Chapter 35

"Don't-" Natasha started, but I was already moving. I chucked Gregory's unconscious body over the edge, startling her, and dashed after her using Angel Evade.

I landed just in time to catch him and Burst to the side to avoid Clint's arrow. It let out a sonic burst that ruptured one of my eardrums, preventing me from Angel Evading again. I still kept pace despite being loopy and disoriented.

I threw Gregory on my back while I spiked Angel Regeneration. My ear popped, and my hearing returned. Clint hadn't fired another arrow. Gregory's body had given me cover as I hurried toward my car.

Natasha popped out behind a bend just before I got to the car, and I ducked in time to avoid a 720 kick.

It was no easy feat, with the extra weight dragging me down, but I made it work. When Natasha started sprinting toward me, I forced myself to stay absolutely still. I held my ground when the blow came and weaved back just enough. Her fist nearly grazed my jaw as I spiked Demon Evade, filling my body with violent crimson energy that I immediately put to use by grabbing Natasha by the arm.

She tried blocking me, but I just yanked her to the side, destabilizing her, and tossed her into the air. Considering she was under 120 pounds and I momentarily had the strength of seven elite men, she went pretty far up.

"See you around, Black Widow," I quipped as I continued my trip. No arrow came from Clint again. He was probably too busy trying to save Natasha.

I kept my head on a swivel as I made it to my car and shoved Gregory in.

I took the scenic route to the Warehouse, which had enough guns and ammunition to outfit a small army. There was even an RPG and a flame thrower in there.

I took the best goodies.

It made me wonder what madness they had planned. Whatever the case was, the new heroes of New York would probably handle it. In the meantime, I made my escape, walking past two unconscious men I'd disabled with my daggers.

8hrs 22mins

The drive back to Xavier's place was tense.

Gregory and Henri had come to a while back and were bucking like wild animals at the rear of the SUV I was driving, but it was smooth sailing for me. I half-expected to run into some ambush by a vengeful Natasha or furious Clint.

It was no surprise when SHIELD showed up, yet I was powerless to stop it.

An arrow speared through the hood of my SUV, killing the engine immediately. Cars rolled out of the forest around the wooded path up to Xavier's, and two heavy-duty transport cars blocked my front and rear exits.

Lights focused on me and a black man who looked suspiciously like Samuel L. Jackson but more muscular and taller.

"You said you wanted to talk, let's talk."

My devil's eye flashed, and I scanned the forest and the surrounding area. Nick had nearly 50 heavily armed SHIELD agents scatted in the forest around me. Some looked down the scope of snipers, others carried assault rifles, and a few carried specialty rounds, net guns, and all manner of SHIELD tech. Fury must've had them designed to restrain powered individuals.

"Talk, huh?" I said as I slowly climbed out of my car and removed my mask. There was no need for that anyway. "You're armed with enough firepower to level a small compound." 

"Charles brought me up to speed on your latest development," he said. "And I've adjusted as necessary. I've known Charles longer than you've been alive, and it takes somebody truly dangerous to rattle him, much less cripple him."

"If you know what I know, you wouldn't stop at his arm," I said. Fucking Charles. Of course, he tried to double-cross me despite my threats. While it was true that he couldn't control me. There was no rule against puppeting everybody else.

A small part of me feared that Fury was compromised, but then again, he was the Batman of the Marvel Universe. Something told me that Fury had countermeasures for mental intrusions like that.

"Charles also told me about your other abilities," Fury said. "And my agents confirmed as much after you whooped their asses. You know things you're not supposed to."

My eyes turned red as I activated Devil's Eye, giving off the impression that I was staring into the soul of the one-eyed director. I heard a series of clicks as agents switched off the safety of thier weapons.

I mentally chuckled.

Nick Fury

He is an experienced fighter and strategist enhanced by the Infinity Serum to extend his lifespan considerably.

"You look rather spry for a man your age," I said, tilting my head to the side. I rather enjoyed playing the enigmatic Devil guy.

"That's a neat little trick," he said. "Add that to the fact that Xavier can't see in your head, and I can see why he thinks you're the devil himself. But I don't need to see inside your head to know a pretender when I hear one," Fury said, stepping forward.

"He told me you want to negotiate the terms of your service with SHIELD. Taking down a gang outpost and kidnapping the heads of two of the biggest gangs in New York is a hell of a way to start. Do you know how many people died, how much money you're costing the taxpayers?"

"Probably a lot less than it's costing them to mount this ambush. No one died in my little crusade, even if they fucking deserved it," I said. "And I know you know that. I attacked the Albanians and the Russians to prove a point. I'm fucking good, and I'm not some out-of-control killer. Everybody I've dropped until now was either in self-defense or because it had to be done."

"And what about that SHIELD agent?" Fury demanded. "Victor had a great family, Kids, and a bright future ahead of him. Did he deserve to die?"

I could tell by his tone that Fury was done playing. I was one lousy answer away from the hardest fight of my life.

"It was self-defense," I said. "He came at me, and I defended myself, and the autopsy should back me up."

"It doesn't," Fury said. "And all your little display in Hell's kitchen did was complicate our strained relationship with local law enforcement. They had agents in the organization in place to bring down the heads of both gangs when the time was right."

The news was like a punch to the gut. All of that work, planning, plotting…

How could I not have seen it? "They were after Fisk, weren't they?"