章節 53: Settled
"Alright, that settles it then," Liam said, standing up. "Before I forget, could you do me one more favor?"
Fury's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Liam. "What is it?"
"When you go to Stark in the future, leave my document out of the documents you show him," Liam replied casually.
Fury's expression barely changed. "We can do that," he said, deciding not to waste time questioning the reason. His mind was preoccupied with the document Liam had handed him earlier.
'If what's written here is true, then those fuckers have been in SHIELD all along. There's no guarantee he's right, but it's worth investigating. So far, everything he's said has been accurate—and he knows about the pager. No one knows about that. There's no documentation, no trace. How the hell does he know about it?'
Fury glanced at Liam, his thoughts continued to race. 'The assessment mentioned indestructible armor, a sharp spear, and a whip. He seems capable of summoning them out of thin air. There's far too little intel on him. Could this be an inside job? If those Hydra scum are in SHIELD, it would explain how he got some of this information and how he accessed Coulson's locker undetected. But why reveal himself now if he's working for them?'
Fury's mind continued working over the possibilities before he finally spoke again. "There's one condition you haven't fulfilled."
"And that is?" Liam asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Your abilities," Fury replied.
Liam tilted his head, a puzzled look on his face. "Why would I tell you about my abilities?" 'He's smart enough to know I wouldn't share everything, and even if I did, he'd never know it.'
Fury leaned forward slightly. "Understanding your abilities helps us for your future contributions. It helps us anticipate risks and plan for effective teamwork in future operations."
Liam considered this textbook answer for a moment and gave a small nod. 'That's fair enough. I should give him a little bit; otherwise, this entire conversation would've been pointless.'
Without hesitation, Liam summoned Incursio around him. "This is my armor, Incursio. It's incredibly durable and has no openings anywhere on my body," he said, gesturing to the suit. "But I'm sure you already knew that."
Without waiting, Liam then summoned Neontote, his spear. "This is Neontote. Like my armor, it's made from the same material but sharpened to an extreme degree."
Finally, he reached behind him and quickly formed a glowing whip using Eldritch Constructs. "And this is my whip. It's flexible, incredibly durable, and almost as tough as my armor, though it's made from a different material."
Fury's eyes narrowed as he observed the weapons. "How durable are your weapons and armor? How sharp is your spear?"
Liam smirked slightly. "Durability-wise, there's barely anything in the world that could break these beauties. As for sharpness, I can cut through steel without any trouble. Does that answer your question?"
"It does," Fury replied, though he was aware Liam was still withholding a great deal. For now, however, Fury had no other options but to accept it.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Liam unsummoned the armor, spear, and whip. "Well, that should be all," he said, moving to leave.
"Wait," came a voice from the right side of the table.
Liam paused and turned to see Ava Starr standing.
Liam raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Your whip," Ava began, stepping forward. "How did it stop me from phasing? It shouldn't be possible unless it's made from quantum energy."
"It's not," Liam replied flatly. "I don't know how it happened. All I know is that it's just… a special material."
"Is there any way for me to obtain this material?" Ava pressed. Fury observed Liam, paying close attention to her question.
"No," Liam answered. "This is the only bit of material there is I think."
"Where did you get it?" Fury interjected, trying to get more information from Liam. "And how did you make it into armor? Last I checked, an 18-year-old kid doesn't exactly have the resources to forge something like this."
Liam had long expected this question and had already prepared an answer before he came here. He changed to a serious tone. "On a rainy night, a meteor fell from the sky and landed in my backyard. I went out to check, and before I knew it, this armor had formed around me, and I could summon the spear from… god knows where."
His delivery was so straight-faced that, for a moment, no one responded. It was obvious neither Fury nor Ava believed him, but they had no other choice but to accept it.
"Before I forget," Liam added, reaching into his pocket. "Here's my number. Call me if there's a crisis—lots of lives at stake, the world ending, that sort of thing." He tossed a small piece of paper to Fury, who caught it without breaking eye contact.
Fury nodded. "Coulson, show our guest out."
Coulson stood up and gestured to Liam. "Right this way."
Liam followed him out of the room, and they stepped into the elevator. As they descended, Coulson broke the silence.
"See? Like I said, I trust my judgment in you. I look forward to working with you in the future."
Liam gave him a smile. "I look forward to it too, Coulson. Something tells me we'll be working together a lot."
Coulson couldn't shake away a feeling in the back of his mind. His thoughts went back to their earlier conversation in the car but denied the thought as unrealistic.
Once they reached the ground level, Coulson escorted Liam outside to where a car was parked near the Triskelion entrance. "Do you want a ride back?" Coulson offered.
Liam shook his head. "No need. Now that I'm here, I might as well take some time to explore Washington, D.C.''
''Do you want a ride to the city then?'' Coulson offered.
''No thanks, I enjoy walking so I would rather do that." Liam answered.
"Alright. Good day, then," Coulson said, smiling.
"Until next time, Coulson," Liam replied before turning to walk toward the main gate.
As Liam walked to the gate, he noted the presence of multiple people still tailing him. 'Six… hostile intent. Must be Hydra operatives sent by Alexander.'
He maintained his usual composure, greeting the gate guard casually. "Hi, I—"
Before he could finish, the gate opened for him. 'Coulson must've given the heads-up.'
Liam exited and began walking across the bridge towards the city. Though his "tails" had temporarily fallen back, he suspected they were keeping their distance.
Before he could continue, a familiar voice called out from behind him.
"Wait!"
Liam turned to see Ava Starr jogging towards him. He paused, letting her catch up. "What's up?" he asked.
"Please," Ava began, her voice urgent. "Tell me how you stopped me from phasing. I need to know—it's important."
Liam sighed. "Didn't I already tell you I don't know how it happened?"
"You're lying," Ava said, desperation evident in her voice. "I know you are. My instincts tell me you know exactly how you did it."
Liam studied her for a moment, feeling a pang of pity. 'This girl has been a pawn her whole life—trapped by a disease given to her in the same lab accident her parents died in and afterwards used by SHIELD. They throw some false hope of a cure to make sure she does what they want her to do. It's tragic.'
After a moment of silence, Liam finally said, "You are correct. I do know. But tell me, why should I share my secrets with you?"
"You don't understand," Ava pleaded. "I've been living with this pain my entire life. Every second is hellish pain for me, and because of my condition I'm slowly fading out of existence.''
創作者的想法 
Donnuuu
Donnuuu Have some idea about the story? Comment it and let me know.
章節 54: Accident?
Liam contemplated for a moment before answering. "What I did wasn't a permanent cure, more like a temporary solution. I don't think I am personally capable of curing you either—not now, at least."
Seeing the glimmer of hope in her eyes, she asked, "Someone else might be able to cure me?"
"Yes, I'm almost certain someone can. But I don't know if it's possible at this moment," Liam replied cautiously.
"What do you mean 'not possible now'?" she asked, with desperation in her voice.
"Well, she's... quite a unique person," Liam admitted. "And you work for an organization like SHIELD—an organization she doesn't want any association with."
"I can leave SHIELD," she said, her voice filled with anger. "They've been promising me a cure for 12 years now, and they've done nothing. Ever since I got this sickness when I was six, I just wanted to be normal. Please, help me."
Liam's gaze softened as he considered her plea. 'This might work. I think? I should probably ask the Ancient One first,' he thought. His reasoning wasn't purely out of pity—'If anyone can cure her in one go, it would be the Ancient One. But knowing her, she'll likely have Ava learn magic and try to find her own solution instead. That could create another powerful ally in the future.'
Then there was the problem of SHIELD. 'They won't just let her leave; she's too valuable. The perfect assassination weapon. But maybe I can work something out with Fury later.'
"Are you sure you're willing to go through with this?" Liam asked again. "I still need to ask her, and even if she agrees to help, chances are you won't be able to leave that place for months—maybe even years."
"Please, ask whoever can help me," she pleaded. "The pain I endure feels like I'm being ripped apart and put back together when I phase. Without my suit, the phasing is uncontrollable. I haven't been able to live a normal life since I was six. Even if it takes time, I can't stand living in this hell anymore."
Liam nodded. "Alright." He pulled out his phone and looked up a location. "Let's meet here tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll ask my teacher if she can help you."
He showed her his phone, and she nodded. "Thank you," she said sincerely.
"Don't thank me yet," Liam said. He knew there was still a chance the Ancient One would decline, given Ava's history with SHIELD.
Without another word, Ava turned invisible, phasing out of sight. 'If it weren't for my Eldritch Sight, I'd have no idea where she went,' Liam noted. He could sense the quantum energy she used to disappear which left him to question what exactly the quantum realm is.
Like Liam said, he genuinely had no idea how to cure her. 'Maybe anchoring her to this dimension would work, but that's not a permanent solution. Anchoring requires constant energy. A true cure? Without Hank Pym or Janet, I have no idea if it's even possible.'
He watched as she phased through the gate, then continued his walk. 'When will these Hydra people come after me again? I doubt they've given up so quickly.'
Liam strolled along the bridge, his thoughts went back to the conversation with Fury, when he felt the same hostile intent as before. It was approaching quickly.
'A car,' he realized as he started jogging into the city. He took a sharp right into a side street, but the car followed him closely. It was a gray Ford. Looking ahead, he noticed a white sedan turning into the street as well. He could feel the hostile intent from both vehicles.
'So, one car behind me and one in front. Likely two to four individuals per car,' he assessed. 'I've been walking slow enough after talking to Ava—they might've sent more after me.'
He kept a close eye on the cars, both now about 200 meters away. Their behavior puzzled him. 'They'll probably just track me for now,' he thought, but something felt off. As the cars accelerated, his suspicion grew.
'They can't really be thinking...' The thought cut off as the cars, now less than 100 meters away, showed no signs of slowing.
Liam summoned Incursio around him just as the vehicles crashed into him from both sides.
The collision had quite the amount of force, but his armor absorbed most of the impact. The sound of the crash echoed faintly in his head. It didn't hurt, but the sheer audacity of the attack shocked him.
'What the fuck are they doing?' he thought, looking at the wreckage. The drivers hadn't even attempted to swerve.
Civilians had stopped to film the scene, their phones raised as they made pictures and took video's of the destruction. Liam cursed silently. 'In broad daylight, in front of all these people. What the fuck were they thinking?'
He examined the vehicles. Inside the crumpled gray Ford, a man in casual clothes was slumped over the steering wheel—unconscious or dead, Liam couldn't tell. In the white sedan, an older man lay impaled by a piece of metal from the car frame. He was definitely dead, looking at the bloody mess which used to be his lower body.
'No weapons, no gear. Nothing to suggest they're anything but ordinary people,' Liam observed, though he knew otherwise. 'This has to be Hydra. Coincidences like this don't happen.'
More troubling was the crowd of civilians filming the incident. 'Damn it, I didn't want to reveal myself to the world like this. Especially not like this.'
The sound of distant sirens broke his off thoughts. 'No time to stick around, I don't want to make this scene any bigger than it already is. There's no way I can explain this to the police either,' he thought, deciding it was best to leave the scene.
He pushed the wrecked cars aside, giving himself room to escape. With a final glance at the unconscious driver, Liam ran to a nearby alley. Finding a spot with no one around, he opened a portal back to the Sanctum and stepped through.
Inside his room, Liam unsummoned Incursio and sat down to think. "What was their plan with this?" he murmured to himself.
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. 'If they bugged Fury's room, they would've known I joined the avengers and will help Fury out in the future. An attack like this right after I leave SHIELD would make me suspicious of Fury . Especially after some of the things he said.'
Still, something didn't add up. 'I sensed six tails. Assuming the two drivers were among them, where are the other four?'
Deciding he needed help to cover this up, Liam picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Coulson?" he asked when the call connected.
Meanwhile, on the scene.
Multiple police cars came to a halt at collision site. Officers exited their vehicles, assessing the scene. Multiple agents rushed to the crumpled white sedan and grey Ford. One officer leaned into the sedan, feeling for a pulse.
"The victim in the white sedan has passed away, no chance on revival." He reported, stepping back from the bloody mess inside the car.
"Over here! This one's still alive!" came a shout from the Ford.
More officers and emergency responders hurried to the wreck. As an ambulance pulled up, the senior officer on site shouted out orders. "Make a way for the paramedics to get to him—carefully!"
Three officers worked together to pry open the already mangled door. The damaged metal gave way with a groan as they dragged the door open. Two responders immediately checked the injured driver.
"Clear out! Let the paramedics work!" the senior officer called again, waving his team back.
As the medics stabilized the man, other officers began barricading the area, setting up a perimeter to control the growing crowd. Civilians gathered along the edges, some recording videos or snapping photos of the wreckage the monster figure had left behind.
Witnesses began approaching the officers, eager to share their accounts. Some civilians showed short clips of the aftermath, while others shouted accusations.
One man, his voice louder than the rest, drew particular attention. "I saw it all happen! I saw it all happen!" he yelled, waving his arms dramatically.
A nearby officer turned to him. "Sir, calm down. What did you see?"
The man pointed toward the crash site. "A normal man wrapped himself in some kind of armor and stood in front of two speeding cars! This was no accident! That monster did it on purpose!"
People in the crowd began to murmur.
The officer raised an eyebrow but remained composed as he wrote down notes. "Your name and address, sir?"
The man eagerly provided his information, his tone still heated. "Someone has to stop him! He's dangerous!"
Nearby, other officers worked to piece together the sequence of events, while civilians whispered amongst themselves, each saying something different.
--------
I will try to release a large amount of chapters all at once around Christmas. I need some opinions before I start on them however.
First of all, I am not planning to merge the x-men world or whatever into this one. There is pretty much only one character whom I actually really like and would make a lot of sense for her to be somewhat here I guess? (won't spoiler), which would be Magik (Illyana Rasputin). So tell me what you think about her. (I will add a picture for reverence.)
每周推薦票狀態
200+ 推薦票
榜單 
78 推薦票 您可能也喜歡
段落評論