In their view, Walker was the obvious suspect.
I thought quickly. The military was bound to react rashly. If they went after Walker, there'd be a confrontation. But if I stepped in now, I could shift Walker's view of S.H.I.E.L.D., maybe even recruit him. If Walker really had the ability to predict the future, his value to us would be off the charts.
"Phil, keep an eye on Jason Walker. Don't let him get into any trouble with the military," I ordered.
Phil nodded, understanding my plan. I was playing the long game here, and Phil knew it. With one last glance at the captain on the bed, he left the room.
I took a deep breath, staring out the window. If we had Walker on our side, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be unstoppable.
---
At the same time, Jason Walker sat at his desk, scrolling through the comments on the internet. A smile crept across his face.
His plan was working. Using Tony Stark's disappearance to build momentum for *Iron Man* was already paying off, and everything was moving in the direction he'd anticipated. By the time the second volume came out, the sales numbers would be through the roof.
"Jason, are you okay? You're scaring me a bit," came a voice from behind.
Jason turned to see Laura, my assistant, standing nervously at the door. Her brow was furrowed, her eyes wide with concern. She must've thought I was cracking under the pressure.
Her anxiety amused me. I chuckled lightly. "What? You think I'm losing it?"
She didn't answer directly but shook her head. Her worried expression said everything.
"Jason," she said softly, "I know things are hard right now. Don't bottle it all up. If you need to cry or scream, it's okay. Whatever happens, I'll be here with you."
Her eyes grew misty, and she looked like she was about to cry herself.
I couldn't help but feel a little touched. Laura was genuinely worried, and though her performance was a bit dramatic, her heart was in the right place. Smiling, I got up from my chair and gently ruffled her hair.
"Don't worry," I said softly, "Your big brother Jason isn't the type to fall apart. These are just minor setbacks."
Laura relaxed a little, relieved by the confidence in my voice. I could see she wanted to believe me.
She didn't know the full scope of my plan, and it was probably better that way for now. If I told her everything, I wasn't sure she'd fully understand.
Later that night, I returned home, brewed a pot of tea, and settled into the living room. As I opened my laptop, I scrolled through the latest comments online. I had a feeling there were more visitors coming my way soon.
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