Chương 14: Unrest!
After helping the police subdue the mafia in Hell's Kitchen, Ash continued soaring through the city, the thrill of the night alive in his veins. He moved from one part of New York to another, tackling small-time problems—a purse-snatcher here, a suspicious figure there. It was exhilarating, and he found himself wishing he could spend the whole night out here, a silent guardian.
As he flew above the skyline, Ash grinned, speaking to Zoe. "This is fun. I might just stay out all night, clearing up the city."
But his excitement was quickly halted as Zoe's voice echoed through his earpiece, "Ash, sorry to interrupt, but you might not remember this… You're starting school tomorrow."
Ash froze mid-flight, realizing with a jolt that he'd completely forgotten. "School? Already?"
"Yes," Zoe replied with a hint of amusement, "and I recommend you head home and rest. You'll need the energy for the first day."
Ash sighed, disappointed. "Fine, Zoe. Let's head back." He activated his teleportation device, reappearing in his apartment a second later. With a quick tap on his bracelet, his suit retracted, transforming into the sleek wrist accessory he always wore.
After a simple dinner, he headed straight to bed, eager to get some rest before morning.
The next day, Ash was roused from sleep at precisely 7 a.m. by Zoe's familiar voice. "Good morning, Ash. Time to get ready for school."
Groggy, Ash sat up and rubbed his eyes, mumbling, "Already? Can't I just sleep a bit longer?"
"I wouldn't advise it," Zoe replied calmly. "You'll be late."
Grumbling, Ash got out of bed and went to the bathroom, taking a quick shower and brushing his teeth. After freshening up, he stepped out, hunger gnawing at him. Reaching for his trusty gourmet tablecloth, he ordered a bowl of cereal and milk.
Once he finished breakfast, Ash fastened his suit-bracelet securely onto his wrist, grabbed his bag, and stepped out of his apartment. Twenty minutes later, he found himself standing in front of Midtown High—the very same high school that Peter Parker, the future Spider-Man, attended.
Taking a deep breath, Ash walked inside, looking around the crowded halls of students as he searched for the principal's office. He spotted a student nearby and asked, "Hey, can you point me to the principal's office?"
The student nodded, giving him quick directions down the hall. Following them, Ash found himself outside a door labeled Mr. David, Principal. Taking another deep breath, he knocked and entered.
Inside, the principal, Mr. David, sat at his desk, a welcoming smile on his face. Ash gave a slight nod and introduced himself. "Hello, sir. I'm Ash Miller, the new transfer student."
Mr. David nodded, standing up. "Welcome to Midtown High, Ash. I'll call your homeroom teacher, Mr. Devon, to come and take you to class." He picked up the phone and spoke briefly, then turned back to Ash. "He'll be here shortly."
A few minutes later, Mr. Devon entered the room. He was a middle-aged man with an approachable appearance, his demeanor relaxed but professional. Mr. David introduced them, and Mr. Devon greeted Ash with a nod.
"Nice to meet you, Ash," Mr. Devon said. "Let's get you settled in. First, I'll show you to the locker area so you can stow your things."
They walked down the hall to a row of lockers. Mr. Devon found one for Ash and handed him a key. After placing his belongings inside, Ash followed Mr. Devon through the halls and finally arrived outside his new classroom. Even from outside, Ash could hear the buzz of conversation within.
When Mr. Devon opened the door, the noise quickly died down as the students turned, casting curious glances at Ash. Mr. Devon stepped inside, motioning for Ash to follow. "Class, this is Ash Miller, a new student. He'll be joining us from now on."
The students whispered among themselves, intrigued. Mr. Devon glanced at Ash and nodded. "Go ahead, Ash. Introduce yourself."
Ash cleared his throat. "Hi, everyone. My name is Ash Miller. You can call me Ash. I hope we can all get along."
The students murmured greetings, nodding and giving him friendly glances. Mr. Devon looked over the room and said, "Ash, you'll be sitting next to Mr. Parker."
Ash's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. Of course, he'd suspected he'd encounter familiar faces here, but meeting Peter Parker, the future Spider-Man, was still something to marvel at.
Peter Parker looked up from his desk, a skinny boy with glasses and a shy expression. Ash walked over and took his seat, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you, Peter. I'm Ash."
Peter blinked, adjusting his glasses before shaking Ash's hand. "Nice to meet you too, Ash. Hope you like it here."
As Ash looked around, he recognized a few other familiar faces from the comics. At one table sat a heavyset Asian boy—likely Ned Leeds, Peter's close friend. A tall, athletic blonde with a football jersey sat a few seats away, exuding an air of arrogance. That must be Flash Thompson, Ash thought, the notorious bully of Peter Parker.
Near the back were two girls who stood out: one blonde and intensely focused on her books—likely Gwen Stacy—and a striking redhead, looking a bit distant, whom Ash recognized as Mary Jane Watson, or MJ as she was commonly known.
Finally, he noticed another student dressed in fine, expensive clothes—a clear contrast to the others. That's got to be Harry Osborn, Ash concluded, observing each student closely. He made a mental note of their faces, firmly engraving them in his memory before turning his attention back to the lesson.
While Ash settled into his first day at school, Captain George Stacy and his team held a press conference regarding the events of the previous night. The gathered reporters were restless, cameras flashing as they waited for details about the mysterious vigilante.
As Captain Stacy stepped up to the podium, he raised a hand to quiet the crowd. "Please, one question at a time."
A reporter raised her hand immediately. "Captain Stacy, can you confirm if the police received help from a vigilante last night?"
Stacy nodded. "Yes, it's true. We were assisted by an unknown individual who showed remarkable abilities and helped us stop a dangerous mafia group."
Another reporter spoke up, her voice urgent. "How does the police force plan to handle this vigilante?"
Captain Stacy took a deep breath before answering. "While we're thankful for his help—and I believe that, without him, my team might not have made it out alive—the law considers vigilantism a crime. We don't know who he is, but as long as he operates outside the law, he'll be treated as a criminal."
A third reporter asked, "What do we know about him so far?"
Stacy thought carefully. "From what we observed, he has several abilities. He can fly, he has enhanced endurance, strength, and speed, and he's capable of producing force fields. He may even have more abilities we haven't seen yet. But beyond that, we know nothing about him—his name, his origin, or his intentions."
Reporters continued to bombard him with questions, and Captain Stacy did his best to answer each one calmly.
Meanwhile, in his office, Nick Fury watched the press conference on a large screen, his gaze steely. Sitting beside him was his right-hand man, Agent Coulson. Fury turned to him, his expression thoughtful.
"Have we found anything on this guy yet?"
Agent Coulson shook his head. "No solid leads on his identity, but we did manage to recover security footage from last night's incident." He handed Fury a file, and Fury opened it, watching the recording carefully. On the screen, Ash appeared in his suit, his force field protecting the police from a barrage of bullets. Fury watched as Ash displayed superhuman strength, effortlessly disabling the machine gun and releasing an energy burst that incapacitated the entire mafia gang. Finally, Fury noted how Ash healed a wounded officer, leaving no trace of injury.
Fury narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. "What about the officer who was shot and then healed? Any changes in his condition?"
Agent Coulson replied, "Reports say he's healthy, almost as if he was never injured. There's no scar, and there don't appear to be any side effects."
Fury rubbed his chin, thinking. "What's Black Widow's status on this? I assigned her to this case, didn't I?"
"Yes, sir," Coulson replied. "She was out on a mission, but she'll be arriving in New York by this evening."
Across the country, in his Malibu mansion, Tony Stark was also watching the footage of Ash in action. Fascinated, he leaned forward, his mind racing with questions.
"Jarvis," Tony said, eyes fixed on the screen, "analyze that footage. Is there any metal on his suit that we don't know about?"
Jarvis's calm voice replied, "It's difficult to determine, sir. The suit appears to be made of an unknown material capable of absorbing and redirecting energy. It could be a highly advanced metal or alloy."
Tony sighed in frustration, scratching his head. "How does he take that many hits without a scratch? And that healing ability… What kind of tech is he using?"
The screen continued to play as Tony watched intently, muttering to himself, "Whoever this guy is, he's using tech way ahead of anything I've seen." Tony leaned back, his curiosity only growing. "And I don't like being second place."
With a smirk, he glanced at the screen again. "Looks like I've got some competition… and a new project to work on."
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