An Offer From Shield(chapter 30)

prevously in chapter 29

The bustling streets of New York City hummed with life on this sunny day. Countless people hurried along, their footsteps echoing against the pavement as they went about their daily tasks. The aroma of food wafted from nearby food carts, mixing with the sounds of car horns and chatter to create a vibrant atmosphere. The particular restaurant on the corner seemed to be quite popular, with people of all classes dining al fresco, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

Surprisingly, amidst the crowd sat Henry, dressed in a regular white shirt and blue jeans, with somewhat odd-shaped black sunglasses. He sipped from a cup he had brought himself, glancing at his phone with a puzzled expression. "Hmm, magic is actually real," he murmured to himself, engrossed in the feed from Recon Drone 7. The dark video footage showed a figure in a robe with strange, bright blue symbols on their hand. "Or it could be superpower?" Henry pondered aloud, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Either way, Kai is coming along nicely. Gosh, they grow up fast."

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Chapter 30

Suddenly, a woman appeared, sitting across from him. She was older, in her mid-40s, and of Asian descent. Her demeanor was combat-ready and efficient. Henry groaned inwardly as he recognized her—May. She gave him a deadpan look and remarked, "Henry, it's a nice day we're having today."

Henry sighed, "It was, before you interrupted me. What are you doing here, May? I'm quite busy." He took another sip of his drink, eyeing her warily.

May continued to give him a deadpan expression, her gaze assessing. "Wow, you've changed. In the span of months since I last saw you, I would say you've been working hard. But knowing you, you probably didn't work for an ounce of that," she commented, referring to his bulging muscles.

"That is right, you don't know anything about me," Henry retorted, feeling defensive. May then turned her head, indicating a woman who seemed vigilant, scanning the surroundings. She then turned back to Henry. "You're still tracking down Extremis users. What, stealing from Killian wasn't enough for you?"

Henry groaned further, frustration evident in his voice. "What are you doing here, really? You usually come running at me, guns blazing. Why the sudden change of approach?" he asked, his tone laced with suspicion.

May shrugged, tilting her head slightly. "Well, we decided to stop wasting time. Why don't you join us, make better use of your talent?" she suggested.

Henry burst into laughter, incredulous. "You, seriously? Come on, this is what was his name? talking about him, where is he?" he asked, pretending to search for the name, only for someone else's voice to interrupt.

"it's Phil Coulson, but I'm sure you already knew that, Henry," a man said as he sat down beside them. He was older, in his 50s, with a receding hairline and black sunglasses. They both wore coms in their ears, indicating they were connected.

"Yes, Agent Coulson. Anyways, what was your offer again?" Henry asked, clearly amused by the situation.

"Join us, join S.H.I.E.L.D. We can offer you proper education, funds, materials, security," Coulson replied, his tone earnest.

Henry chuckled, shaking his head. "Man, you guys are funny," he said, not taking the offer seriously.

Coulson persisted, "Well, we do have our charms."

Henry's laughter stopped abruptly, his expression turning serious. "You think this is a joke? What you've done to me, how hard you've made my life. You think I'm just going to forget that?" he asked, his anger palpable.

May, ready to spring into action, spoke up. "Well, you started by killing one of our agents."

"If he didn't try to kill me first, then I wouldn't have. I already had some people I needed to deal with. I didn't want a new enemy, but you had to invite yourself onto my list of enemies," Henry retorted bitterly.

At the mention of enemies, Coulson chimed in, "Yes, I've heard about the mysterious organization that was after you. If you join us, then they won't be a problem."

But Henry scoffed, "Yes, I might have been afraid of such a thing happening some time ago, but things change, Phil. Things change. Let's see how S.H.I.E.L.D. fares." as he stood up before walking away.

Coulson warned, "Trust me, Henry, you don't want S.H.I.E.L.D. as your enemy. Not when you're a nobody."

Henry stopped in his tracks, turning slightly to face the duo. He smiled, a hint of defiance in his eyes. "I'm not a nobody, Coulson. I'm the fucking Alchemist. Remember that," he declared, before dropping a small bottle that shattered on the ground, releasing harmless black smoke. As May and Coulson covered their noses, Henry vanished into the crowd, leaving them behind.The scene dissolved into the bustling streets of New York City once again, the chatter and footsteps of the pedestrians filling the air as if nothing had happened as may said, "are you just going leave him like that?" to which Coulson sighed as he said, "no, i am going to assemble a task force" which surprised may as she said, "just for him?" to which coulson replied, "if we cant have him, then its better that he is neutralised" before they both left.

-scene change-

Back inside his hideout, a not-so-happy Henry could be seen, with his eyes closed, his MP active, as he mixed what seemed like orange blood into another potion. He was careful in each step as he mixed the two together until they became one new potion, which had the following status:

[ Name: Extremis Flameheart Elixir ] 

[ Grade: 4th ] 

[ Description: The Extremis Flameheart Elixir is a potent blend created from the essence of Extremis-infused blood and the Flameheart Brew. This elixir grants the user the ability to generate extreme heat from the user's body and emit flames from the user's mouth, as well as healing from any injury aside from heart injuries and enhanced physical attributes without the consumer's combustion. ] 

[ Effects: +100% regenerative +100% physical strength +100% resistance to heat and fire +100% fire-based attack potency for 50 minutes ] 

[ Deterioration Rate: 0% ]

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A/N: Well, another chapter. Hope you guys like it. And don't worry, he might trade with SHIELD, he might even give them a little, but only when it benefits him. And he will always remember what they did to him.